Super busy day for the Monthaversary of our wedding

 

Small is beautiful

Watercolour and marker on

Arches watercolour paper

6 x 10 inches

Barbara Muir © 2012

Today was a busy day for our wedding Monthaversary. Steven was working
away in his office, and I was in the studio getting art ready for our
show (Vivian East, Henrietta Walmark and me) at the Heliconian Hall,
April 3, 4, 8 and 24.

Luckily it was a productive day, and I had a short, sweet meeting with a
friend. Then back to painting.  I do feel happy about the work, which
is great.

Steven and I celebrate the Monthaversary of our first date, and the
Monthaversary of our wedding day two days apart.  Today it was a
beautiful day.  We went for a short walk under the stars and were 
quite delighted that the snow, at least for now, is gone.

Have a loving your life day!

Getting ready for the show -- 10 days to go!

 

The King's Breakfast 

Acrylic on canvas

24 x 24 inches

Barbara Muir © 

(I put this painting up today because it's

one of my favourite paintings --nothing
sweeter than room service breakfast in a hotel

with the one you love. Sold now,
but it might be loaned to me

for The Colour of Light show.)

The count down to an art show is both exciting and worrying.  You
paint like crazy, and make list after list.  Those are super helpful,

except at the end of the day when you just want to go and watch
TV with your mate, and there are still so many things not

crossed off on the list.  Reason enters like a gift, and says,
"Don't worry we'll get those done tomorrow."  

I hope you are having a super time.  Today was both moody grey,
and brilliantly sunny. Such contrasts.  The sun made everyone happy.

Have a loving your life day!

Happy Monthaversary of our first date to my sweetheart

 

A favourite photo of me and Steven 

Happiest monthaversary of our first date to my wonderful
husband, Steven. How did we celebrate today? We had a quiet
day doing chores in the house, went out for takeout  lunch at our
favourite café, then went for a great walk in a historic neighbourhood
with magnificent century-old buildings.

Tonight, we’ll hang out with our cat and our dog and watch our
TV show – a detective series.

I couldn’t be more happy that we fell in love on our first date, and that
we are still in love. 

Have a loving your life day!

Happy Spring

 

Spring tulips

Three versions in acrylic on

watercolour paper
© Barbara Muir 
(I'm revising one of these for our
show The Colour of Light)

Boy do we need Spring! Just the word makes people happy.  It
was a grey, rainy, snowy day today, and people were walking 
around in their down coats looking like Spring (happiness) had
just arrived. It is 2 degrees Celsius now (35.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

And some people were wearing their winter coats with shorts.
That is pushing it

It's a good time to immerse yourself in nature.  The birds are 
singing, the trees here in Toronto have not produced leaves, but
they are so ready. I feel particularly lucky to be up to my 

eyes in painting.  There are lots of reports at the moment 
about the destructive nature of social media.  That has
never been my experience.  For me it is friendship, learning,
kindness and opportunity.

But the news is there and it is grim.  We can hope that
sanity will come back to the world soon.  We can do 
all we can to help that happen, and we can create work
filled with joy, to give people a break.

Have a loving your life day!

Inspiration from past blogs on the International Day of Happiness

 

Eighteen years ago on February 17, I started this blog.

Tonight I'm including a painting from the archives 

-- A woman and her cats. I painted

this in September of that year, 2008.

I was lucky to teach Positive Psychology for 10 years.  I learned so
much about how to be happy. One thing that makes me happy is
creating work that collectors love. The painting above was certainly
one of them, and a great source of enjoyment for me.

Here are some words from a former blog that are helpful 
as I paint for a show opening April 3 from 2 - 5 at the
Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave. in Toronto, Canada.

I loved the richness and pattern on the silk collar of the
subject's blouse.  It was a beauty. Such a pleasure to paint.
And of course I loved the cats. Here's what I said in 2012:

"So what have I learned?  Sometimes in life we
think we're going nowhere.  That's what's so
wonderful about the blog world.  You can see
how far you've come, all the things you've learned
and in my case the great excitement that's come into
my life since I began this happy process.  My blog
was born during a hard time in my life, with relatives in
poor health, and my son going to Korea. The blog
and the people who read it became a source of
delight and strength for me.  When I painted this
portrait I had no idea what was going to happen in
the next months, when my blog would be discovered
by Howard Wolinsky, the Chicago journalist, and
subsequently by Oprah.

Steven was saying today, "your thoughts create
your future," one of the key philosophies of
Louise Hay.  And sometimes your future is
created by thoughts other people have that
are beyond your wildest dreams."

Have a thinking-yourself-into-a-joyous-future day.

Canadians and weather

 

Spring in the yard
acrylic on canvas
8 x 8 inches
Barbara Muir © 

I like this painting from early on in the blog, of a wonderful 
model -- my friend's daughter -- Claudia. The year I painted
it the weather was even more erratic than this year.  A couple
of weeks ago we had weather so warm, that there were 
literally some joggers (men) wearing just shorts and their 
track shoes.  Then the next day we had a huge snowfall, and
strangers on the street were asking each other, "what's going
on?"

Of course the answer was "Canada man!" This is March.
Today the weather is what Canadians would call warm 
(6 Celsius, 42.8 Fahrenheit). Tonight it will be cold again,
and there is snow in the forecast for the next couple of 
days. 

We need to enjoy the variety. Because bonafide spring
weather won't be here for a couple of weeks.

Have a loving your life day!

Keep on editing, then be happy!

 

An inside look at journal pages
I created when I taught an art journal
course. This is a collage of a mix
of images, coloured stars
sign maker's gold, marker and
watercolour crayon
(The message reads, "It's funny
this preoccupation with angels
because I don't believe in angels
except in the way of, "Be an
angel will you darling and
bring me a cup of coffee
please.") 

I got a kick out of finding this piece about teaching art journaling 
to an art group.  The advice I shared is particularly helpful to
me right now. I have been working on paintings for our April
show today, and am happy to share what I said in my former post
with you.  There are so many art journal writers.  One of my favourites

is Austin Kleon, who has written many books on the subject of
creativity.  And the young woman who helps me with my tech
and studio issues is an amazing art journal maker, but hasn't gone public. 

Here's what I said in the former blog:

"As a college professor I've taught writing and presentation.  The
 key in both cases is somewhat the same as in painting
-- edit, edit, edit.

In writing try something, if it doesn't work, delete and
write it in a different way. In art try something, if it doesn't
work, rub it out, or paint it over. Try something else. Part
of it works, part doesn't?  More editing on a visual plain. 

Back and forth.  And fingers crossed -- eventually you get
it right. If anything making art is harder than writing, which
would surprise people."

Have a loving your life day!