Places we call home

 First sighting -- coming home

(work in process)

Acrylic on watercolour paper

10.6 x 13.8 inches

Barbara Muir © 2015

I am  rooted in Toronto, Canada, but if
I visit another city or town, even in another
country, I can start to feel at home in
two weeks.  That's happened in
England, Sweden, Italy (especially
Italy), France, and the U.S.

But the place in my painting tonight
near Pugwash, Nova Scotia, in Canada's
Maritimes is in a different league.  I've
been visiting for almost 20 years, counting
the views on the way out, like clues in a game
called "getting closer," and on the way back
to Toronto, in a profound series of goodbyes.

This view is poignant both coming and
going.  It is iconic of home.  I'm
still working on the painting, but getting there
and very much enjoying the process.

Have a feeling-at-home-anywhere day.

Proud like egg lady

 Like birds in flight

(work in process)

Acrylic on watercolour paper

10.6 x 13.8 inches

Barbara Muir © 2015

What?  There used to be a woman who lived
down the road from our school house in
Nova Scotia, who raised chickens and sold
eggs.  She didn't sell them every day, but
once in a while, and they were a tremendous
treat.  That lady was so proud of her chickens.
She knew everything about the breeds of her
chickens, and why they gave such good eggs
 -- it was a pleasure to hear her talk about them.
Plus the birds were beautiful and her rooster
woke us up every morning.

So I was wondering tonight how we can know
that people raising livestock for sale, or
vegetables, or sewing quilts, are proud of
the artistry of their work, and want to sell it,
and why people don't make the same connection
with artists.  We are supposed to be like some
strange cult who love to make things so much,
that that's what we do.

But here's a secret.  We also want to sell that work.
Not all of us.  There are hoarders, and people
who are too shy to put it out on someone else's
walls, and people who just make art for fun.
But the majority of us I'd go so far as to
say, want to do the work, and like egg lady, or
the health food store lady who took over
egg lady's property, and was infinitely
knowledgeable about herbs -- we want to
sell the work we're passionate about.

If anything strikes your fancy, you can
contact me at the email address above.
And for you my wonderful blog
audience -- no pressure.  I'm not
going anywhere (well New York, and
maybe Paris, but I am still here).  I say
this small piece in support of all the
artists on my blog list -- and all of them
need to eat.

Have a buying-your-eggs-from-an-egg-person day.

I'm just playing with you!

 The King's Breakfast

(work in process -- the thought stage ;-)

Acrylic on canvas

24 x 24 inches

Barbara Muir © 2015

I wish that was true.  Painting is play, but
sometimes it's also pretty serious.  When
I went to bed last night, I was not happy with
with the white tablecloth background -- then I dreamt
of a great solution.  Although somewhat abstract
this painting is about a real meal, the disarray on
the table was how it really was -- this is the romance
of two people in the middle of breakfast.

But the colour was not working.  So I decided to put
a cloth that wasn't there into the painting -- voila
-- the blue.  I'm happy with it so far, but it may become
a runner and go from one end of the painted table
to the other.  I'll keep you on the scene.

Have a working-on-playing-with-art day.

Speak to me about art -- but keep it real!

Surrounded by flowers

Black marker and watercolour

on watercolour paper

(work in process)

9 x 12 inches

Barbara Muir © 2015

 I was going to call tonight's blog -- "Don't shoot
me red." Why?  I am a bit tired of the idea that the
paint dictates what we do on the canvas or paper.
Really.  Maybe that's why a red ground appeals
to me so much -- because I have a big jar of it and
it begs to play.  (Note: I'm talking about an unfinished
painting I'm not showing you here -- yet.)

I don't think so.  I think I decide -- Huh maybe some
red, and then maybe I fall in love, and get seduced
by it, and spend the rest of the painting trying to
decide -- should red get to show here, or not.  But I
think I decide.  Perhaps I'm crazy.

