Monday, September 7, 2009

One cup of coffee



Morning on Cherrywood
acrylic on canvas
8 x 8 inches
Barbara Muir © 2009
( I sat on my front porch steps this morning
painting this. I loved how the two
little black cars looked, facing in
opposite directions. At one point
my neighbour across the street
came out with her little boy and
started painting too. This thing
could catch on! Wouldn't it be
funny and wonderful
to see a whole street of
people sitting and painting images
of their neighbours' houses.
Super!)

I really need my morning coffee. It's a holiday today in
Canada, but I imagine almost everyone is spending the day
scurrying frantically to get ready for tomorrow.

But I wanted to relax, so as I was drinking my coffee, I
reached for the magazines I keep stacked on the shelf
on my bedside table. Disappointment! Last week I spilled
a full cup of coffee one morning and thought I'd cleaned
it up. What I didn't realize is that it glued all of the
magazines I love together.

Luckily a Martha Stewart magazine with beautiful images
wasn't damaged, so despite my folly I could look at the
exceptional rooms in the issue without trying to pry
the pages apart. I am a Martha supporter. Yes. I wrote
her emails more than once when she was in prison. Why?
Because I believe in strong women, and I met a man that
year whose daughter had worked for Martha and said she was
super kind to her staff and fair. Rumours of her cranky
nature it turns out were just that -- rumours.

What she has done for my town and my street is made
people want to make their homes beautiful. She's helped
people to know how to display flowers in the garden and
around the house. Plus she's made decorating a room with
colour, and thinking about making social occasions special,
something everyday people can get a handle on. I think
that's wonderful.

I suspect she was the fall "guy" (girl) for a corrupt
administration trying to look righteous. I felt certain her
detractors just wanted to -- get the woman! But wonderful
Martha, stayed cheerful through what must have been
a horrible ordeal, and grim embarrassment. She came out
shining. Yay Martha! You don't have to agree with me,
or like her, but I do.

Time to paint. I'm working on a number of things,
all of which you'll see soon.

Have a being-yourself-you-don't-have-to-be-Martha day

4 comments:

Liza Hirst said...

Hi Barbara,
I am also a fan of Martha Stewart!
My sister, who lives in the States gave me a subscription to her magazine ages ago which she always renewed for my birthday over a few years. So I have quite a stack of them and have used more than one good idea of hers. I don't do much entertaining but when I do, I cook mainly by her recipes - to the extent that friends even ask me "hmm yummy, is this Martha again?" - most of them had never heared of Martha Stewart before! She's hardly known here in Europe.

Nice idea, imagining neighbors sitting on the street together, painting!

Barbara Muir said...

Thanks Liza,
We may be a bit lonely in our appreciation. I remember before Martha. It is infinitely prettier now. She started the whole Home TV idea, and it has taken off so well
since then.

Believe me I don't live in a Martha house, but I do appreciate her good t taste.

xoxoxoxoxBarbara

Tammy Hext said...

I do not live in a Martha house either, but I love the inspiration she provides.

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Tammy,

Me too. I love the inspiration and knowledge I get from her magazine. A friend gives me the subscription, and it's great.

Take care,

Barbara

Portrait Artist

My photo
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
I paint and draw on commission and for shows. To commission a portrait, or purchase one of my paintings please contact me at: barbara.muir@sympatico.ca
A major highlight in my career? Drawing Oprah Winfrey live via Skype for her show "Where in the Skype are you? Galleries: Studio Vogue Gallery, Toronto, Canada. The Amsterdam Whitney Gallery, New York City. Gallery at the Porch Door, Kingston, Canada. Your positive comments on this blog mean the world to me. I'd love to hear from you!