Monday, October 17, 2011

More work on the garden man

 
 Pugwash's Garden Man (work in progress)
Acrylic on canvas
24 x 24 inches
Barbara Muir © 2011
Today started off so gloriously. A golden light hit the 
backyard trees, just turning, part yellow, part green,
but filled with promise and beauty in that light.  Good
I thought.  Later I'll take the dog for a little walk.  But
then a whipping cold wind lifted our heavy planter of
gorgeous Lavender Sky off its hook and threw it down
the stairs from the back porch.  The sky turned a sullen
grey and the day shifted.  Thank goodness I was painting
this sunny scene.  I've made some changes to this one -- a
portrait of Ken Lander, of Sunrise Greenhouses in Pugwash,
Nova Scotia.  Here he is holding the bouquet I bought from
him, that turned into the flower painting Flowers at the cottage.
I wasn't happy with the mauve flowers -- they didn't do
justice to Ken's incredible talent, so I decided on this
solution.  I will be adding in the ocean in the far distance,
and refining the painting a bit more, but wanted to show you
my progress.

Have a running-out-to-enjoy-the-sun day.

12 comments:

Kim Rempel said...

Oh, it's looking great! And I love seeing process ; ) Thanks for showing it Barbara!

Toronto Home Renovations said...

I love your painting if you are considering painting your wall. Just wanted to let you know that this painting rocks. Please keep up the amazing work. I see that nobody has lost their passion. Thanks!

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Kim,

Thanks so much. Me too. Love you latest painting a lot.

XO Barbara

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Toronto Home Renovations,

Thanks so much. Glad you like it. Yep. Passion -- that's a given in the painting world. And in gardening.

Take care,

Barbara

Nicki said...

I like this change, Barbara. In this newest version Ken seems more connected to the flowers as opposed to out in front and separate from them.

Hope you are well.

Hugs,

Nicki

Linny D. Vine said...

"The Garden Man" is blooming beautifully!!

cohen labelle said...

Hi Barbara,
I like that man with the green thumb. He looks like a sweetie and I don't think it's just because of the way you painted him although you have painted him beautifully and that in itself makes it easy and obvious to appreciate the warmth in his eyes.

I haven't commented recently on your blog but as you know I'm a big time fan of your work and I can assure you I'm always there in the wings nodding my head in approval and admiration every step of the way!

love, Marcia

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Nicki,

Thanks so much. You've been doing such wonderful work.

I also wanted to connect Ken to the painting of the flowers. So that worked too.

XO Barbara

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Linny,

Thanks so much. He does bloom beautifully. He has beautified Nova Scotia and gardens all over North America.

XO Barbara

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Marcia,

You are so sweet. Please come out to the show.

Love Barbara

How to start a painting business said...

Impressive. I like the way you write your article. Photos are good.

Barbara Muir said...

Hi How to start a painting business.
Thanks for your kind comments.

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!