A day of dancing clouds
Photo
Barbara Muir © 2022
We get out on the highway, and I can't stop photographing
everything. The whole world hits me as scene, scene, scene,
scene. In town -- portrait, portrait. I think perhaps as artists
we are unfathomable to people who don't see the world that way.
So here's a scene today -- taken on the plain old 401 Highway.
Have a loving your life day.
We went to the farmers' market today and bought our first basket
of peaches for the season. Heaven. I just ate my first
peach, and it made me think of this sweet painting --
still available. If you're interested you can DM me on
Instagram: barbaramuir.art
My husband loves canning peaches for the long winter
season, and starts asking the farmers about them starting
in June; I love his enthusiasm. Sometimes he gives jars
of peaches away. One fellow he gave them to at a restaurant
where we get take out dinners calls Steven Peaches. Steven
considers that a high compliment.
Have a loving your life day.
Windy Wonder
Acrylic ink on
watercolour paper
5.5 x 8.5 inches
Barbara Muir © 2022
I can never thank my artist friend Flora Doehler, in Bear River,
Nova Scotia enough for introducing me to acrylic inks. They take the
joy I always had creating watercolour one step further because the
colours are more intense -- and I love that.
If you don't know Flora's work, check it out.
Wishing you a very Happy Long Weekend.
Have a loving your life day.
Zoom sketch
self portrait
Marker on drawing paper
7 x 10 inches
Barbara Muir © 2022
Today waiting for a Zoom model to come to the meeting,
I decided to draw myself. I'd spent time today working on a
portrait I'm finishing, and a quick sketch was a good break.
Then Steven drove me to one of our favourite parks on the
lake, and once again we chased the sunset. Steven parked the
car on top of a hill, I got out and caught a fast photo, then
off we went back home.
It was a great day. Thanks to my artist friends, both here
and today in the Netherlands for keeping me cheery. And it
sounds corny to thank plants, but I'm grateful for our
garden. We were eating dinner on our back porch when a
hummingbird came to our hanging nasturtium planter. So
beautiful.
Have a loving your life day.
Distant beauty
Acrylic ink on
watercolour paper
5.5 x 8.5 inches
Barbara Muir © 2022
Yesterday I felt so lucky. I got to talk to an artist friend in Texas.
It was her birthday, and I sang Happy Birthday to her. Then last
night an artist friend in The Netherlands was writing messages back
and forth to me, and I loved hearing about the fact that she was starting
her day ferociously early, just as I was getting ready for bed.
We drove out to one of our favourite parks by the lake and
took a walk, then Steven drove as far west as he could so
I could see a spectacular sunset. It was amazing. These
moments in life are what we artists live on -- drinking in
the visual like it was an elixir, because it is for us.
This landscape was inspired by my day, and by a sweet
thing someone said on TV. Every day is the perfect day, and
you are exactly where you are meant to be! I like it.
Have a loving your life day.
There's been a lot going on in my life, and this is not quite finished,
but I thought you might to see the "almost" final stage. If you know
artists, you know we can be obsessive and find it hard to get to the
finish line. That's not the case here -- I just need more time. And I
will get to the finish line. I have some more exciting news to share
with you soon, but for now -- this is where this painting has got to,
and I am very happy with it. The model for this is a wonderful young
woman.
Have a loving your life day!
All in favour of Zinnias
sketch
marker on drawing paper
7 x 10 inches
Barbara Muir © 2022
This will be a short one -- the power cut out once, and I still
hear rumblings of thunder in the sky. Today taking a road farther
north, then turning down to the lake way out west, we made it
to the lake without running into the crazy truckers, blocking roads,
yelling "freedom" and honking that we encountered yesterday. Their
huge trucks were covered in the now rarely used by any but crazy people
red and white Canadian flags. It's hard to figure out what freedoms they're
missing as they no longer have to get vaccinated, or wear a mask in
Ontario, although most smart people in the province are doing both.
So at the lake we fed the ducks (very hungry), geese and
seagulls, and had a lovely time. We made it home before the rain,
and had dinner before the power went out. I drew this fast sketch
of a bouquet from our favourite farmers just on time.
Paris Anemones
Marker on Moleskine paper
8 x 11 inches
Barbara Muir © 2017
I am very tired tonight, and it is super hot. I found this drawing, and blog that
I posted last year on this date, and it seems perfect for today.
"The anemone is an amazing flower, and we never see the kind I bought
in Paris, France, and in Florence, Italy here. We just don't. We grow fall
blooming anemones in our garden, which are amazing and beautiful, and
fill the garden with gorgeous white blooms.
Today we've had a wonderful day. This is the anniversary of my first
date with my husband. We had gone to a baseball game the week before
with his sister and her husband, and the attraction was clear. But I thought
I had another boyfriend. I'd been dating a musician for a year.
