More on a coffee theme

 The morning begins
Black marker on watercolour paper
5.5 x 8.5 inches
Barbara Muir © 2020

Today I gave the breakfast tray arrangement in our hotel room another
try.  There were peaches in the tiny dish of chopped up fruit.  I love the
 look of the coffee carafe.  It reminds me of the birds we love — geese, 
ducks and seagulls.  But those birds can’t make coffee — well at least 
not the ones we see regularly at the park we love in Toronto.

We took a drive out along the Ottawa river, today, and enjoyed a long walk on a

 beautiful trail beside the river.  Just magnificent.  I might touch this 

drawing up when I get home to Toronto. Today I thought I’d try and intensify
the black 

of the coffee carafe’s beak.  I used my eye makeup brush, and some water

In a cup.  It didn’t blur the ink the way I hoped it would, and I did not have 

other supplied with me.

Not perfect, but it is something for my memory of this special, and very 

strange vacation in COVID 19. People have been so kind — all behind 

the mask.  

I hope you had a lovely day.  We did.

 

The morning's pleasure

 Some like it cold

Black marker on watercolour paper

5.5 x 8.5 inches

Barbara Muir © 2020

One of the great pleasures of vacationing in a hotel is the room service. 

In fact it's been one of my painting themes.  My biggest painting -- 6 feet by 

8 feet, is 4 canvasses combined to create a large image of one of the best

room service breakfasts we ever had.  

The price isn't the difference, it's the attitude of the hotel staff.  That beautiful

meal was served to perfection by two waiters, who wheeled in a table,

covered in a white cloth, and a trolley with the food.  They carefully placed

two beautiful blue cloths over the white one, then designed the breakfast -- how

the food looked, where the cutlery was placed, how they folded the napkins.

There is no other way to describe the care they put into that meal.

That was served at the Hilton, Quebec City, and that hotel is closed now for

renovations until 2021.  Which is too bad, it is one of the nicest hotels we've

ever visited. But every industry is affected by COVID, and of course the travel

industry is at the top of the list.

Right now, room service is hard to come by.  We called everywhere in the

Ontario, Quebec region, and ended up at the one hotel who will bring us

a cold, continental room service breakfast (with hot coffee!).  I drew this little
drawing, and may refine it before I'm done, or try again tomorrow.  We are
camped in our hotel, costing $11 more per night than the old Ottawa jail,
which is renting out cells to guests -- seriously.

I'm convinced this is more comfortable. Much more comfortable.

Happy to be in Ottawa, miss you Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia Flowers
Acrylic on canvas
8 x 8 inches
Barbara Muir © 2009

I’m showing you the flowers my dear friend Paula in Nova Scotia always
arranges in the school house in beautiful bouquets to greet us when we
arrive. As we drove along the highway singing tonight, and talking about past
trips in other years, we could feel the pull in our hearts of the feeling of
the long voyage we normally take out east,  but also the absolute delight of the
road.  It may not be a good thing, but in COVID there is almost nowhere
safer to be than your car if you want to see something different.  And 
many people, like us do want to see something different.

The road today did not disappoint — amazing clouds, gorgeous light on
the trees. And when we arrived at the hotel we had a sweet note, cookies,
and chocolates!  It’s lovely being in a place we know.  The staff are so nice,
and all is well back home, so we can go for a walk by the canal, and enjoy 
our surroundings.  

If you’re reading this, we miss you Paula. We miss your laugh, and seeing
you, and Bruce, and the boys.  And we miss the beautiful flowers.  One way,
or another we’ll see you next year!

For comparison's sake

The cut

Acrylic on canvas

5.5 x 8.5 inches 

Barbara Muir © 2020

Okay here’s the drawing.  It doesn’t do justice to me, or to the cut.
My first haircut during COVID.  You try measuring the accuracy of 
bangs or chin length on someone wearing a puffy, paper mask.  Pretty tricky.

There has been quite a lot going on in our family — nothing bad,
and it took a bit of doing to get someone to sit the house and
pets, but all of it came together. Miracles never cease.

