Moving with the times

Guinevere

Acrylic on canvas

14 x 20 inches

Barbara Muir © 2011

The painting tonight is of Guinevere, a beautiful model who I discovered on the first
 night I went to paint in the Forest Hill Art Club's studio. The Don Valley Art Club
enjoyed a beautiful studio in The Brickworks that was actually designed for them.
But when the environmental group took over The Brickworks, they raised the rent
to the extent that the DVAC could no longer afford to rent the space.

We were very lucky to be taken in by the Forest Hill Art Club, and ever since have
shared their studio space with them. This painting is from the first night that I saw
that space. Looking back I feel no regrets about the move. For one thing the Forest Hill
studio is much closer to my house, and I can get there quickly. That means I can
go and paint for an hour, or an hour and a half, and come home with a painting

I enjoyed the people from the Forest Hill Art Club that very first night. After that
I was never sure who was from which club, because when we’re together

all that matters is the model, and that we're artists working side-by-side. I like the
serious expression on the model's face in this painting, and I love the thick paint. 

We are lucky as creative people if we get to work with other artists, and learn from
them. I learn so much from the people in the Don Valley Art Club, and the Forest
Hill Art Club on the Tuesday drawing night. Now with COVID, they’ve just opened
up again with a limited number of spaces, and protocols. But I can’t go because I teach
online on Tuesday evenings this term. This makes looking at work that I did in that
setting even more of a pleasure.

Have an enjoying your creative friends day.