Wednesday, June 5, 2024

World Environment Day

In the right place at the right time
Acrylic on canvas
36 x 48 inches
Barbara Muir © 2016
SOLD 

What seems odd to me is that World Environment Day isn't one of
the most important days in the year.  More important than birthdays,
or Christmas, or any religious holiday.  Our environment, which means
our planet, is in big trouble.  So if we want to keep celebrating all of
the other vital holidays, maybe we should focus on fixing what we're
doing here first.  

It is a dear friend's birthday, and wanting to celebrate her is utmost in
my mind, and I do wish we could give all of us the gift of taking care
of the environment, ending wars, and stopping our foolish habits 
of valuing money above all.

I saw another friend today and we talked about kindness, which made me
want to reprint the content from an earlier blog.  This piece was
about blogging, but I've had the same experience on Instagram,
so here goes.

"The big learning for me about blogging, was that it's a positive
environment.  If you don't like what an artist does, you move
on, and don't comment.  If you love what they do, you tell
them!  Oh Boy! That is revolutionary!  Because all over the
world (except perhaps in Finland -- which I hear has an amazing
education system), parents are taught not to praise children
too much!  This still happens.

But here's what praise does.  Everything.  If people praise
your work, you feel empowered.  Seriously.  You feel like
getting back at it.  You feel like doing more.  It may
not directly affect how you're working, but it definitely
keeps you working.

In the lovely world of art blogs for some reason this is
understood through some secret unspoken code.  And Hurray
for that.  So go ahead praise an artist, your kid, your romantic
partner, your boss, whoever you possibly can.  Oh -- and
part two -- mean what you say!

I'd add -- also give yourself a pat on the back.  Acknowledge
each time you've done something you're proud of and reward
yourself.  It doesn't have to be a trip to France (I am ready),
but a phone call to a friend can make your day.

Have a praising what you love day!"


2 comments:

René PleinAir said...

I have no idea where you're heading with your posting tho, ...
First of all I like you sketch it's shows your love and admire all the stuff you painted here and I like your thoughts about our enviroment and keeping the world habbitable akso your thought about looking for a different way to ending wars, and stopping our foolish habits
of valuing money above all is well worth mentioning.

But am I right you're also talking about climate change?

I hope not because where I life (The Netherlands) it really turns into a living nightmare, ... cutting down trees to replacing them for solar panels erecting HUGE windturbines that spoil the whole countryside and putting solar panels on the most beautiful 300 years farmhouses is just horrible. All because some people think they could make money out of a substance which is only pressent 0.036% of our atmosphere it's madnes!!If you look deeper into it it's dark very very DARK what their up to. Now a days we're at 400 part per million CO² and if they really going to try to get it down to zero (also by sucking CO² out of the air by factory's) everything will stop growing (beneath 200 PPM)in other words, it's a death cult a group of very VERY dark people who are really trying to kill off all life as we know it by playing God.

Barbara Muir said...

René,

Thanks for your comment. This painting is of a nature reserve in The Netherlands.
We don't agree on climate change. Last year fires raged all across Canada -- including in its most northern lands. That is climate change. It was 44 Celsius when we visited Paris in August. This is not only not normal, it's destroying the forests that cool the planet, melting the icebergs. Huge portions of the planet are already uninhabitable for human life. And we are probably too late with whatever we're doing to try and fix it.

Take care,

Barbara

Portrait Artist

My photo
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
I paint and draw on commission and for shows. To commission a portrait, or purchase one of my paintings please contact me at: barbara.muir@sympatico.ca
A major highlight in my career? Drawing Oprah Winfrey live via Skype for her show "Where in the Skype are you? Galleries: Studio Vogue Gallery, Toronto, Canada. The Amsterdam Whitney Gallery, New York City. Gallery at the Porch Door, Kingston, Canada. Your positive comments on this blog mean the world to me. I'd love to hear from you!