Now take someone like David Lobenberg.  He keeps
it real.  He's a great painter, but he's not all up his own
inflated ego explaining his oeuvre.  No he's trying to
teach you how to catch on to his magic (without
ever calling it that.) 

Tonight I tried a "California vibe" style watercolour
of a beautiful girl who visited the other day and far
outshone the spring flowers.  Limited to a very
smooth paper -- (in watercolour the paper definitely
should make some of the decisions, and smooth is
not ideal), I tried colours I would never use without
watching David paint on one of his DVDs.

He may be embarrassed to hear I named him as
inspiration for trying this out.  But I had fun -- and
ultimately that is what it's all about.

Have a having-fun-painting day.

Spring artists' birthdays

 Liza and me in the studio

It's my friend Liza Hirst's birthday today --
one of my first blog artist friends.  It's
so wonderful meeting friends who you
develop a friendship with through this
unique art community.  This picture was
taken when Liza came to visit me in
Toronto in 2012.  It was a truly wonderful
evening.

I think Liza, and Laurel Daniel
whose birthday was yesterday, and any
other artists who have birthdays at this
time of year are blessed.  It's the beginning
of spring, it was just The International Day
of Happiness on March 20.  What a
great time of year to be born! By the way
I haven't met Laurel, but I'd really like to --
and I will one day.

Have a celebrating-your-artist-friends day.

Happy Spring and my favorite kind of day

 Parrots for Peoria

Acrylic on watercolour paper

10.6 x 13.8 inches

Barbara Muir © 2015

(Thanks to Howard Wolinsky

for the name.  I believe he

wanted peonies, but they're

not available here yet!)

This was an all art day -- my favorite.  I worked on
one of my big paintings that's filled with detail --
so slow.  Plus I worked on this tulip painting to
celebrate the first day of spring.

A beautiful young woman, a friend's daughter, came
to model for work I'm doing for an upcoming show,
and I organized my material (finally) for my part in
a group show in New York in May!

I need lists for my lists -- but what a good feeling
when some of the ideas on the lists get accomplished.
Happy Spring, and to my friends on the east coast I
wish an end to snow, and a slow easy melt into a
gorgeous spring.  You deserve it!

Have a welcoming-spring-day!

Family love

Woman sewing

Charcoal on Moleskine paper

8 x 10 inches

Barbara Muir © 2015

How wonderful it was to have my family
together for our St. Patrick's Day dinner
tonight (two days early, but we had
to fit everyone's schedules).  The house
was quickly switched from Valentine hearts
 to shamrock decorations, and we enjoyed
a lovely meal together.

I missed my mother who we used to
call on St. Patrick's Day so she could
sing,"When Irish eyes are smiling," to
us.  I've been thinking about the power of
image. When I look at a photo or a painting
does it feel like the person is present?

This little drawing is loosely based
on a photo by my father of my mother
sewing. The Irish side of my mother's
family was actually French.  Complicated.

Have a loving-your-family day.

Happy Pi Day -- no time for art.

 Mini daffodils in a bowl just starting

iPad drawing (finger drawing)

8 x 10

Barbara Muir © 2015

This was Pi day, and apparently the perfect
combination of numbers that happened
today won't happen again for 100 years.
To honour that -- Steven and I shared a
small tart (pie).

  

 Lady in Victorian chair with cat

iPad drawing (finger drawing)

8 x 10 inches

Barbara Muir © 2015

There are days when there is almost no time
for art.  But art is there.  I bought more tulips
and daffodils for paintings you may see next
week.  As we drove from task to task I
debated my next art move.  What do I want to
paint -- when to start, how to proceed?

We looked at a beautiful Louis
14 bed, designed and made in Italy.  Without
a doubt a work of art, and an incredible
pleasure to behold. Out of this world,
and off the cards in price -- but gorgeous.
 I bought shamrock plants to honor St. Patrick's
Day, and a little celebration of the day we'll have
early tomorrow night.

