A delightful time at the Art Gallery of Ontario

The King's Breakfast 

Acrylic on canvas

24 x 24 inches

Barbara Muir © Revised 2025

Aren't we lucky!
Acrylic on canvas
36 x 48 inches
Barbara Muir © 2025

Clouds dancing over Toney Bay

Acrylic on canvas

40 x 40 inches

Barbara Muir © Revised 2025

Three of my images were featured in a continuous slide show that
happened today from 6:30--8:30 at the Art Gallery of Ontario
 -- Toronto's major public gallery. 21 other artists were also
featured, and it was beautifully done so you could enjoy each
artist's work, and then the next image would appear.

The slide show was part of a celebration for the Heliconian
Hall's 150th year birthday.  The event featured a short play.  

Then there were wonderful music performances. 

Here is the outline of what we enjoyed:

• Introduction & Welcome by Angie Littlefield
• The Hearth and the Fire one-act play with
  Angie Littlefield and Catherine Vaneri
• Do What You Can and Free the Magic original
  musical performance by Taivi
• La vie en rose (By Edith Piaf) performed by Meryl Mourey
• Heliconian: Rag, Boss, Blues and Hoedown
  (Composed by Kye Marshall) performed by
  Catherine Sulem - Violin, Erika Hughes - Violin,
  Velma Ko -  Viola, Kye Marshall - Cell

It was fantastic, and I am so proud of the organizers, the
performers, the slide show creators, and all of the artists
whose work was featured.  Thank you!

For more artistic excitement tomorrow, Saturday is the opening of

the opening of the World in a City show, which I'm in with my
friend Georgia Fullerton's work.  We were asked to invite a guest
artist, and I invited Georgia.That opening (with treats and coffee) takes
place at theHeliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave., Toronto from 2-5 pm.,
May 2. And as always it's free. 

Have a loving your life day!

An art packed weekend

In The Right Place At The Right Time

Acrylic on canvas

36 x 48 inches

Barbara Muir © 

I submitted 5 images for a slide show that is happening tomorrow

night at the Art Gallery of Ontario -- Toronto's major public 
gallery.  This is one of them, and I hope it's in the show.

The slide show is  part of a celebration for the Heliconian
Hall's 150 year birthday.  So if you're at the AGO tomorrow 

night, there will be an evening of music, plays, readings, and
my work with 21 other Heliconian artists being projected in a
loop on the wall of the Atrium.  Admission is free if you're a
gallery member.

Then on Saturday it's the opening of the World in a City show, 
which I'm in with my friend Georgia Fullerton's work.  We 
were asked to invite a guest artist, and I invited Georgia.
That opening (with treats and coffee) takes place at the
Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave., Toronto from 2-5 pm.,
Saturday May 2. And as always it's free. 

Have a loving your life day!

Two years ago in Paris

Pete Sinjin and me beside the river

Seine in Paris two years ago. It was so

wonderful to meet him, and to realize that we

already had a connection. Check out his work.

It's amazing.

Photo
Steven van Schaik © 2024

 If you're in New York City (Brooklyn) this weekend on May 1, do
yourself a favour and go to Collier West Gallery, 369 Atlantic Avenue
from 6-8 pm. and see Pete Sinjin's beautiful work.  One of the magical
moments in my life in the past year happened when my husband gave
me a super Pete Sinjin painting for my birthday.  I was beyond thrilled.
Here's what I wrote a year ago about meeting Pete.

"I feel so lucky in my life in general, because wonderful things like
this happen. Steven and I were walking along the Seine in Paris last year,
and an artist (Pete Sinjin in the photo) was measuring the scene he was
painting and then holding his paint brush in the air. I started to laugh
because I don't know how to do that measuring thing, and I don't do it.
So we started to talk in our best possible French, until Pete said his name. 
Then I realized that there was a piece on Instagram about a critic

who was not kind to Pete Sinjin.  I was one of many people who wrote
and said that the writer was ridiculous because Pete Sinjin's work is fabulous.
And it is!

So Pete asked for a photo and Steven took this.  It makes me happy just
looking at this happy picture, and Pete and I have been friends ever since.

Of course the painting he was creating that day was awesome, and so
are all of his pieces."

Have a loving your life day.

P.S. On Friday night in Toronto at the Art Gallery of Ontario my work will
be part of a slide show presenting work of artists from the Heliconian art
club in the Atrium beginning at 6 p.m. Steven and I will be thinking of
you Pete.  

