Sunday, January 18, 2015

Planning for new paintings


 Before the dance with the cat
Acrylic on canvas
36 x 48 inches
Barbara Muir © 2009
There's a Christmas tree in my studio,
and I am thinking about new paintings and
would really like to work with live
models again.  This combination of
thoughts, plus a Facebook challenge
I hope to start working on sometime this
week had me hunting through old photos
and marveling at how my wonderful
models have worked together with me,
and inspired me.
Tia in the studio with
Simone the cat.
This brilliant young woman, Tia, modeled for
me in high school and part of university,
then grew up and joined the wide, wide
world.   Tonight I'm posting a shot of
her posing in 2009, at this time of year.
The painting was finished on April 27th,
the day Oprah's crew contacted me to
draw Oprah via Skype that May.

I love the contrast of the photo and the painting.

Have a painting-from-live-models day.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

January does that doesn't it? Make us ponder about directions we'd like to go. This is a beautiful portrait from life.

Mary Sheehan Winn said...

beautiful portrait and such a cozy and inviting studio.
I'm sure whatever the direction your work will be great as always.
Happy New Year Barbara!

laura said...

She is a lovely young woman, and you really make her radiant.
I enjoy seeing what you made of the setting: the colors and patterns.

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Sally,

Thank you so much. I remember doing that portrait so well. It was at a pivotal time in my art career.

Yes January does do that.

XOXOXOXOXO Barbara

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Mary,

Cozy is a lovely way to put it -- and small! Proof that you can create big works in a small space.

Thank you so much.I'm glad you like it.

XOXOXOXOXO Barbara

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Laura,

Thank you so much. She is definitely a beautiful young woman. Working with her I felt radiant.

I'm glad you like the background too.

XOXOXOXOXO Barbara

Portrait Artist

My photo
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
I paint and draw on commission and for shows. To commission a portrait, or purchase one of my paintings please contact me at: barbara.muir@sympatico.ca
A major highlight in my career? Drawing Oprah Winfrey live via Skype for her show "Where in the Skype are you? Galleries: Studio Vogue Gallery, Toronto, Canada. The Amsterdam Whitney Gallery, New York City. Gallery at the Porch Door, Kingston, Canada. Your positive comments on this blog mean the world to me. I'd love to hear from you!