Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Let's make every month loving -- reprised

Portrait of my father 
black marker on bond paper
7 x 9 inches
Barbara Muir © 2010

Today is a hard day.  I think every day about my father, whose
birthday was today, and who has been gone too long.
Our dog had surgery today, and we hope she recovers well.

My post from last year on this day says it all:

"Happy Birthday to my father, who died way too young. I found an
old journal of mine talking about his love of photography, and how
he bought himself the best equipment.  I passed some of his gear
on to my older son, and to a neighbour who was studying photography
 at Metro Toronto University. My father's photography is amazing and
does stand the test of time.

Girl smoking a chocolate cigarette
8 x 10 inches
Photo
W. W. Muir
(One of my all time favourite
photos by my father.
He worked almost
exclusively in
black and white.
Chocolate cigarettes are not
cigarettes -- just candy.)

And his art was also wonderful. I only have one piece, which is in our
front bedroom, and every time I look at it, I marvel at his talent, with
no instruction whatsoever. I wish he was here.  He was a complicated
man, a harsh disciplinarian in our younger years, and a staunch 
supporter of me and my art, and writing when I was starting out.

Have a loving your family day." 

Monday, February 27, 2023

Exciting times

Untitled, work in progress
Acrylic ink on watercolour paper
6 x 8 inches
Barbara Muir © 2023

Today was a good day. I’m getting ready to show three pieces in the Woman
show at the Heliconian, 35 Hazelton Ave., Toronto -- opening on March 4.
I’ll be there between 2 and 4 p.m. this Saturday. And there are other exciting
things coming up too!

I worked on this little painting, a scene from the ocean in Nova Scotia,
which I love. I hope you had a great day. I did.

Happy second last day of the Month of Love. 

Sunday, February 26, 2023

Remembering February 2020


Late evening tulips 
Acrylic on birch panel
12 x 12 inches
Barbara Muir © 2014
SOLD 

Today we saw some of our family -- all rapid tested, and it was a treat.
Remember back when we didn't have to worry about viruses
every minute of every day?  Toronto started to be affected
by COVID in a big way in March, 2020 -- three years ago.
And people on my street have COVID now. Not fun. 
I taught my last in-class, class on March 9, 2020.

So as it's Sunday night, and time to stop working, I am
going to reprint a blog (slightly edited) from that magical time,
when we had no idea what was going to hit us. 

"Through every season, flowers are a necessity for me.
I paint them, I revel in their presence, I need them,
-- they are an essential part of my life.  It's great
in summer when we can just go outside and pick them,
but in winter they are such a supreme delight.

For reasons I can't explain I am very tired tonight (true
tonight too in 2023) on this 
the 26th day of The Month of Love.
It has been a 
brilliant snow melting day (after almost no snow
this month) 
that makes me think of sleep, and want to curl up
with a good 
book (got two).

I love this painting and am so glad it sold to an appreciative
collector a couple of years ago.  At that time I was trying to
paint one of the biggest paintings I've ever created. Then I broke
my wrist tripping on my cat, one night when I got home
from class.  My husband was away. Not good.

But you know what got me through the night until I
went to the emergency ward?  The gorgeous flowers in
our house. Today I'm appreciating how nice it is to be
healthy, whole and happy.  And to have flowers -- an
Amaryllis coming out -- tulips, and Hydrangeas.  Now it's TV time.

Have a loving your life day."

Saturday, February 25, 2023

Animal crazies


Sally the dog
Acrylic on canvas
5 x 7 inches 
Barbara Muir © 2014

If you don't live with animals I'm sorry.  They do make great
family to share your space with.  Tonight the one year old kitten
Monet, is racing around looking for action, her tail fluffed out the
size of a racoon's tail, and she's also attacking the 15 year
old cat Fiona, who would like nothing more than to toss her tiny 
orange mouse into the air, stand on her hind legs and leap
to catch it.  Inspiring.

The dog Sally, is the image I'm sharing tonight, because I've been
painting a lot today, and none of it is ready for show. Sally has a
large tumour at the top of her right front leg.  Next week she
will have surgery to have it removed.  So our fingers are crossed
that it will be okay. She occasionally monitors the cats, interrupts
the arguments, and plays with the kitten. All good.

Since COVID began Fiona the older cat, and Sally, and then
Monet the kitten, have kept us company, and entertained us.
Tonight they'd really like a dance party, but instead it's going to
be a movie.

If you want to check out amazing animal portraits visit Chloé Bren's
website.

