Shake it, shake it -- art is moving and shaking all over the planet!

The Beautiful Etana Cain with her portrait 

now wending its way to New York City.

Photo by Marieke Johanne

I do believe Etana will

be Prime Minister of Canada one day.

And she will make a great one.

Okay so my own art just showed in a beautiful gallery in
the Wychwood Barns in my Toronto neighbourhood.
But no sooner was the show down, than two pieces went
over to the Super Wonder Gallery, to be with a third
painting for the Reversion show that opens this Friday.
And -- and it's a big and, Monday my two paintings of
the women against the imaginary ocean scenes,
Wonder Water Image #5 and #6 got packed up to
head out to New York City with the large ocean
cloud landscape that went to the Florence Biennale
last year!  Wow!

Sometimes -- no often -- it feels like the work has a life
of its own, and it's taking me with it!  I do love that.
So I followed it to the magnificent show at Super
Wonder Gallery which opens his Friday night, April 29,
with stunning pieces from some of the best figurative artists
in the city, the country, the continent. (Pieces came up
from the U.S.A. to be in the show).

And I will follow my big installation to New York City
in a couple of weeks.  I can't wait.

I love this art community -- the wonderful artists who
are from all over the planet who admire my work, and
whose work I admire to the max -- make this a great
profession to follow.  So shake it, shake it.

Have a loving-your-life day.

A great opening -- it takes a village

 Gill Cameron and me in front of a wall of our work.

Gill does the gorgeous watercolours, and the landscape

in the center is mine.

Friday night's opening of Painted Passions at the
Wychwood Barns was a wonderful event.  Both
Gill Cameron and I were so touched at the number
of people who came out to celebrate our art.
It is a beautiful show, and Gill's landscape
watercolour paintings, and my landscapes,
portraits, still life and abstracts work harmoniously
together to create a fabulous overall show.

Gill Cameron and me in front of one of Gill's iconic

Georgian Bay diptychs.

The show's on until today Sunday at 4 p.m.,so if you're in town and haven't see it please come, look at some art
and have a cookie or two.

Some guests were moved to romance by the atmosphere

our paintings created. Come and see if the show

has the same effect on you.

Guests at the show, Daniel Anaka, curator at Super Wonder

Gallery, me, and super artists Carly Smith, and Ramona Nordal.

Ramona and I have been in a couple of shows together.

The youngest guest with her admiring fans. 

A friend sent a tiny blurry photo which give you an idea

of how busy it was

Have a coming out to our show day!

The show's up and it looks great! Please come out tonight 6 - 10 to celebrate with us!

 

The Maharini's Great Granddaughter with 

her Great Granddaughter

Acrylic on canvas

30 x 30 inches

Barbara Muir © 2016

I spent the afternoon at the Gallery at the Wychwood Barns
with my friend Gill Cameron hanging our show.  Kudos
go out to Steven, for hanging my work for me.

Tonight I'm showing you one of the new works I'll
be displaying tomorrow.  I hope you like it -- I do.

I was trying to paint a tender subject in a bold, fresh
way.

Have a coming out to our show day.

Wychwood Barns Gallery -- 6 - 10 p.m. 

Great show next Friday -- and how to calm down

I am lucky to be showing next weekend with my friend Gill
Cameron, who is an amazing watercolour landscape painter.
Gill and I put on beautiful shows, and with the help of our
families, friends and collectors, throw a super party on
opening night. We've been showing together for at least 10
years -- in the past few years in the beautiful gallery at the
Wychwood Barns near Christie and St. Clair in Toronto.
The gallery is on the far side of the barns, at the corner of Benson
and Wychwood Avenue.  Please come out and join us for
a glass of wine, and some wonderful art next Friday,
April 22.

One of the ways I try to stay on track when faced with
a truly busy week like this one, the last week in a 7 week
course I've been teaching, prepping for the show with
Gill,  another one at the end of the month, and planning
travel to New York in May, is by meditating.

I am so lucky that another artist friend, and wonderful
painter,  Janet Vanderhoof, encourages me to do meditation
on a daily basis.  That suggestion has contributed a lot
to my well being in the past few months.  So if you're
interested here are some of the short meditations I've
tried out that help.