The weekend after the baseball game I took a bus to a small
town to spend the weekend with my boyfriend. I called from the
bus station when I arrived, and the "boyfriend" said,"I think I need
a vacation from you." I said,"Okay but it's going to be a long one."
I went to visit a girlfriend in that town who comforted me, and
I mentioned that my friend had a really nice brother. The next
week at work (I worked with Steven's sister), she told me
that her brother said he would have trouble forgetting me.
I said, "why does he have to?"
That Friday night I had my first date with Steven. And the rest
is history. We married 11 months later. We have had our ups
and downs of course. But 2 wonderful children, 1 lovely
daughter-in-law, and one lovely daughter-in-law to be, and 2
beautiful grandchildren later, we are still in love. More
so every day.
So please don't settle for the person who can't be bothered.
Love does exist and it's worth the wait.
Oh and the guy who was on vacation phoned me in November
of that year after the July put down, and said he was ready to date me
again. I said, "sorry I'm engaged."
Have a loving your life day.
Kitchen Poppy
Photo
Barbara Muir © 2022
I don't have a lot of time for gardening. I try to get out to deadhead
flowers -- my pansies, poppies, and cosmos once a day. But even
in a very small garden that's a big job. A couple of days ago I noticed a
part of a poppy plant had broken off. It looked like it belonged in
the compost bin. It's leaves were mostly shrivelled, but it had one potential
bud, at the end of what looked like an almost broken stalk.
I brought it in, and put it in a glass milk bottle, and today -- magic. This
bloom could be gone tomorrow, but it wanted me to put out a corny,
but important message -- "Believe." If I hadn't believed in the poppy,
you wouldn't see this flower tonight. So the message is for all of us,
we need to believe in ourselves and our art, or whatever we do. I worked
on a portrait today, and you will see it when it's finished!
Have a loving your life day.
Green Apples in a Bowl
Acrylic on canvas
7 x 9 inches
Barbara Muir © 2008
SOLD ♥
This painting of apples sold way back in 2008 when I painted
it. I am working on a couple of paintings that are not complete
or ready to show to you, so I thought I'd look at work from my
early blog. This painting like one I showed a couple of days ago,
was of apples from our backyard apple tree.
A month or so ago we took the apple tree out, and planted a
sweet cherry tree in its place. We wanted to plant a sour cherry
tree, but they were hard to find. Fruit trees apparently have a
hard time in Toronto, and we have a very small lot.
I loved our apples, and they made great applesauce. And I will
love the cherries too when the tree starts producing them.
Have a loving your life day.
Bouquet again
Sketch
Marker on Fabriano
drawing paper
8 1/2 x 11 3/4 inches
Barbara Muir © 2022
Many artists talk about the hit they've experienced in their art
practice because of COVID. I just got a letter from a wonderful
artist in Texas, and as brilliant as she is whenever she paints, she
is finding it hard to get her full painting energy back.
So I am happy to be painting, and to be energized by prospective
shows -- virtual, and in person (masked -- yes). Today I'm showing
you a drawing I did of a lovely bouquet I bought from the market
farmer, we buy eggs and quiche from every Saturday. He picked
these from his garden, and they are so intensely varied, and
vigorous, I had to try and capture some of the spirit they exude.
This is my second drawing of the bouquet, and so much changes
every day.
I know I should have done a drawing in colour, but I wanted to get
back to my larger painting, and I was excited by the line drawing
process.
Have a loving your life day.
My friend, the wonderful artist Jennifer Hinrichs, helped me with the
application. I am terrible at forms, and she's computer savvy. So
I was delighted to learn that her painting, Skipping (above) got into a
virtual show called Children 2022, put on by Gallerium Art, a Canadian
virtual art gallery.
It is a great way to start off the week, thinking about upcoming shows.
Wishing you a loving your creative life day.
What better time to come up with dreams for the future than
Sunday night? Here's one that's coming up soon. I do love
New York city, and of course Paris, bus t I also love small towns,
and the country.
I get the recharging of fresh air, a slow pace, and exquisitely beautiful
scenery on our annual trip to our school house in Nova Scotia.
The entire journey is wonderful, and of course there are landmarks
all along the way. This is one of them -- the house on the hill that
means we're almost at Pugwash, and almost at our home in
Nova Scotia. I have painted this house so many times, and never
met the people who own it. Maybe some day.
Have a loving your life day.
Morning bouquet
Marker on Fabriano
drawing paper
8 1/2 x 11 3/4 inches
Barbara Muir © 2022
We had a couple of coffees, and took more with us to head
out to the farmer's market at the Brick Works this morning --
like we do every Saturday. Today when we'd packed up our
standard order, and were about to head to the car, I noticed
this beautiful bouquet and bought it.
