Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Woah there life!



Pansies in a teacup
sketch painting
acrylic on canvas with marker
6 x 6 inches
Barbara Muir © 2009

Okay -- now when I left the house this morning it
was dark, a slow streak of light amplified as I
drove to work, and I felt joyous, even though
I hadn't had anywhere near enough sleep.

Steven and I have big lists in the kitchen now
of all we have to accomplish in the next couple
of weeks, and that calmed me down. I headed
home from work tonight with identical
lighting. A thin streak of brilliant yellow and
pink lit the dark silhouettes of pines, and geese
practiced flying in low Vs. Breathtaking. Then the
light left the horizon and a steady stream of
car lights formed low stars on the road.

The upshot of this has been no attention to the
paintings I must do. So here is a little pansy
painting from a few years ago, that I tried to
beef up tonight, without much success. I used
to draw the flowers on with marker, and I'm
no longer enamoured of that technique. I added
some darks, changed the background colours,
and I think we'll call it a little sketch. It is
little. And for today....that's all folks.

Thanks for your thoughtful comments on folding.
To my own university boy I send great courage
out into the night. Hang in my son, you are
a wonderful actor. To all the other students
around the world studying like crazy and trying
to please professors, please get some sleep.

Have a getting-enough-sleep-to-be-happy day.

6 comments:

LeSan said...

The light does get scarce this time of year doesn't it? sigh.
I didn't realize your son was an actor. That's fantastic! Has he been doing it long and does he threaten to move to LA the first chance he gets?

About your refreshed painting...do you find yourself satisfied when you do rework an older painting? It seems pretty hit or miss for me.

Barbara Muir said...

Hi LeSan,

Reviving depends on energy. I've had great success fixing work, and lesser success. My son is studying acting. So far LA has not been mentioned.

I was delighted to see your painting.

Take care,

Barbara

Gwen Bell said...

Ooooh...so nice! Love that turquoise with the yellow stripe and that bit of bright red showing through. Just the perfect light contrast against the cup of flowers and that nice dark background.

Liza Hirst said...

I also think this little sketch is very beautiful - quite delicate.
Btw, my younger son is also planning to become an actor - as I know him, he definitely has LA in the back of his mind (but he's still young....)!
Good luck to your son!

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Gwen,

You are sweet. It certainly isn't my best work, but it is better than it was. I love how you notice everything I do like.

xoxoxoxoxoBarbara

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Liza,

Thank you wonderful Liza. Acting is a hard row to hoe, but then you and I understand everything about that because being an artist has its ups and downs too! Here's to all ups for all of us from now on!

xoxoxoxoxoBarbara

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!