Thursday, February 16, 2017

Day 16 of the month of Love -- To my models

Left to right:  The Daniel, Wonder Water Image #6, The Maharani's great 
granddaughter with her great granddaughter.
acrylic on canvas (see details below) © Barbara Muir
On this the 16th day of the month of love, I was thinking
about what to celebrate -- and then it hit me -- of course
my models!  Thank you to everyone who has ever posed
for me, whether for my own personal work, or for a
commission.  And thank you to the random people in
cafés and museums who gave me permission to photograph
them so I could paint or draw them.  Plus thank you to all
of the people who had no idea I was drawing them,
in waiting rooms, airports, airplanes.  A long wait
is the ideal time to spend drawing.

I love drawing and painting people.  A portrait that captures
the person I'm trying to put on canvas, or paper, is incredibly
satisfying.
The Daniel
Acrylic on canvas
30 x 30 inches
Barbara Muir © 2016
Wonder Water Image #6
Acrylic on canvas
30 x 30 inches
Barbara Muir © 2015
The Maharani's Great Granddaughter with 
her Great Granddaughter
Acrylic on canvas
30 x 30 inches
Barbara Muir © 2016

I'm especially happy that I painted my mother-in-law in this last
portrait for a show last year.  I love everything about the painting,
and love that it showed how much my mother-in-law cared
about family, making the effort to dress up, and I recall she 
served tea and had cookies and cake set out on pretty plates.
Plus she adored her great granddaughter.

She died just over half a year after I completed the portrait, and
we miss her terribly.  

Have an enjoying-portraits- day.

4 comments:

laura said...

Hello, Barbara. what a lovely post. Your portraits, aside from being beautiful to look at, always convey such depth, emotion, and individuality!

Mary Lou van Schaik said...

Oh, Barbara. I've got tears in my eyes from your loving post about Mom. You've captured, in words and image, the big and little things that mattered to her: clothes, something sweet to eat, and above all, family. Thank you. Love - Mary Lou

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Laura,

Thank you so much. You've made me very happy. Love your work!

XOXOXOXOXO Barbara

Barbara Muir said...

Thank you so much Mary Lou,

I'm so glad we had our visits with your Mom. She always surprised me with how
beautifully she dressed, and how vigorous she was. I'm so sorry that
she's gone, but she is vivid in my mind, and in our hearts. And I'm
so glad I got to reconnect with you!

XOXOXOXOXOXO 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!