Sunday, February 28, 2016

Daddy would have liked this

Untitled (work in progress)
Acrylic on canvas
 24 x 24 inches
Barbara Muir © 2016
As a matter of fact my father would have loved
Pugwash, Nova Scotia, where we have our school
house.  That part of Canada has so many things he
liked -- relatively untamed nature, people who
love art, ocean scenes and delicious food.
 
Flowers at Mazinaw
Oil on board
24 x 36 inches
© W.W. Muir (date unknown)
I'm thinking about my father today as I work
on finishing this painting set in Nova Scotia.  
Not quite there.  It's his birthday today, and on
February 28, every year I think of my father
-- of his art, his incredible photography,
his voice, his humour, his hugs, his laughter,
and the sure understanding I had as I grew older
that he loved me.

Have a remembering-people-you-love day.

6 comments:

Laurel Daniel said...

It's good to remember. I love your house painting (can't wait to see the finished piece) and I love your dad's flower painting too! The apple didn't fall to far from the tree, did it? Very sweet. XOXOXOX

verna vogel said...

Beautiful paintings, Barbara. I did not know your father was a painter and photographer. It must have been hard for you at 13 to move and say goodbye to your "summer home" all at once. What a wonderful legacy, both his work and yours. Do you own now that painting of his swamp flowers?

:) xoxoxox
V

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Laurel,

Thank you so much. I am trying to downplay the house. I should be close
enough to call you, then all would be well. But I will have to muddle through.
No the apple didn't. My Dad however worked in high power corporate jobs and
didn't get any public recognition of his work.

Love your work.

XOXOXOXOXOXO Barbara

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Verna,

Thank you so much. It was hard moving at 13 from sleepy Ottawa to
what then seemed like very sophisticated Toronto. I'm sorry to
say I don't know where this beloved painting is. In a sad --
no catastrophic -- estate decision by an executor relative who knew
nothing about art, all of my paintings, and my father's paintings in
my mother's house were auctioned off in a job lot for one dollar.
Luckily I have one of my favorite paintings by my Dad.

Love your work. XOXOXOXOXO

Wendy Barrett said...

A lovely tribute to your dad Barbara! Love both the paintings! Was horrified to read in your reply to Verna about how all your mother's paintings were sold off for a dollar! How devastating for you!

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Wendy,

Thank you so much. I'm still not quite finished the painting, but may finish it
and post it tomorrow.

My Dad's work, and any of my paintings in my mother's house were auctioned in a job
lot at a starting price of a dollar for the lot. Some people paid $5 for a framed oil painting, some maybe as much $20 as the lot was broken down for bidding. Afterwards buyers who'd spent almost nothing on my paintings, wrote me to ask me questions about the work. I think that was the hardest part, that and not knowing where my Dad's work is now. I answered their questions, and now it's all in the past. Thankfully. But I'm glad my father will never know about it.

Love your work.
XOXOXOXOXO 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!