A New Year and New Day

New Day

Acrylic on canvas
36 x 48 inches
Barbara Muir © 2009

(The painting I was finishing

when the Oprah Winfrey Show

producers called, and asked

me if I'd like to draw Oprah via Skype.
My answer? Yes!) 

I was thinking today that this is a new year and new day.  So many
cheerful things have happened, from artists I admire thanking me for
my kind comments, to seeing the swans again at the lake today.  The
swans have been gone for months -- it feels like at least six.  And 
Steven and I love them. Today -- on our last day of winter holiday
vacation I spotted the swans out in the lake, and called them.

A family down the beach with two little children in snowsuits watched
in what looked like disbelief as the swans swam toward me very
quickly.  It was awesome.  And then hissing, they pulled up out of the
water and let me feed them some of the bread that the top ornithologist
at Oxford University in England says is good for them. What a treat.

So I was looking for a painting by me that would speak about it being
a new day, and this work showed up -- called New Day.  And it was.
My whole life changed on the day I finished that painting, because
that was the day I got called by Oprah Winfrey's producer, and asked
to be on the show via Skype in May, 2009.  My thanks to my wonderful
model Shakoya, and to Oprah Winfrey, who I will be grateful to forever.

If I were a sign monitoring person (I'm not, but if I were), I'd say the
signs are great for a fabulous 2023.

Have a loving your life day.