Thursday, September 22, 2011

Doggie is done, and family fun

 Barney
Acrylic on canvas
24 x 36 inches
Barbara Muir © 2011
My painting of the dog is done, and ready to be
shipped out.  I will actually miss the painting, like
I would a real pet.  The dog has become so real to
me, and...but he belongs with his owners and the
model for the painting -- a gorgeous dog.

Last weekend we went to the university of Windsor to see
my son, Sam in the Shakespeare play Much Ado About Nothing.
Sam's role was the evil brother Don John, and he was magnificent
at it, even though in real life he is one of the sweetest people I know.
For sure.  (Everyone tells me this skill is called "acting".  Good
because that's what he's studying at university.) His costume was
spectacular, black pants, and leather boots, a long flowing black coat
lined in dark red, and a silk satin brocade shirt that gleamed
in the light in red and black.  At 6'4" he was an impressive
figure on the stage, and we were excited to see what
we knew already.  The boy has the chops. 

Happy together
Left to right: Sam, me, Megan, Christopher and Steven, who is
taking the shot. 
It was an especially wonderful trip because the whole
family was together, Christopher, our oldest, and
Megan his fiancée came with us, which made the
weekend even more fun for Sam.

Have an enjoying-your-children's-success day.

24 comments:

cohen labelle said...

Gorgeous dog, eminently huggable and kissable! If it were me I'd be tempted to make some kind of ridiculous excuse and hang onto the painting for a while longer - but I know that' would be highly inappropriate - not done, after all the Doggie is done.
Love the photo of all of you together.!!!!
love, Marcia

Linda Popple said...

Barnie looks great!! Love his expression. His owners are going to be so delighted to have this portrait.

Great photo! You sound so proud of your son!! :-D

Kathrin Hufen said...

Wonderful little dog, i like his eyes!!

Nancy Laliberte said...

Beautiful painting, Barbara! Wonderful family photo, too! :-)

Melinda said...

Great job on the painting of the dear dog. I can see a sweet personality there.

Oh, my! Such a beautiful family photo! What fun you all must have had.

Very happy for you all. Best wishes for a fabulous, healthy, productive fall!

Nicki said...

Great painting. Great family! Great day at the "theatre" watching your boy.

XO Nicki

Kath Shunk said...

What a nice photo of a family enjoying themselves.

Gwen Bell said...

Fabulous job on this precious pooch! What a great expression!

Linny D. Vine said...

Such a happy family photo and "a wonderful pupper full of personality painting"! They'll love it!!

Sheila Vaughan said...

He's a cutie. A very nice painting which captures a lot of his personality I am guessing.

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Marcia,

Thank you. Yes I think he's huggable too. The painting has sailed off.

I'm glad you like the photo, we had so much fun.

Love Barbara

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Linda,

Thanks so much. He looks like he's saying please take me inside. It's snowing. Actually dogs absolutely love snow. I think they're always teaching us how to have fun.

XO Barbara

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Kathrin,

He is wonderful isn't he. Thanks so much.

XO Barbara

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Nancy,

I'm glad you like the painting. Your work is wonderful. I do love my family, and we have so much fun when we're together.

XO Barbara

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Melinda,

Yes I think Barney is lucky to have wonderful owners who love him, and anyone who has a great dog is lucky.

We did have a great time. Just wonderful.

And I hope we all have super productive times in the next few months. Thank you.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxBarbara

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Nicki,

Thanks. It was great. Sam still seems in character in the shot. I wish I could publish the photos of him at the end of the play. But we were forbidden for copyright reasons. And I respect that.

XO Barbara

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Kathy,

Thanks so much. Miss you.

XO Barbara

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Gwen,

I'm so happy you're painting again. Just magnificent stuff.

xoxoxoxoxoxox Barbara

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Linny,

It's hard to imagine what the painting looks like because it's big. So I think they'll like his great big fluffiness. I know I did.

Glad you like my family. I know they'd love you.

XO Barbara

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Sheila,

I hope you're right. Barney lives 4,000 kms away from us, so it's hard for me to know. But I captured what I saw in the lovely photos I was working from.

I adore your work.

XO Barbara

Anonymous said...

what a gorgeous family picture Barbara. Congrats to all your artsy rellies! Love the dog painting.

Mary Sheehan Winn said...

Love both the painting and the family.

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Sally,

Thanks so much. I'm glad you like it. It is so much bigger than I can show you that he does have quite a presence. Yes my little group are a lot of fun.

XO Barbara

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Mary,

Thanks so much. I really appreciate your kindness. They are a hilarious group really, and I love them too.

XO 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!