I did a couple of quick iPad sketches,
 I'll share with you.  And that was it.

Have a happy-as-pie day.

Small sketches and big plans

What do you think?

Black marker on Moleskine paper

8 x 10 inches

Barbara Muir © 2015

My gallery in Toronto, Studio Vogue
will close at the end of this month,
and today I went to thank Joyce
Fournier, who has been a wonderful
gallery director for me.  Joyce knows
and likes my work and has treated me
very well in the years I've shown with
her. 

We'll rise again: Late summer flowers

Black marker on Moleskine paper

8 x 10 inches

Barbara Muir © 2015

I was trying to decide what to show
in May at the Amsterdam Whitney
Gallery and what to show at another
exhibition this fall in Europe.  Joyce
was very helpful and we snacked on
delicious wee cakes.  Yum.  I will
miss Joyce, her husband Paul, and their
expertise at hanging a show and hosting
an opening so much.

A photo of the two

Joyce (left) and me in front

my cloudscapes.

Have a loving-your-galleries day.

A complimentary observer

Poem by the Don
acrylic on canvas
36 x 48 inches (diptych)
Barbara Muir © 2008

(This is one painting of

a person reading that isn't

in the collection posted by

the blogger in the Netherlands.)

Every now and then, I check out the images
under my name on the web, seeing if my
more recent work is at the top, and wincing when
unfinished work is there, and pieces I prefer
are much farther down the page.

The other day I made a strange but happy
discovery -- a blogger named Bas van 
Houwelingen had done an entire blogpost on 
his Reading and Art blog of my paintings of 
people reading.  It was a surprise to me to hit 
one of my older images and see this post. I'd
forgotten some of the paintings, and realized
that this was a big theme in my work.

I am a big believer in reading, and my friend
Marcia said the other day that I am an
obsessive reader.  I know that the ability to
read makes a huge difference in a student's
life, and a love of reading is a lifelong gift.

My work on the

 Reading and Art blog.

I am both flattered and grateful that Bas 
noticed my work. Thanks Bas for the work
you do.

Have a supporting-reading-artists-day.

Talking art all day

 Tulips for Tucson

Acrylic on watercolour paper

10.6 x 13.8 inches

Barbara Muir © 2015

I love talking to people about art.  Today my students
were asking me about Tom Thomson and Emily Carr.
There was a wonderful program on CBC Radio on
Emily Carr, one of the stars (as is Tom Thomson) in
the Canadian art firmament. For about 15 years she could
 not paint because she was running a boarding house and
 didn't have time. I think of that when I look at her magnificent
work. What would she have thought when one of her paintings
sold for 3.3 million dollars last year?

I think it's vital for people to know about the art
of their own country.  Canadian art is distinctive.

It was so warm today that the snow was melting and
making rivers down the street.  Birds were chirping,
my down coat was too warm.  What a great feeling.
My friend in Tucson and I joked about dull weather
expressions.  In Toronto as soon as it gets hot, and
it will soon, my husband teases me with my least
loved weather phrase,"it's not the heat, it's the
humidity."  Usually he'll get a look in his eyes and
say -- "well you know..."  And I know he's going to
say, "it's not the heat, it's the humidity."  Right
now after 40 below, I look forward to our cliché
summer talk.

The painting today is of my luxurious, glorious
parrot tulips heralding spring.

Have a talking-about-art-and-the-weather day.
 

Spring!

 Tulip light

Acrylic on watercolour paper

10.6 x 13.8 inches

Barbara Muir © 2015

Spring is here.  The clocks went back on Sunday,
the temperature rose above zero! The snow is
melting and a huge feeling of hope is rising up
in the land.  People have plans, and soon
the full riot of colour that is spring in Toronto will
start.

I was thinking of one of my favorite artists
who definitely deserves the Barbara Muir
Happy Art Award today -- Bob Burridge.
His weekly Bobblast was about painting
loose.  He said to paint loose, start loose,
so I did.  Thank you Bob.

