Portrait of a boy and I love Paris because...

Portrait of a boy

Acrylic on canvas

12 x 12 inches

Barbara Muir © 2015
SOLD ♥ 

Here's my most recent portrait commission of a
darling little boy.  The collectors have bought and
commissioned quite a few of my paintings and
I love working with them.

France from the air

Heading home --

already missing Paris
© Barbara Muir 2015

Two weeks ago tomorrow we flew out of Paris and I
was really sad to leave.  But just so I remember
and to share my thoughts with you, I'll tell you
some of what I loved about the place.

Our first night on the Seine
© Barbara Muir 2015 

1.  I love the people.  Everyone was so
helpful, and kind, and funny.  Just so much fun.

2. I loved the people at the Carrousel du Louvre
show (my reason for going to Paris).  The man
who worked at the entrance, the docents at the Louvre,
the women on the information desk
who gave me a candy that tasted like a strawberry
Macaron, and the people running the EA Editore
section at the show.  My thanks to Francesco Saverio
 Russo, Salvatore Russo,  Sandro Serradifalco
and Alessandra Mascitti. You are an awesome
team. 

Alessandra Mascitti and me

3. The city, pulsing with life all the time.  We
walked out of the Louvre one day to see
the street filled with people rollerblading.  Then
later saw a rock group performing by the Seine for
some event about the car, and right by the stage
was an area for children, where some little girls were
dancing in a circle to the music.

 Children dancing to a rock group's music

© Barbara Muir 2015

4. The food -- does that go without saying? The food
at the restaurants we visited was delicious, unique,
magnifique.

I realize I didn't actually get a picture of the

food -- we were too busy eating it.  And the

wine -- I forgot to mention that.  This photo

was taken in an amazing Indian food

restaurant. Very elegant.

© Barbara Muir 2015 

5.  The architecture. Everywhere we went in Paris the
architecture was so beautiful.  So much thought went
into the buildings, and so much care is spent on
maintaining them.  Parisians are aware that their
gorgeous public spaces attract people from all over
the world, and they take pride in that.

The Grand Palais
© Barbara Muir 2015 

View from a taxi
© Barbara Muir 2015 

6. The museums.  I have not been in good walking
condition since I hurt my knee last winter, and it
was sad not to be able to stroll in Paris.  But we took
taxis everywhere.  The Louvre of course is wonderful,
and huge.  We wanted to see the Musée D'Orsay, which
is amazing, but we could not get in. We also went to the
Pompidou Centre, but I could not stand in the long line up.
Still for you my friend these and many, many more
museums are a must-see when you visit Paris.

 Steven at the Louvre
© Barbara Muir 2015 

7.  The Seine and it's beautiful bridges.  We were
beyond lucky to be staying across the street from the Seine.
This meant we could cross at the light, walk down
a ramp and be sitting on the wall at the edge of the
Seine in a matter of minutes.  We loved watching the
people picnic all along the river.

 View of the river Seine near our hotel
© Barbara Muir 2015 

8.  Coffee.  There are places that don't understand or
value coffee, Paris is not one of them.  On one of our
loveliest afternoons when we couldn't get into the Pompidou,
we rested on wooden lounge chairs that looked
like sculptures in front of the Hôtel de Ville and then
walked around the corner to a café and had perfect coffee
in small glasses.

 Wonderful coffee
© Barbara Muir 2015 

9.  Stores:  The stores in the sixieme arroundissement
where we were staying were exquisite.  They looked so 
artistic that I kept walking by them thinking they were
 like galleries for clothes.  And they were tucked in
between cafés and art galleries.  But when we finally
went into the beautiful shirt store to get shirts for the
men in our family -- it was both a perfect gallery of
shirts on display, and a superb and charming store.

10.  Waking up and knowing I was in Paris!  Could
there be a nicer way to wake up.  To know that for the
whole day I would see Paris.  It started with opening
the curtains and seeing the pretty courtyard in the
hotel.  I do like being in Toronto.  And I love New York
City too.  Still I love the sound of the French language,
the courtesy, Notre Dame Cathedral.  There's so much that
I can't include it all.

The view from our hotel window 

© Barbara Muir 2015 

Notre Dame Cathedral

© Barbara Muir 2015

Big opening at the Carrousel du Louvre

 Me with my painting

 Breakfast in the Skylight Diner NYC

30 x 30 inches

Acrylic on canvas

Barbara Muir © 2014

At Art Shopping Carrousel du Louvre

June 2015

Guests at the show enjoy the artwork

 and some good French wine.

Friday night was the opening of the Carrousel du Louvre
show which is huge, and down a hallway from the inverted
glass pyramid at the Louvre in Paris.  Now that's exciting.
There are 450 artists in the show, and a vast variety of
work from abstract to realist.

Left to right: Francesco Russo, one of the organizers

 of the EA Editore exhibition, Letizia, his fiancée (I

did not get her last name), Me, and artist Deborah Anne Nero.

I met some of the artists, and we had wonderful discussions.
EA Editore, the gallery representing me here, hold shows
all over the world, and last year held one under the Eiffel
Tower in France.  The artists in the section where
my painting is hanging were telling me all about their
experiences in the art world around the world.  Fascinating.

Me and Steven at the inverted glass pyramid, 

about to go into the show. 

We've moved over to French time, which will be dangerous
back in Canada. I'm always amazed at how quickly we
adjust to new environments.  Vite -- very fast.  Now what's
not to like in Paris?  Not much that I can see.  Great wine,
great food, amazing restaurants, shops and galleries within
steps from our hotel.

The show ends today, and I feel sorry that it's over, yet
so glad that I came.  What a wonderful time. Thank you
to all of the staff at EA Editore for your work
promoting me.

Have a taking-your-art-to Paris day

Small miracles -- on the road again

 

 Breakfast at the Skylight Diner NYC

Acrylic on canvas

30 x 30 inches

Barbara Muir © 2014

I am quite moved today thinking about reuniting
with my painting Breakfast at the Skylight Diner
at the Carrousel du Louvre Art Shopping show
this weekend at the Louvre in Paris!

Most of the time I am thinking 15 steps ahead
of myself, and don't often reflect on how amazing
this painting job is.  But it's quite delightful that
a romantic breakfast with my husband in a
diner in New York City on Mother's Day a
year ago is taking me right across the ocean
to Paris.

It seemed to take forever to paint that breakfast.
I agonized over the French toast.  And I know
I kept thinking -- it's one breakfast (but
such a beautiful one).

First stop Paris

Acrylic on canvas

30 x 30 inches

Barbara Muir © 2012

A few years ago I painted one of my favourite
models in a work called First Stop Paris,
thinking that it might somehow come true
for her.  I hope it did, because she grew up
and I lost touch.  But now I am going.  In
fact today.  You may be reading this as I
cross the wide Atlantic.  I hope that I can
blog from Paris.

Meanwhile.  Have a wishing for miracles day.