Working on a number of things for Let’s Play show

Flowers for the table (work in progress)
Acrylic on canvas

12 x 12 inches
Barbara Muir © 2025

I hope you’ll come out to the opening of the Let’s Play show at
the Heliconian Hall on July 7, at 35 Hazelton Avenue, Toronto. I’m
working on a number of pieces for that show and here is one of
them. It’s a work in progress – almost done.

The theme of the show is clear in the title --  it’s about play, or
having fun. This painting is about the joyous feeling you get when
you put the flowers on the table that are going to be part of a dinner
party.There they are. And in our case, the bowl of lemons is also a
centerpiece. That is force of habit and we love the look of it.

Have a loving your life day.

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful fathers in the world

Portrait of my father 
black marker on bond paper
7 x 9 inches
Barbara Muir © 2010

You can't keep a good man down

Acrylic ink and acrylic on canvas

36 x 48 inches

Barbara Muir © 2020

(My husband Steven,

the father of my two wonderful sons)

Happy Father's Day. I like the portrait of my father. It makes me happy
because it captures the wonderful, loving nature of my Dad. 
In  the reference photo my father is smiling at Christopher, my
older son, who was a little boy at the time.  Our son Sam had not 

been born yet.  I miss my father every day.  

And my  father is still a huge influence in my life.  He was a wonderful writer,
a business man, a fabulous photographer, and a great painter -- good at all
of his roles. He was a strict father to young children, which is probably
why I don't like rules to this day. I'm sure his time in the navy contributed to that. 

But as I grew up we developed a happy bond over art, and over family, and were
close at the time of his death from lung cancer way too early.

My dad would have been delighted to know our children and to
see how they have grown up into amazing people.

Happy Father's Day to Steven my sweet husband, the man in the
second drawing. and to Christopher my oldest son. He and Megan have two

beautiful daughters -- Alice 9, and Madeleine 5, and a son James 2. Thank you to
my loving family -- Christopher, Sam, Megan, Emily, Alice and Madeleine and
James for being the reason Steven is a very happy and proud father.

Have a loving your family day.

 

Saturday night and art thoughts

Tom Thomson 

sketch

from a Wikipedia photo

Marker on journal paper

5 x 8 inches

Barbara Muir © 2023

(Unfortunately some of the marks from the

other journal page come through,
but I still like the drawing.)

It's our movie night (at home on the TV), and there's a very happy 
birthday party happening next door. Today was packed with going to
the market, and then shopping. And we just returned from a beautiful

late evening walk.

I found this sketch of Tom Thomson, one of Canada's most famous
painters, and felt like showing it to you again. Thomson was an 
amazing landscape painter.

Here's what I wrote on a former blog. 

"One of my Canadian art heroes is Tom Thomson. When I visit the
Art Gallery of Ontario, I never miss sitting in the room full of Tom
Thomson's work.  He was a fabulous landscape artist. Sadly he died
at 39 years old by drowning.  There is still all sorts of speculation
about how he -- a very accomplished canoeist -- drowned, and hints
of murder, or suicide, but nothing has ever been proven. He died in 1917."

His work continues to thrill visitors to galleries that display his work,
and artists like me, who appreciate his profound love of nature.

Have a loving your life day. 

Looking back at the beginning of blogging

Neely
Acrylic on canvas
7 x 9 inches
Barbara Muir © 2008

I have been painting today, but the work still isn't ready to be shared. 
I am grateful to my blog for this image, showed in an exhibition curated
by the artist Carolyn Megill back in 2008 the year I started blogging,
who gave us the canvasses, because in her opinion, we were already
donating our talent.  

The painting is based on a photo by my son Christopher of his friend.
It looks like it was quite spectacular.   This artist's life! It is always
amazing.

Have a loving your life day!

Favourite practices

Journal Sketch
marker on journal paper
6 x 8 inches
Barbara Muir © 2023

Looking through my photos for drawings, I came upon this one that
I quite like for its simplicity.  I did not get to paint today, and that's
not great because I'm on deadline, but I will paint tomorrow.

I'm showing you this very simple drawing because I think one of my
best "practices" in recent years (similar to writing a daily blog), has
been to try to write in a journal for three pages, and if not for two
pages, with one drawing. Starting the day that way is very good for
me, because I almost always get a drawing I like, and then I can
move on to the rest of the day feeling more confident.

I hope you had a happy and artistic day.

Have a loving your life day.

 

Grateful for my connections via technology

 

Drawing My friend via Skype
Photo
2009

Today was a jam packed day so I was delighted to find a post about drawing
with Skype.  Skype -- the Zoom of the time of the photo, was an incredible
gift to my art career, and connected me with friends and students all over the 
world.

Looking through my really old blogs, I found this image from June
2009.  2009 was a pivotal year for me and my art.  I started drawing
using Skype images, when my son was teaching in Korea, and Skype was

our very cool method of communication. During our talks I'd start
drawing, and ultimately my Skype paintings got me the chance to draw
Oprah live via Skype.  That was thanks to Howard Wolinsky who 
encouraged me to do Skype paintings to feature in the Skype blog he
was writing at the time.

This photo is of me drawing my friend Melinda Esparza in Arizona
via Skype.  I got a lot of attention from being featured on the Oprah
show, and I was featured on City News in Toronto on the day of this photo.

The Oprah show, and other TV shows, and newspaper articles

also brought me more attention in the art world.  As I've told you before the
result was getting to exhibit my art in shows in New York City, Florence, Italy
and in the Louvre in Paris, France.  So yes I am incredibly grateful to technology.

Have a loving your life day. 

Another busy day, and I took peonies to a friend

 Stand Back for the Pie

Acrylic on canvas

24 x 24 inches

Barbara Muir ©

It is peony time again in our neighbourhood.  Another day of painting all
day, and not much going right.  But I went to my art group tonight, and
it was wonderful to paint from a model, and to see friends again.

When you look out from my back porch, at the tall trees forming a high
green curtain of waving leaves, or drive through the streets of 
Toronto, you understand why we find our cold winters so hard.
Some of the flowers that make me feel joyous right now are peonies. 
They are so beautiful.  My very generous next door neighbour lets
me pick hers, and they are magnificent.

Here's a favourite painting featuring peonies. In fact it won first prize
in a San Fernando Valley Arts and Cultural Center show. So wonderful.

Have a loving your life day.