Here are my tulips created thinking of him.

Have a thanking-wonderful-artists day.

Done like dinner!

 

Now that looks good!

Acrylic on canvas

24 x 24 inches

Barbara Muir © 2015

Painters have preserved the symbols of romance
forever.  So here's an odd one.  The symbols of
Valentine's Day this year for me have lasted in
my studio.  This delicious dinner did not take that
long to eat, but was a demanding picture to paint.  I
feel super happy about it now.  I can almost hear
the jangling of the cutlery as the train bounced
along so fast that we were much faster than the cars on
 the highway. 

This painting represents a bit of peace, a moment to
relax in a hurried world.  Ideally you share your meals
with someone you love, as I did eating this one beside
Steven.

Have a dreaming of the train day.

Happy International Women's Day

Ready for Joy

(final version)

24 x 24 inches

Acrylic on canvas

Barbara Muir ©

Four years ago on this day I exhibited this painting
in a show in celebration of 100 years of International
Women's Day.  100 women exhibited in Ayr.  The
collection was powered by the connections formed
by artist bloggers, a connection that has only grown
stronger among the women who were already
blog friends and met in that show.

To Marcia, Kim, Nicki, Tammy, Georgia, and Pam
it was wonderful to meet those of you who could
be there, and the other wonderful women who
exhibited.  In Canada this has been a big year for
the discussion of women's rights.  As I said to
a friend who runs the flower shop I go to,
"sisterhood is powerful." Four sisters
work in that store.

Have an enjoying-equality day.
Note: The woman in my painting is doing the
Whoop exercise I learned from Mike Dooley,
and putting her hands (unseen in the painting)
in the air in the posture that Amy Cuddy's Harvard
Research shows lowers your cortisol levels in
just two minutes.

Roses in line

 A line on roses

Black marker on Moleskine paper

8 x 10 inches

Barbara Muir © 2015

Late on a Saturday night when it's even later
because the time is changing.  Not much time to
paint today.  We were hurrying to entertain
dinner guests who are moving out of the country.
It was both celebratory (they are happy), and
sad (we don't want to see them go.)

I drew this bouquet of roses to capture the
joyous part of the day.  I love roses. 

Have a drawing-on-your-creative-well day.

Seeing with new eyes

 Mary at the ocean

Acrylic on canvas

12 x 12 inches

Barbara Muir © 2015

My friend Gill Cameron worked in Africa a few
years ago.  She's a an artist and teacher in Toronto,
and went to Tanzania to teach art for a semester.
She loved the country and the children and has
dreamt of going back since her return.

This is a painting of one of her students that I've
 been working on on and off for a few years.
Today I thought I had it all figured out.
Sometimes I am missing the juice on a painting,
and suddenly see what to do.  There are a few
more changes to make, but Mary at the ocean is
almost finished.

Have a seeing-things-differently day.

Lost in enthusiasm -- and progress on the train dinner

Now that looks good! (work in process)

Acrylic on canvas

24 x 24 inches

Barbara Muir © 2015

There has been so much going on! Trying to
find and acknowledge all the artists whose
work cheers me, teaches me, inspires me
and makes me love art and artists -- of course
leads to many conversations both on and off
line.  Thank you everyone.

Here is the latest stage in my painting of dinner
on the train.  There is still a lot to finish, so I am
not done.    I will try to add a  short video
from the train, to give you more of a feeling of the
mood accompanying this meal.  This is from
the way to Montreal, and the meal is from the trip
back to Toronto.

Looking Back and More Happy Art Awards

 Tracey Moore of CityLine

Happy Time

Acrylic on canvas

12 x 12 inches

Barbara Muir © 2011

If I had a million dollars -- wait a minute
isn't that a song?  It is -- by the Canadian
group The Barenaked Ladies.  Anyway
if I had multiple millions I'd open up
the Barbara Muir Happiness Center at one
of the colleges or universities here, and have
the experts on how to get and stay happy
help students free of charge full time.

