Journal Sketch
marker on drawing paper
6 x 8 inches
Barbara Muir © 2024
On a beautiful and hectic day -- Inktober saves the day. Here's a
drawing I drew with my morning coffee. I tried not to fuss over
the simple beauty of her face, but of course I did.
Hope you had a great Monday. So much going on. I'll see you
again tomorrow. For now I'm so grateful for this month's preoccupation
with line drawing and Inktober.
Have a great week.
Have a loving your life day.
It’s Saturday night, which is movie night at our house. So I generally look
at my blog, find a painting I loved, and talk about that. Tonight I wanted to
say, which painting would you choose to talk about in your work if you
could pick any painting you wanted? So I went on my website and looked
through my landscape paintings, and found this one that’s right for this time of year.
It was a spectacularly beautiful day today – Just warm enough to wear a sweater,
not hot and not cold. The light was brilliant, and trees are turning magnificent
colours of red, gold, orange, and brilliant yellow just stunning. We drove to the
market and home entranced -- feeling so lucky to live in this beautiful city.
That's a great feeling.
This painting sold in New York at the beginning of the pandemic. It was such a
treat that someone loved it as much as I did. Wishing you a great rest of the
weekend and a happy Saturday night.
Have a loving your life day.
Last year on this day, I was talking about the wonderful feeling of
drawing a portrait. I did this quick sketch this morning.
What is magical about drawing a fast portrait sketch is making
the person come alive in your own style sometimes in just a few minutes.
It’s been a long day of art all day. After the quick portrait sketch, I was
working on a painting, setting a figure in place, painting in the background.
I’m really enjoying this painting -- way too early to show you.
Then, in the late afternoon, some of us got together to create a banner
for Halloween. The youngest family members are very creative, and
made the most beautiful piece of art that will stretch across the house
when we’re celebrating Halloween. For sure all the neighbours will
decide that 'Yes these people have candy!"
Have a loving your life day.
Sunset at the farm
Acrylic on birch panel
5 x 7 inches
Barbara Muir ©˙
Working on painting today -- on all the prep work -- references,
prepping the canvas -- you name it, and if you're an artist you
know the drill. I came upon this little painting in my studio --
the rooms have just been radically cleaned. The painting is not
quite finished, but I like the joyous feeling it suggests.
I spent an hour and a half in line today -- and I'm grateful to
the sweet people who held my place so I could sit down
for part of the wait. It was all worth it when I got to the
kind woman at the desk who renewed my health card,
and driver's license -- complete with the obligatory new
photo in five minutes flat.
So here's a happy sunset painting. I hope you saw
the Hunter's moon tonight. Quite spectacular.
Have a loving your life day.
If we're visiting Nova Scotia we go to Annapolis Royal even if it's
just for 15, or 20 minutes before we get gas for the long journey back
to our school house between Wallace and Pugwash. We love our friends
at the German bakery, and loved meeting Heidirose and Dieter, who are the chefs
and bakers, and their daughter Susanne who frequently runs the restaurant.
Heidi is also an amazing artist. If we have time when we're in the area
we love to drop in for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or to pick up some
pastries. Yum. If you visit Annapolis Royal give yourself a treat.
Go and see Heidi's art, and eat their delicious food.
This beautiful painting caught my eye, and Heidi has graciously
agreed to let me show it to you. In fact she shared some poignant
stories about her life in East Berlin growing up, and how hard it
was being accepted in Canada, and let me buy the painting.
It's beautiful
Thank you Heidirose for wonderful conversations, for your
incredible bravery, for lots of laughter, your amazing art, and
delicious food.
Have a loving your life day.
Today I saw this painting scrolling through my blog. I went to
see my friends who meet for coffee every Tuesday if they're
not working, and I was definitely not awake enough after one
coffee. So of course when I came home after a second delicious
cup of coffee at my friend's house I was thinking about
how much I love coffee. This painting went to my wonderful
friend, the artist Susan Carlin, in San Antonio Texas years ago.
And I'm glad she has it.
The day after Canadian Thanksgiving is a day when you need
coffee -- to get back on track. I drank at least four cups and
have been organizing, drawing and working on a new
painting most of the day.
If you celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving this past weekend I hope you
had a great time. Steven and I had a wonderful dinner with our whole
family and two young guests. So much fun. And then of course tonight
-- turkey dinner #2.
Have a loving your life day.