 

Time travel Tuesday

 

Part of the show 5 of the 50 paintings I had on view

a year ago in April 2025 at my solo show at the

Heliconian Hall.  This April The Colour

of Light is on at the Hall until tomorrow night

with Vivian East, Henrietta Walmark

and me. 

© Barbara Muir 2025

The past month has been super busy, and this week The Colour of Light
comes down on Thursday morning, and World in a City goes up that same
morning. So I am painting, trying to get my taxes ready, and a family
member has had two MRIs in the past week.  There's a lot going on.

Friday night sometime between 6 and 8 I believe the Heliconian Club,
where the shows I described above are happening at 35 Hazelton
Avenue is having a contemporary members' art shown on the wall
of the Art Gallery of Ontario's atrium.  And I am one of those artists.
So I'm pretty excited.

I just want to thank the Heliconian members so much for their help
and inspiration.  

In this case the excitement comes from time travel in the present, time

travel a year ago, and looking forward to Friday.

Have a loving your life day!

World in a City Opening May 2- 5 pm. Heliconian Hall Toronto

 

Spring Break Shoreline The Beaches
Acrylic on canvas
30 x 30 inches
Barbara Muir © Revised 2026
(I submitted this image to the show,
and 3 others.)

The Heliconian Hall, center of the Heliconian Club is inspiring in its
constant level of high activity. For those of us in The Colour of Light --
me, Henrietta Walmark and Vivian East, we go straight from the 
excitement of our own show, to a wonderful opportunity to express
our love of our city, and invite in guest artists to add to the delight.

I will be telling you more about it in my next posts.  I invited the
super fantastic artist, my friend Georgia Fullerton. Lucky you when
you come to the opening, because her work is beautiful, dynamic
and abstract. 

Have a loving your life day!

Thinking about Earth Day

 

Bluebird (family Musicapidae)

on a coffee cup

Bird Study #1

Acrylic on canvas

8 x 8 inches

© Barbara Muir

Today was a wonderful family art day, plus we walked to
Cedarvale Park and enjoyed the freedom of the wide spaces,

and beautiful trees. I was super busy on Earth Day, but want to
honour it. Here's what I said in a former post:

"Nature is constantly reminding us about why she
matters.  So as I say every Earth Day, let's stop the wars,
and get more environmentally intelligent vehicles.  In
Ontario if you're driving an electric car it isn't better for
the environment because our electricity comes from nuclear
power, the most toxic and perpetually harmful method of
creating energy possible.  But the industry has infinite
political support from our current provincial government,
which is sad.

Enough. I love the planet. I don't have the answers. But
let's work on them together for this guy, and for us and
our children."

Have a loving your life day!

Belated Happy Monthaversary Steven and Happy Birthday Hugo

 

Left to right Marnix, Rolf Leemeijer, Miranda Brouwers, Hugo and me.

in front of my painting Dream Selfie -- Wonder Water Image #7
Photo
Steven van Schaik © 2016

I had the last opening of The Colour of Light yesterday,
and am behind on my greetings. Happy belated Monthaversary
(April 24) to Steven for our wedding Monthaversary, and Happy
Birthday to Hugo, one of my friend Miranda's two wonderful sons. 
Here's what I said in a former post:

"Today is Hugo Leemeijer's, birthday, (actually April 23rd)
a young man who I met when Steven and I were in Paris in
2016. Miranda Brouwers, and I were both showing in the
Carrousel du Louvre show in the Louvre. We met Hugo, his
brother Marnix, and their father, Miranda's husband, Rolf. 
We had so much fun. Happy Birthday Hugo. I hope you had
a wonderful day, and that you'll have a terrific year.  We are all
wishing you a super time.

I'm thinking of Miranda and her family today. One of the
things I love about my blog, and Instagram is the ability
to keep in touch with friends and family around the world.

As I said in a former blog, "my friendship with Miranda is
one of the loveliest relationships in my life. We talk on the
phone across the great Atlantic Ocean once a week whenever
possible, and always enjoy one another. (She's in The
Netherlands, and I'm here in Toronto, Canada.)"

I am so lucky to have sweet friendships in my life,
and am very grateful to Vivian East and Henrietta
Walmark for our wonderful show The Colour of Light
that comes down on Thursday morning.

It's movie night. I hope you're having a great weekend.

Have a loving your life day!