Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Out of the pumpkin patch

 The Pumpkin Farmhouse
Maison De Haute Couleur 
Charvin, Paris Watercolour
on Fabriano paper
8 x 10 inches
Barbara Muir © 2017

I'm working on some larger paintings and they take
time.  But today I came upon a photo of one of my
favourite places that no longer exists.  This
wonderful farm was on the edge of Toronto,
up near King City.  I'd pass it every time I
taught at Seneca College, and I loved the whole
drive.

In the fall -- even if I had to start my drive at 6
in the morning from downtown to get to class I
was excited and on the alert. (Fuelled by gallons
of coffee.) Were the trees turning?  If so what a
gorgeous sight!  I was thinking of David K. Lobenberg 
when I painted this tonight, and wishing I had his chops.

The farm used to be a pumpkin farm, and our
 family drove up at Thanksgiving, to pick out the
best and biggest pumpkins to carry us through to
Halloween. (In Canada Thanksgiving happens in
early October).

Have a revelling-in-the-best-of-life day 

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Barbara
I stumbled across your blog via Kim Rempel... And your paintings and sketches made me smile! There is nothing like browsing through a sketchbook and looking at brightly coloured paintings to brighten my day! Just lovely!!

Carol said...

I love it! You are inspiring me to get painting :)
Thanks!

K. Shunk said...

Love it. I think I know the farm you are talking about. I had friends who liked in King City and the country side was beautiful at any time of the year. There are some wonderful farms with horses. I could watch the horses all day long.

Evelyn said...

Thank you for the link to the David Lobenberg video! He has some great comments about expressive painting. Your painting of the farmhouse is a delight - what wonderful memories of a pumpkin patch, tho always sad to see farms disappearing.

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Anonymous,

Thank you so much. Kim Rempel is a super artist and great person, so how
wonderful that you know here. I thank her for telling you about me, and
I'm delighted if anything I do can brighten your day. Thank you for the
lovely comment.

XOXOXOXOXO Barbara

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Carol,

I can't wait to see what you do. I have long been a fan of your work. You
are making me feel quite wonderful with your comments.

XOXOXOXOXO Barbara

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Kathryn,

This farm was across the street from a horse farm, but I think it was
mostly a veggie and pumpkin farm. The pumpkin people moved away
and I think the owners were just waiting for changes in rural by-laws
so that they could sell to a developer. That whole area used to be
protected land. Not anymore.

XOXOXOXOXO Barbara

Barbara Muir said...

Thank you so much Evelyn,

Glad you enjoyed the David Lobenberg link He is an amazing painter.
I like his sense of humour too. Your work is beautiful.

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!