I’m tired now, and this is it for tonight.  Happy weekend,
and thank you to all of you for making my day.  Stay healthy
and safe.

The force of play

Sally the dog

Acrylic on canvas

5 x 7 inches 

Barbara Muir © 2014

It was National Dog Day the other day, and it couldn’t come at a better

time.  I didn’t honour our Sally yet, but I should.  People who are

lucky enough to have dogs for pets, have companions who insist

on joy.  The current virus has left us isolated to a great degree and

stuck in our homes watching a continuous loop of the news.

And most of that news is soul destroying.  That’s where dogs come

in.  Play and fun are two elements that are absolutely necessary 

for a dog.  And it’s impossible to play with a dog without feeling

happy.  The horrors of the news, the sadness friends and family

are experiencing, the state of the world, all recede.  It’s as 

much fun as playing with a toddler, but a dog never grows up

in the human sense. I am eternally grateful to our dog.

Happy Belated National Dog Day Sally. 

Another big decision -- have a haircut

Before the haircut

Black marker on paper

5.5 x 8.5 inches

Barbara Muir © 2020 

(drawn without glasses, so

actually not bad because I

couldn't really see.)

Okay.  So my niece is a hair stylist, whose infinite wisdom
during the 3 months the salon I visit was closed, was to
not cut our own hair.  But we did.  I cut my own bangs for
6 months badly, and Steven and I cut some of the incredible
length off my hair.  It wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t bad.

Today I went to get my hair cut.  I was so impressed by the salon's
protocols.  They took my temperature, asked me more 
questions than they do at the airport, and all was well.  I wore
a mask and gloves, the cutter wore a mask.  

And it was done.  My regular stylist now works at another
outlet, and I will perhaps look for her, for her incredible 
precision.  But it is a very good feeling to have some of the
weighty length gone.  

Tonight’s drawing is a "before."  I walked the dog in the rain
so you’ll have to wait for the after.

Small positive events are the delight of this crazy time.

Nothing like a wonderful brother

 

Shorelines, The Gatineau River
My Brother Andrew
Acrylic on canvas

12" x 12"

Barbara Muir @ 2008

A recent question from a very young family member got me thinking 

about my brother Andrew.  He is the definition of multi-talented.

The child was asking about a creation from my brother’s jewellery 

design period, when he made money by making pins out of small coloured

pencils.  They were very beautiful, and I still wear one from time

to time.

He also made pins from tiny dried fish that he coated in a resin, and

then attached a pin.  They were gorgeous, and looked like they were

alive. Then as now he was concerned about the ocean, and our wildlife.  

In an earlier art practice he made prints of a character he created called

Hocha, and sold them on the street in Ottawa. 

This whole time my brother was writing, and he’s an amazing writer —

Writing everything, and lately mostly ads.  He’s taken big risks with

his art career, moulding clear forms of plastic figures using his home oven,

then filling a bar with them, and shining a slide show through these 

multiple clear figures.  

So I was thinking of him tonight, of how talented he is in so many

directions.  He hosted a television show about the arts in Ottawa for

awhile, and now occasionally joins his wife Lina to cohost

 a radio show Heavy Friends on a Carleton University station.

He is wildly funny, and kind, and I am so lucky to have him in my life.

The dream view

Across the Highway

Acrylic on canvas

24 x 24 inches

Barbara Muir © 2016

We dream of going to the beach, we think about it night and day, and

we feel so lucky that we have had this joyous experience year after

year.  The only year since we bought the school house just over 20

years ago that we didn’t go, was the year I broke my ankle. The year

I tore my meniscus in my knee — our wonderful friends down the road, not only

cleaned up the school house before our arrival, they brought over a

double bed and put it on the main floor, because they thought it would

be too hard for me to climb the stairs to the second floor to go to bed.

But this year as we will say over and over to one another, is different.

And this year we are focusing on all that is wonderful both here at

home, and where we can get too.  Ottawa was beautiful, the drive

was beautiful, and our street right here in Toronto is lovely. 