But alas -- for now let's continue with my
simple award.  (See rules last night ;-)
I'm working on a painting that is taking
forever, and because I don't want to leave
you hanging I thought I'd look back to
January 2011 when I was on CityLine.

I luckily painted the show's host Tracey Moore
in preparation for the show. That was good
because I was so excited leaving my studio
for the show that I forgot to take the pack with
my proper paper, charcoal and equipment.  The
girl assisting me, persuaded a young man to find
 a flip chart, and some kind of charcoal, and the
show went on. (I was to draw the host live on the
show!) But like the carpenters say, measure twice,
cut once -- check your prep list twice, unpack once.

I knew when I finally went to bed after trying to
get a complete list of artists who inspire me last
night, that I was missing some of my most
favorite artists.

Here goes:
Joyce Fournier is a wonderful portrait artist, and
has been a sweet, kind, funny, and inspiring
gallery director for me at Studio Vogue Gallery.
Her work is both classical and modern in
subject matter.  Plus her series of purses, and
models in dresses show a great joie de vivre and
and sense of humour.

Pam Holnback and I meet most of the time on
Facebook, and her subjects range from landscapes
to still life.  Her colour is vibrant, her approach
her own, and Pam exhibited with several of the
other artists on this list in the 100th Anniversary
of International Women's  Day show in Ontario
a few years back.

Carol Marine is perhaps one of the most popular
artists in the blog world.  Her cityscapes,
and elegant still life work with spare, distinctive
brush work is widely admired.  And Carol teaches
her unique approach to painting in widely attended
workshops.  Ask any artist trying to learn to be
loose and fresh who is a great artist, and you
are sure to here her name.

Verna Vogel, is a uniquely experimental painter
who uses thread and paint and collage to create
both abstract and realistic work.  She is prolific,
dedicated, and an inspiring painter for me.

Amy Hillenbrand creates gorgeous high realism
paintings of flowers, still life and animals. Her
work is astounding and I frequently see her work
on Facebook and sit staring trying to sort out
how she did that for a good long time.

Diane Cooper Hoeptner paints cats that should
be in every major museum.  Her work is
highly original, high realism, deeply loving
and emotional about her subjects, and gorgeous.
She paints incredible still life as well, but
this year she is the cat master.

Veronica Funk is a western Canadian artist
focused on intrinsically Canadian themes.
Her brilliantly coloured, and highly
patterned paintings are magical and inspiring.

I also want to include all of the artists in
the Don Valley Art Club, but with 150
members, I will not be able to name each
one here.

That's it for tonight.  If more come to my mind
tomorrow, I'll add them in.  Thank you again
everyone on this growing list.

Have an enjoying-happiness-in-your-life day.

The Happy Art Award

 

 Large version of the award 

(realistic sized version is 

available below)
Barbara Muir © 2015

Hi friends,

I planned this award to start the year on a happy note.
I want to give out an award to everyone on my blog list,
and everyone I whose site I visit regularly.

I was thinking about the joy (and demands) of
 receiving awards in the early days of blogging.
 And I decided to create my own award.
Because it's almost spring and I thought what
could be better than to think of a way to tell my
artist, and blog friends how much I appreciate them.

The award

I believe it's important to spread happiness
as frequently as possible.  If you
receive this award from me have:
a) Made me happy with your work, whether
it's particularly joyful or not.  I so appreciate
the wonder, and beauty and creativity of your
art.  Thank you.
b) Created worlds of joyous work, helped
lift my mood in times of sorrow, or even
artistic frustration -- have moved me and
changed my day.

So -- as a winner of this award, and it may
take me a few days to get them out to those
of you I know best, please pass the award on
to five artists whose work fulfills one, or both
of these two descriptions, and link that post back
to this one.

You can cut and paste the award directly from
my web page.

