Adding to the past

 Mary Cassatt

(painted from a black and white photo -- 

photographer unknown --colours imagined!)

Acrylic on birch panel

5 x 7 inches

Barbara Muir © 2015

Today my subject is Mary Cassatt.  I was
working from a photo and cannot find the
name of the photographer.  If you know it,
let me know and I'll add the credit.

Cassatt is one of my heroes.  If you read
my blog often you'll know that I recently
had a wonderful dream that she was one
of a group of painting heroes walking down
the beach in Pugwash, Nova Scotia towards me.

Sadly that's not possible as Cassatt died
at 82 in 1926. I have painted her as a young woman.
In the novel I've been talking about for the
past few days, I Always Loved You by Robin
Oliviera, she is an impressive character.
Painting her and thinking about her life,
made me feel closer to her -- although
her work has always captivated me.

In 2010 I saw some of her work at the Met in
New York City, but the paintings were inside
glass cases, and low down.  Still I felt
thrilled to see them. See a sample photograph
of  how the paintings looked below:

Young Mother Sewing, 1900
Mary Cassatt (American, 1844–1926)
Oil on canvas; 36 3/8 x 29 in. (92.4 x 73.7 cm)
H. O. Havemeyer Collection, 

Bequest of Mrs. H.O. Havemeyer, 1929

Have a -thinking-about-your-art-influences day.