The dog and cats are waiting for me to feed them their night snacks.  Please

enjoy wherever you are, and if you’re in the Maritimes and drive

by our school house on Highway 6, say hello to the building for us.

We love you Nova Scotia.

Love every day

Ocean play
Watercolour
16 x 24 inches

Barbara Muir ©

Could you ever have imagined last year, that this year was in the

offing? I couldn’t. I wish I’d known (but of course I’m glad I

didn’t) when I last saw my friends in the Maritimes that I would

be away from them for a whole year — or more. 

We saw dear friends today, and had a wonderful time, but 

could not hug them, and of course we wanted to.  I came

upon this watercolour from a while back and the message

came in loud and clear to me.  Enjoy every minute of your life.

This is a watercolour of my boys when they were young —

Steven, my husband, and Christopher and Sam.  How fast

does it all go away folks?  Very fast, but I don’t have to tell

you that.  I am going to enjoy every minute of the last of my

holiday

 

First things first (sketch)
Black marker on notepaper
5.5 x 8.5 inches
Barbara Muir ©2020
Sent from my iPad

 Something came through my email today about taking a course

so you could know yourself. A great idea, but in a “normal” life
that self keeps changing.

Today I am my vacation self. I long to be on the road again. This 
longing was heightened by a very loud, whiny vacuum truck across 
the street, which was attempting to fix a clearly serious problem, as the
all consuming noise went on for hours. 

I drew this drawing of the stuff in my bedside table, and even though it
was very quick, I like it.  Wishing you a fabulous day.

Sometimes the small inspires the big

Clouds over the bay

Acrylic on archival canvas board

6 x 6 inches

Barbara Muir © 2014 

(I'll try to take a better photo tomorrow.) 

I found this little painting last night, a study for a painting that has evolved

into a work called Approach.  It is a long way from the final painting,

and it is the view we get on the hill in the park we love, leading down

to the beach.   There is something fresh, and unstructured in the small

painting that I like.

I like when I can paint with exuberance.  And I see that here.  I am

on holiday for another week, which even at home means not much

time for art, forgive me.  We artists are not like accountants, or

soldiers.  We sometimes need a space of nothingness to come up

with the next big thing.  Maybe I am really in that space finally.

Steven and I watched squirrels struggling to leap and swing onto

our bird feeder for a good half hour.  Now their determination,

and Olympic physical agility was inspiring, and a treat to watch

on our back porch.

Still having issues with blogger.  I should write the company!

A drawing from a happy evening

A world of plans

Black marker on Charvin drawing paper

8 x 9 inches

Barbara Muir © 2011

I am on vacation, so may not write the most inspiring posts. Searching for

 something to show you I found this drawing from 9 years ago and loved it.

 It is of my niece and her future husband making plans. 

 It happened at a great dinner at my husband’s brother’s place. Quite poignant

 now, because some of the people at the table are no longer with us. But these

 two planners went on to get married, and they are very happy.

Two pansy paintings go home

Fabulous pansies rule!

Acrylic ink, watercolour and marker

in watercolour paper
5.5 x 8.5 inches
Barbara Muir © 2019

Pansies prepping for the parade

Watercolour, acrylic ink, and
black marker on Strathmore 

mixed media paper

6 x 8 inches

Barbara Muir © 2019

The nice thing about going away, even for the short time 
we spent on the road and in Ottawa and Gatineau, Chelsea,
and Wakefield, Quebec, is the change in perspective.

When you get home you’re different, and you have a clearer 
idea of what’s missing. After teaching through Zoom, I’m 
clear that what I miss is my friends. So today we social 
distance visited my dear friends Suzanne and David, and
dropped off these pansy paintings to Suzanne, one of 
my favourite collectors. 

I don’t want to think about what we’ll do when the cold weather 
comes. For now we could sit far away on their lovely porch
overlooking a beautiful garden. So wonderful. Everyone is a bit 
sad. We all want to hug, and can’t. But we’re alive, enjoying each other,
and after this long, lonely time — that’s magic.