In no particular order here is the list so far.
I'll add to it as names occur to me:

Jennifer Hinrichs, I had my very first
art shows with Jennifer who I met
when we worked on an art magazine
together.  Her work is powerfully
emotive, and original, mostly featuring
people.  I have learned so much from
 looking at her paintings over
the years, and I am grateful for every
wonderful connection she has introduced
me to.

Flora Doehler, who started me blogging.
Her vibrant flowers and scenes are always
an inspiration. 

Marcia LaBelle, my friend, and friend in
art forever, whose drawings take my
breath away.

Gill Cameron, has been my friend and
partner in art since we first started having
shows together.  She is an astoundingly
wonderful landscape painter.  Her colours
are beautiful, her designs unique, and she
gets the essence and soul of any landscape
she visits.  

Melinda Esparza is an amazing artist
in both landscape and portrait.  Her
vibrant colour and distinctive style
won her a residency at the Grand
Canyon for a month.  Her friendship
keeps my art happy.

Kim Rempel is a blog friend who has
become a 3D friend in the Toronto/Beamsville
area.  I love her abstracts, landscapes and
still life work.  She is a dedicated artist,
experimental, talented, witty, and kind.
A wonderful friend, and friend in art.

Nicki Ault is this generation's answer to
Tom Thomson, and beyond.  She is so talented
at landscape even in a small work, that
I am always in awe of her work.  And she
is a searcher, trying the new, breaking into
new modes of expression, canoeing out to
the wilderness to get the best plein air locations.

Sally Chupick is a wonderful painter, who
has taught me so much through her
instructive posts, and paintings.  She paints
her favorite landscapes and cityscapes with
a feeling of serene joy.

Norene Smiley is a wonderful artist, and writer,
and good friend in Pugwash, Nova Scotia.  Her work
is bright and she is constantly experimenting
with texture and image.  I love her portraits,
her flower paintings -- anything she does.

Belinda del Pesco, whose watercolours,
drawings and prints are magnificent.
Plus her how to videos are a gift to
all artists, and the quotes in her blog
are an art education in themselves.
Belinda was one of my earliest
blog friends.

Liza Hirst, is a wonderful artist in any medium
or size she chooses.  In the past couple of
years she has moved from France to London,
England where she runs a cool shop with
her husband Hubert too.  We met through
the blog, and in person here in my house!

Laurel Daniel, is a super landscape and
cityscape painter.  She captures the
soul of any place he paints.  Laurel and
I are firm friends through blogging.

Linny D. Vine paints Canadian west
coast landscapes and townscapes around
Victoria and the Vancouver islands with a
unique style that radiates joy and fills
me with happiness every time I see her
work.

James Langston is an incredible artist
who I met at the Florence Biennale.
This year James is producing at least one cross
painting a day and showing these complicated,
brilliantly colourful, and gorgeous designs mostly
on Facebook.

Edward B. Gordon, can and does paint
everything from still life, to portraits,
to landscape to cityscapes, and sells
every painting he ever makes!  When I
think I can't keep blogging Edward's
wonderful work and persistence
inspire me to keep going.

Karen Bruson is also one of my early
blog friends.  Her lush use of colour,
and wonderful brush work draw me in
every time.  Her subject matter goes
from portraits, to still life, to landscape
to cityscapes and all of her work is
gorgeous.

Laura Starrett's watercolours are absolute
perfection. She is incredibly humble about
her talent, and a force to be reckoned with
in this difficult medium.  I am always
overjoyed when I open her blog.  You will
be too.

Janet Vanderhoof is a new blog friend, who
I met through Facebook.  Her landscapes and
street scenes pulsate with life and brilliant colour.
Every time I see one of Janet's paintings I
am overcome with admiration.  Plus Janet
taught me to meditate last summer when
we meditated and reported on our experience
to one another every day for four months.
It is one of the blogging miracles that Janet
is in California and I am here in Toronto,
yet we bonded. 