After a lot of experimentation I know what I like in
meditation.  I need a voice with kind messages telling
me to breathe, and encouraging positive thoughts.  These
video guided meditations do the trick.  All of them emphasize
breathing.  I was truly skeptical about meditating until
I discovered the right guided meditations for me.  There
are thousands, so if my suggestions don't appeal to
you, try others until you find the right ones for you.
For me voice and cadence combined with the overall
message are all critical.

In fact they can transform a day so the positive triumphs.
I'm all for that.

Have a taking-care-of-yourself day.
When I wrote this last night, I forgot to link.  Here
are the links.  Enjoy!

This is a good one to listen to at the start of the day:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nLJOeZ4uaI

This meditation is good for positive energy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZQ9GfmzR14

This is a good meditation to improve your mood,
and it's delightfully short:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RESIxDLae7M

Missed blogging Anniversary and passed the 250,000 hits point!

At the dance

Acrylic on canvas

36 x 48 inches

Barbara Muir © 2008

(Part of my Dance series.)  I used

the Dance as a metaphor, and most

of the paintings were of young women

and men dressed for Prom -- called

"Before the dance"  because they were

on the edge of a new life beginning.

This portrait of my husband, Steven

was called "At the dance" because he

was and is, right in the thick of things.

That's why he was a reluctant sitter.
You can see he has lots on his mind
and has to get going!

My dear friends,  every year I think -- this is for sure the
busiest year ever.  But this past year takes the cake!
I've been in 6 shows since October, and one of those
was the Florence Biennale in Florence, Italy.  I have
3 shows coming up at the end of the month and am
painting like crazy.  And whew I missed
my blogging anniversary again.  Sorry.

I'd been blogging for 8 years on February 18.  That
date is so close to Valentine's Day, that I am frequently
in a swirl of hearts, cards, and flowers for about
a week afterwards, and this year we had a little
family party the weekend after Valentine's Day.

Plus I have crossed the 250, 000 hits mark on my
blog, and that makes me happy too.  Thanks to
everyone of you, who come to my shows, buy
my work, and support me with your kind
comments on my blog.  You mean the world
to me, and you keep me going in this strange,
 fascinating, and miraculous job of being an
artist.

 More work from 2008

Much love to all of you.  You know I am your
biggest fan.

Have a happy-in-your-life day.

You do have time!

Wonder Water series -- just back from

the Florence Biennale, 

heading out to New York City.

I hover on the edge of never wanting to post anything but
my best work, and wanting to keep in touch with
my blog friends while I'm creating something new.
This is a wildly busy month with two shows at the end of
the month, and one coming up in May.  I am painting like crazy,
but don't want to show you unfinished work.  Plus I'm
teaching. But I'm also listening to Mike Dooley, who writes
the Notes from the Universe, to help myself calm down in my
travels around town.  One of Mike's affirmations is,
"You do have time!"  I am well aware that we program
ourselves constantly, and I hit on that one today.  That's
why I'm here tonight writing you.

Today I'm showing you the combo of paintings called
the Wonder Water Series that went to Florence, Italy,
via Vienna, and returned recently in perfect condition.
That is always a worry when work travels.

These paintings have just come home for a brief visit, and the
portraits will go in a show I'm in Painting Passions,
with Gill Cameron, opening at the Wychwood Barns,
on April 22, and running to April 24.  Then those two
portraits will combo up again with the landscape and head off to
New York City, where they'll show for a month at
the Amsterdam Whitney Gallery in Chelsea, NYC,
opening on May 14th.  More about both shows next
week.

Meanwhile I wanted to tell you about a wonderful
thing my late night self ordered -- the Sketchbox.
What a treat in a high pressure month, to get this
present (from myself) in the mail.  I sat down
immediately and did a fast drawing of some
pansies.  Following the lead of Danny Gregory
who sketches everything.

 

Pansies in April

Sketch

Ink, marker, watercolour, watercolour crayons

8 x 8 inches

Barbara Muir © 2016 

It's a quick sketch, but I used the bright red ink,
the green marker, the black line drawing markers,
the white resist paint, plus my own watercolours
and watercolour crayons, oh and the lovely little
brush in the box just to try them out.   I was inspired
to try Sketchbox by Kim Van Der Hoek, a
wonderful painter, who posted a little video
on Facebook about it.  And I thought I'd show you
what came in mine this month. No I am not being
sponsored by Sketchbox -- right now it's snowing like
crazy in April, I think we could all use some fun!

Have an "you do have time" day.