Can I just say something?

 

 In the bakery

Acrylic on birch panel

6 x 8 inches

Barbara Muir © 2014

Sally Chupick the other day had a great post about
how distracted artists are.  Today I had lunch in
a wonderful bakery in Kensington market.
I don't even know the name of the bakery, but
it's just around the corner from Toronto
Western where a very close friend was
spending the day. 

They served the most delicious chicken
sandwich I have had in a long, long time,
and I savoured it and listened to the
conversations around me.  Somehow (how?)
the talk turned to a discussion of Rob Ford,
and how sad it is that all the rest of the
world knows about our wonderful
city, the third largest in North America,
is about our crack smoking mayor.

In the middle of the debate about his
future I lost all thought focused on this
woman's face.  I knew I wanted to paint
her, and a man who seemed like the
bakery owner, or baker (stay tuned).
In the middle of her saying, "Can I
say something?" I said, "Can I say
something?" and asked if I could take
her photo so I could paint her. She
agreed.

So here it is.  I would like to spend a
bit more time on it, but I am very happy
with it so far.  She had a wonderfully
intense face. Quite beautiful.  And I
don't even know her name.  If you
read this, and you are her, write me at
the email at the top of the blog.

Have a saying-what-you-mean day.