Catherine Jeffrey explores the moody light
of the city in works centered around downtown
Toronto.  She paints traffic lights at night,
how light reflects in rain, the city in snow.
Her work captures the beauty and guts of
the heart of the city.

Sheila Vaughan can capture mood as well
as any artist ever.  Her deep explorations
of her past, and present are glorious.
Plus she is always experimenting, trying
new methods, approaches and subject
matter. 

Eldon Warren has not blogged for a few
years, but he too was one of my very
early blog friends.  His landscapes are
miraculous, and his horror faces very
scary.  Come back to the blog world Eldon!

Julie Davis is a wonderful landscape painter, whose
works inspire me.  I have been following her
work for almost as long as I've been blogging, and
she amazes me.

Tammy Hext and I met through a celebration
of 100 years of International Women's Day
art show.  Her work is vibrant, abstract,
gritty and bold.  I admire her greatly.

Marilyn Flanegan is a superb artist.  She paints
landscapes, animals and abstract pieces on wood.
Her use of light and colour is impressive, and
she is deeply empathetic with her subjects, so that
when she paints a dog you want that dog in the room
with you.

Theresa Rankin -- Does not blog anymore but she
who gave me my first two awards and has painted
a beautiful work of flowers in my kitchen.  Theresa
is a classical portrait, and still life painter and
one of my very first blog friends.

Susan Carlin can create a perfect and
 accurate oil painting portrait in no time
and has done many instructive videos.
Her work ranges from very traditional to
high key colour exploration, and she is a friend.

David Lobenberg -- is and astounding portrait
artist who does things with watercolour no one
else is doing.  He is a talented and funny artist friend.

Róisín O'Farrell is one of the most prolific, joyful and
successful painters I know.  She works incredibly hard
and sells almost every one of her glorious interiors.
Her thick impasto paint is lush, her colour brilliant
and delicious and she is well loved as a painter.

Liz Holm is comfortable in many styles, but has
been exploring a kind of magical, fantasy abstraction
lately in light filled, shimmering colour.  She
is a fantastic artist, and devoted to animals as well.

Wendy Barrett is a multi-talented Australian artist and
new friend.   She has written a series of children's book,
and paints the glorious ocean scenes of the beach near
her home, and does wonderful line drawings in pen
and ink on paper of a wide variety of subjects from
tractors to plants.  Her love of life, and of her home
comes through in all her work.

 Gwen Bell has not blogged for awhile, but her work
is magnificent and I wish she'd return to blogging.

Realistically I will not start contacting you personally
until tomorrow.  Meanwhile thank you.

XOXOXOXOXOXO Barbara

Have a loving-winning-a-happy-art-award day.

Guests in the studio

 Girls

Black marker on Moleskine paper

8 x 10 inches

Barbara Muir © 2015

Short and sweet tonight.  I'm tired.  I had a visitor
today for tea.  My friend was head of culture for
a city out west, so talk centered around art and
artists.  I have not had time to paint, but here
is a quick sketch based loosely on one of my father's
photos. 
Have an enjoying-your-visitors day.

Parrot tulips and feeling it

 

 Parrots sound the call

 (work in process)

Acrylic on canvas

8 x 8 inches

Barbara Muir © 2015

Here's a little painting of parrot tulips that
trained for about a week as closed buds, before
they emerged as these astounding beauties.
 I'm not quite done.  Every time I turn
away for a second they change, and I'm almost
forced to start over.

I feel a new idea coming and it's distracting me
from all the projects I'm working on. Sometimes this
happens and I just have to let that idea roll around
inside my head until I can get it out on canvas.
I think these might be big paintings.  So it's time
to get some big canvas.  You know you'll be the
first to know if the ideas take shape.

Meanwhile Happy March, Month of spring.
Hurray.  Soon my friends in the north with me.
Soon!

Have a dreaming-ideas-into-being day.