Sunday, September 30, 2012

Doing what I do

 After the wedding
Watercolour and marker
on Arches watercolour paper
6 x 10 inches
Barbara Muir © 2012
SOLD
(The day after Megan and Christopher's
wedding we had lunch in a lovely
restaurant in Wellington, Ontario
called East & Main.  They do
not have checkered placemats, but
 beige, woven mats.  The artist
needs some colour.  The tomato
and cheese salad in the background
is sooooo good.)
What I do is paint.  You know that.  Everything
else I do gets squeezed in between painting and
painting.  We painters are more than a little crazy.
We not only do this strange job, but we make up
all sorts of rules about how to do it, and how to
succeed at it.  Then we elect the gods of our craft
(and that's true of all the arts) and we revere those
people.  Meanwhile we keep on keeping on painting.
It is such a part of our painting lives.  If you're
reading this and you don't paint, don't be envious.
Maybe you obsess about something else --
building fences, or writing poems, or living the
good life.  For us, it is the paint, what makes the
paint do what we want to do.  That's our day-to-day
call --how can we make that paint follow our
thoughts, or our thoughts follow the paint, and
ultimately when can we paint again.  I'm going to
bed.  I'll paint again tomorrow.

Have a doing-what-you-do day.


6 comments:

Kim Rempel said...

Ah...so nice ; ) And you're right. We need colour. I'm crazy for it. I just love your tea!

Mary Lou van Schaik said...

So well said, Barbara. Your post is a poem. Thanks! Mary Lou

Melinda said...

Yum. I adore your watercolours. This is really gorgeous!

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Kim,

Thank you so much, and we do.You are awesome with colour, and you know I love what you do.

XO Barbara

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Mary Lou,

Thanks so much. Beautiful piece on Tante Benine. Loved seeing you at the wedding.

XO Barbara

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Melinda,

Thank you. The food in the background was so inspiring, and the waitress who was heading to B.C. to do a combined Masters, left Sam absolutely jaw droppingly impressed with her intelligence.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoBarbara

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!