The farmer said the flowers were picked fresh this morning, and
I wish I'd had time to do a little painting -- they are amazing.
But I sat down the minute I got them into water at home,
and did a sketch.
Here it is. Have a wonderful rest of the weekend. We are at a
peak time in the summer and the year, and I hope you're
getting to enjoy it.
Have a loving your life day.
Something I haven't eaten in awhile is applesauce, and
for a long time I was cooking an apple every day in the
microwave, which made a kind of baked apple, a lot
like apple sauce. (Delicious). This year we had to take our apple
tree down, and remove the roots. We were advised
not to plant an apple tree in that spot, and instead planted
a sweet cherry tree with my son's help.
I love sweet cherries too, but I have fond memories of cutting
the bad parts out of our home grown backyard apples and
making apple sauce. There is something extra special about
apple sauce from your own tree!
And the fruit inspired some sweet paintings too.
Have a loving your life day.
I was thinking about the colour blue because I am working
on a landscape with very blue sky like the sky we had above
Toronto today. Clear and superb. So I searched the colour in
my blog and found this art group sketch of a lovely model names
Gaye, that I did in 2008.
A friend in the group sent me a photo of the pose, so it is a bit more
finished than most 1 hour sketches, and I felt very happy finding it.
This goes back almost to when I began blogging. I'm so glad I did.
Have a loving your life day.
My brother recently read me something about how relaxing
it was to be a creative person -- maybe an artist. "Really? I said.
That's not how I see it." Creating is work -- wonderful work -- true
-- when something comes together well, and you're proud of it. Great
when people like, and or buy your paintings.
But creating is not more relaxing, or easier than other jobs.
I have been painting all day on a piece I hope to enter in an
exhibition if I finish it.
And it made me happy to find this piece I published on July 12
in 2020. (*Note: I'm so tired I thought it was July 12 today.
Immaterial really. The message holds.) Little did we know then
how long this pandemic would continue. I'm glad we didn't.
Sometimes on my way to go shopping, or to the bank I see people
walking along the street with masks, over their faces, under their
chins, or hanging from their arms and I think -- how weird. And
we're getting used to it. Well if we're smart we are. There is no
mask mandate here anymore, but many people do enough reading
to know the masks are still a good idea.
I like this painting. It's hopeful and happy and has a view I love.
Have an appreciating your life day.
Stepping into the light
(work in progress)
Acrylic on canvas
24 x 24 inches
Barbara Muir © 2022
I am so grateful to this young woman for helping me to
get this portrait going. It is still a work in progress. At
the moment I am working hard on a painting for an
exhibition in the fall, and it needs to be finished by Friday.
When that is done, I will get back to this. It has been a delight
working with the model.
And we may collaborate more later in the month.
Meanwhile it feels like the summer is rushing away, and
the days have been so gorgeous.
Have a loving your life day.
The tree at dusk
(work in progress -- sketch)
Acrylic on watercolour paper
6 x 8 inches
Barbara Muir © 2022
Driving back from the park by the lake on the weekend we
were stuck in traffic where a two lane bridge had been narrowed
to one lane.We were at a standstill for ten minutes. On
one side of the road were boring condominiums and apartments,
but on the other side of the road -- lush forest.
In Toronto it is green from April if we're very lucky to October.
Then there are the glorious autumn colours, and then the bare
trees of winter. All along the way home the other day, the brilliant
thick green leaves on trees sent out this message to me. "Don't let
bad news, or the petty details of daily life -- or anything detract from
this beauty.
We went for a walk last night, and I loved the trees on our street.
I came home and started this painting. It isn't finished, but it's
a thank you to the beautiful green all around us.
Have a loving your life day.
I am thinking about kind neighbours today because for the past
few weeks my kitchen has been filled with flowers given to me
by kind neighbours, and yesterday the farmer Jens at the
market. Today we celebrated my son's birthday, that happened
on July 2, in his family's backyard. He and his wife were away on
the special day.
We had so much fun -- two types of cherry pie, ice cream, and
my younger son gave my son and his family all of the presents
he'd missed giving them at Christmas. When I came home our
sweet neighbour up the street had put a spool of green garden
tape on the porch for me.
I mentioned that I liked using that the other day, and he gave me
a tiny roll then, and a bigger one today. Thank you neighbours.
It is not all bliss, there was a bad incident the other day with a
neighbour yelling horrible insults at the kindest person on the street.
But instantly the kind neighbours were there asking what was going on,
and making it clear that that behaviour won't work here. I do love our
street.
Have a loving your life day.
Flowers from the farmers
Marker on drawing paper
7 x 10 inches
Barbara Muir © 2022
If we're in town we try to make it to the Farmer's Market on Saturday,
rain, or shine, winter or summer. We order online from a husband and
wife farmer couple in response to a delightful weekly letter from the wife,
then go and pick up our order before the market closes.
