Keep painting

The news is, and has been hard for months.  I am at our family get away place,
having trouble connecting to the Internet, but when I do, I feel powerless reading
about war, famine, politicians fighting for positions, instead of demanding 
ceasefires, that food go to people in famines, that we take care of the environment.
But as artists, we need to create.  It is our purpose to use our abilities even when
things are so grim.  

It is a beautiful day here, if way too hot, and I found this post from last year,
with a very bad video by me about how Georgia Fullerton's GASP method
is somewhat magical, and worked for me. Forgive the terrible quality of the video.
To put it mildly I am not a techy.

I have been busy today, so wanted to find something meaningful
from the past.

"2020 was when this long, long pandemic began.  We
had no vaccines, and new variants kept coming at us.
One of my friends, the wonderful artist Georgia Fullerton,
held a GASP session for artists on Zoom, to try and inspire us
 to keep going.  I will quote that piece tonight, and show the poor
 quality video I made to go along with the blog post.

"COVID -19 has shut a lot of artists down.  We keep trying,
and doing this and that, but the impetus to paint is impacted
 by the facts -- most galleries being closed, no meetings with
other artists, no workshops in person, and the endless
sad stories connected to the virus.

On June 26 Georgia Fullerton held a Zoom event to introduce her
GASP method of painting people's emotions and histories.  She had
wonderful, inspiring guests.  And I don't know about the effect on
other artists, but it got me back into the studio in a pre-COVID-19
way.  I'm not saying the art I'm producing is great, but I feel super
painting.  The joy of doing it has come back to me.  I credit
Georgia.  Oh and of course my husband Steven who came into the
studio and said he liked the painting I was working on.  We need
that support."

Have a loving your life day.

Feeling lucky

My work in the Florence Biennale in 2015

at the end of the hall.

Wonder Water Series
polyptych, acrylic on coordinated canvasses

6 feet x 9 feet
Barbara Muir © 2015
(How incredibly lucky I was to show my work
in the Florence Biennale twice.  The
two portraits in this piece sold,
but the cloud diptych is still available.
SOLD ♥ 

What a wonderful day seeing friends, having exciting conversations,
driving through incredible beauty, talking to family members on the 
phone. I found this older post about envy and it makes so much
sense to me.  I love our 15 ft. wide semi-detached house in Toronto.
I know we are lucky to have it. Yes it needs work. Show me a house
that doesn't. But it is in the colours I love, and has a sweet backyard,
and covered back porch. And the street is great.  Super kind people to
talk to.

When she was alive, I was a big fan of Louise Hay. So my blog
from 2009 talks about something I enjoyed reading tonight.

"I was thinking about art and life today and this topic
came up in my mind. I've mentioned Louise Hay before
and I remember listening years ago to a tape of
hers that cautioned never to envy another's good.

The idea -- and I think it's a sound one -- is that if
someone you know, does well, is happy, gets
rich, gets excellent work, it is almost as if that 
happened to you too. She suggested that when you hear
about a super thing happening to a friend or loved one,

say, "that's for me!, that's for me!"

I'd amend that in 2024 now to "How amazing for you!"

I'm absolutely devoid of envy, and maybe Louise
is part of why.  

Have a loving your life day.

Happy Wedding Monthaversary Steven

 

Heart in the sand
B.M. (Barbara Muir)
Loves
S.v.S. (Steven van Schaik)
Photo
Barbara Muir © 2022
(The sand is the red sand on the
 beach we love in Nova Scotia
on the Northumberland Strait.)

Today is the monthaversary of our wedding day, and we 
saw wonderful friends after a long drive. Now we are ready
to settle down, and watch our favourite show together. We are lucky
to be in love. 

This love heart in the sand is from three summers ago, but the sentiment
still holds true.

Have a loving your life day.

Thinking about today and Florence

View from our apartment terrace when
I stayed in Florence the first time
I exhibited at the Florence Biennale in 2009.
There was a church right against
our building, and that's the Duomo
in the distance.
photo
Barbara Muir © 2009

We went to a wonderful writer's reading night today at the Peace Hall in
Pugwash.  It was delightful.  The work deeply moving, funny, 
and exciting. We loved it.

When I taught positive psychology, I taught my classes to carry a little

sign that said Today, and to make a list of what they wanted to do that
day, and cross things off as they did them.  What I didn't say is that
when unexpected wonderful opportunities come your way, take
part in them if at all possible.

Going to Florence in 2009 and 2015 to take part in the Florence Biennale
was so fantastic.  And listening to awesome writers read their poetry and
fiction was such a treat! I saw this photo and had to include it on this very 
happy day.

Have a loving your life day today. 

Happy Anniversary of our first date Steven

 

Happy Anniversary Tea 

watercolour and marker on
watercolour paper

 6 x 10 inches
Barbara Muir © 2014

We did not have anniversary tea today on the anniversary of our first date,

but we did have a delicious dinner with friends on their wedding 
anniversary.  That was unexpected (that both couples were having anniversaries),

and fun.  Our friend served a delicious dinner catering to our 
preferences, and an amazing dessert with fresh fruit, cake and ice cream.

Her husband made over the top wonderful coffee.

We talked about everything, and drank champagne and toasted each
other.  I call that perfect. 

Have a loving your life day.

Happy Anniversary of our first date tomorrow

This silly photo booth picture from that first couple of
weeks we were together says it all.
It was love at first date.
This one had obviously spent some time in
one of our wallets before making it into an
official album.

Tomorrow is the anniversary of our first date.  A very happy memory,

and the beginning of a love story that I cherish.  I've probably said it too
many times here, that I love my husband to the moon and back.  By the
way the moon tonight is stupendous.  It started out a deep golden, orange,
then ascended a bright light yellow, then stayed huge and bright and 
magnificent.  The celebrations have begun.

Have a loving your life day.

 

Thinking about oceans

Water Image 3
Acrylic on canvas
30 x 30 inches
Barbara Muir © 2010

One of my artist friends today talked about thinking too much.
I'm sure he's right, it's probably better not to think too much.
And another talked about beauty, and its meaning.  It's
Saturday night, and strolling through my blogs I saw this painting.
As I love being near the ocean, it made me remember my ocean series,
which I enjoyed creating, and exhibiting.

I thought I'd share some of that post:

"This painting Water Image 3 is part of a series,
joining the oceans, and people that loved specific ocean places
together by bands representing the beaches at the edge of the ocean.

This is one of my favourites, a young woman from India I met
through a class, who had come to work for a family here as a nanny.
She was studying Pre-health with the hope of one day becoming a nurse,
or a doctor. She moved several times, and I lost touch with her. I hope
she achieved her dreams. I'm forever grateful to her for posing for me.
The painting travelled to New York, and hangs in my studio at the moment."

Have a loving your life day