With recent Internet problems on Rogers the farmers got my last week's
order yesterday -- which was excellent, because I wanted one of their
wonderful cherry pies, and they brought one. They also brought garden
flowers, and when I went to buy a bouquet, the farmer gave it to me.
So lovely. Here's a fast sketch I did of those beautiful flowers.
Have a loving your life day.
To the happy fields
Acrylic on cradled
birch panel
6 x 6 inches
Barbara Muir © 2022
We artists were hard hit by the pandemic, which is apparently
surging again, and in Ontario we've been told that we are
entering the 7th wave. More masks, social distance, and
you know the drill. Surfing over these waves, and trying to
stay afloat has been a major occupation of the last 2 years and
five months.
In my studio I am working on getting back to full production.
Being deep in the process of creating a painting, as frustrating,
and overwhelming as it can be sometimes, is this artist's life
blood. So I am picking up the pieces, and finding things I
started working on in this strange time.
Yes. The world has only gotten stranger, but this cheery scene of fields,
and clouds has been part of what is preoccupying me and
keeping me on point.
Have a happy weekend.
Sunset light
Watercolour and acrylic
ink on watercolour paper
14 3/4 inches x 18.5 inches
Barbara Muir © 2022
(I'll photograph it again
tomorrow, because the colour isn't
exactly right.)
I found this watercolour while going through stacks of paintings
today. I spent all day working on a portrait I'll show you some
day, but I loved this view. It is of the dock in Wallace -- which
is down the road from our school house in Nova Scotia.
I'm pretty sure I painted this in response to incredible courses
with the painter Americo Del Col. It captures the light at sunset
(a light my husband and I are extremely fond of). I added a bit of
acrylic ink to it today. Not much. I just felt it could be punched up
a bit. I may do more, but perhaps not.
I'm extremely grateful to Americo Del Col for all that he taught me,
and to everyone who teaches me more about painting all the time.
That of course includes you.
Have a loving what you do day.
The news is horrible, and seems to get worse every day.
Do you listen to, watch, or read the news? Grim. Yes
we need to take action, donate to organizations that will
help with famine, horrific disease spread, and help people in
war torn zones. And if you are living with gun violence,
the destruction of women's rights, anti-LGTBQ laws,
you need to take action and resist.
But you also need a break from all of it. If you can't get to the
side of a lake, or the ocean, flowers are the answer. Parrot
tulips are one of my favourite flowers. And they've been
hard to find lately. I'm glad I did this painting when they
were available.
Our garden at the front of the house is a mass of gorgeous
rosey red roses. In the back garden poppies in different colours
rule. The sight of these beauties, and the sound of birds
singing is a pleasant distraction from the woes of the world.
Have a loving your breaks day.
We were away overnight last night, and had a couple of
wonderful meals with good friends. We all rapid tested
before getting together, which was good. I promised
one of our friends that I'd write about Wallace, who was
my father, in an upcoming post -- so here it is.
My father believed in me as an artist. I think that was one
of the best gifts he gave me. So I dedicate this little post
to him. He also, along with my mother, taught me to love
being near water. As a child from the time I was one until
I was 13, we went every summer to a big cottage built at
the beginning of the last century, that was situated on a perfect lake.
I saw water, swam in it, canoed on it all summer. Then
we moved to Toronto, and the uncle we rented the cottage
from sold it -- but my love of being near water never went away.
We spent a lot of time near water this weekend, and I
came home and painted this painting.
Here's to my Dad, William Wallace. I wish you were here
Daddy to talk about art.
Have a loving your family day.
Today we took a long drive along Lake Ontario. By now you
know that I'm in love with the lake -- seeing her out there --
so vast, and gorgeous blue, makes me happy.
I started a new painting yesterday, and even at the rough stage
it was going really well. But it isn't ready to be seen. Wishing
you a wonderful Monday, and if you're American, a great 4th of
July.
Here is a view of the lake from one of our favourite parks.
Have a loving where you are day.
After the dance reading the paper
Acrylic on canvas
16 x 20 inches
Barbara Muir © 2010
(Christopher was my model
for this painting.)
This is my son Christopher's birthday. If we are in town
together we have cake and presents, and lots of laughter.
Today he is on a birthday vacation with his wife Megan,
and we've had some happy phone calls.
In some ways today is Mother's Day for me -- the day I first
became a mother. I wanted children from my very early
years, when I was a doll freak, and played at being a mother
all the time.
Of course as a teenager I lost interest in that role, and it wasn't
until I met Steven that I could even imagine life as a mother. It
is wonderful. My sons have taught me so much, helped me
by posing for my art, encouraging me to paint, coming out to my
shows, even creating my website.
And my whole happy life as a mother began on this day.
Happy Birthday Christopher.
Have a loving your family day.