Have a loving your life day.

Friday, February 24, 2023

Friday night and our Monthaversary in the Month of Love



Heart in the sand
B.M. (Barbara Muir)
Loves
S.v.S. (Steven van Schaik)
Photo
Barbara  Muir © 2022
(The sand is the red sand on the
 beach we love in Nova Scotia
on the Northumberland Strait.)

Today is the monthaversary of our wedding day, and we had
a very special dinner out at Ikea.  I know that sounds anything
but romantic.  But the food was delicious, and even though it was
quite busy tonight, we could get far away from other people, and
only took our masks off to eat. Now we are home and will watch
TV together, cuddled on the couch with the cats, and the dog at
our feet. We are lucky. 

As there is still COVID on the street, and family members (not
in our house) have a bad flu, we are still very careful.

This love heart in the sand is from last summer, but the sentiment
still holds true.

Happy last weekend of the Month of Love.

Thursday, February 23, 2023

A toast to Susan


Untitled (work in progress)
Acrylic on canvas
12 x 12 inches
Barbara Muir © 2023

The painting tonight is a work in progress, something
I was working on when I read the news that a dear friend
Susan died early this morning, after a year long 
hospital stay, battling various severe health issues.

Her sweet husband sent out a note to all of her friends
and family telling us how she was doing, and a while 
ago it seemed like she might be recovering. But no.

Sending love out to everyone dealing with the loss
of family or friends.

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

Slipping into abstract

Flames of love
(work in progress)
Acrylic on canvas
12 x 12 inches
Barbara Muir © 2023

Today my brain turned on, and I could have worked on 10
different paintings.  I did work on a few.  I just finished
reading the book Keep Going by Austin Kleon, and was inspired.
What a great book on creativity!

So I painted this abstract painting -- which may or may not
be a work in progress.  It was so much fun to make.

Have a loving your life day.

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Painting with my art group

Art group sketch
Acrylic on canvas
16 x 20 inches
Barbara Muir © 2023

 Such a pleasure tonight to join my art group.  Here's
the work I created in about 30 minutes.  When I arrived
the group was on break. I have a total of an hour before
my husband picks me up, so between set up, and two
breaks this is what I made.

Being around those wonderful artists is always exciting,
and gets me thinking in a creative way.

Have a loving your life day.

Monday, February 20, 2023

Happy Family Day

Tea on the couch
Acrylic on birch panel
6 x 8 inches
Barbara Muir © 2014

Happy Family Day.  I hope you had a good one.  This is a holiday in
some provinces -- invented by the governments to give people a long
weekend in February during the long Canadian winter season.  We did
not see family today because of illness, and work obligations.  Instead
we went to our favourite park and fed the ducks, geese and swans, and
had a long, glorious walk looking at the lake -- an incredible colour of
blue, dazzling in the sunlight.

After most of December and January being overcast -- the sun feels
like a miracle. This painting features a girl in a family I painted in a 
series called the Times Tables back in 2013/14. Two of the paintings
from this series will be in the Woman exhibition at the Heliconian
Club opening on March 4 in Toronto.  More about that closer
to the date. I'd love to see you there.

Have a loving your family day.

Sunday, February 19, 2023

A good post from last year -- Love and Sleep


 

Studio cherries
Acrylic on cradled birch panel
5 x 7 inches
Barbara Muir © 

Super tired tonight. Steven and I went for two very beautiful,
long walks today, and are going to settle down to watch a funny
movie, so this seems a perfect blog for this holiday weekend. 

"Funny thing about love—it works better if you get enough sleep.
Hard challenge if you’re a parent of young children, or babies who wake
up during the night, or wake up early, when you’ve gone to bed late
for work.

I am in recent years definitely a night owl. This started when I began teaching
 a once a week evening course. To stay awake I drank coffee. Yes it works,
but to shut off my excited brain is a challenge.  I notice that if my 
sweetheart and I are well rested, we have a wonderful time together.
And if not -- we don't stop loving each other -- but arguments happen
that wouldn't if we got enough sleep.

One pretty simple answer I've discovered is that drinking pure, tart,
unsweetened cherry juice before bed helps me go to sleep.  Who gave
me that recommendation? I don't know, but thank you.  And if I also
eat cherries -- fresh in season, or frozen when we can't buy them here
in Toronto -- the effect is doubled and I sleep like a baby.  

My point is that if both of us sleep well we have a great time. And
I may have known that unconsciously forever, but now I know it for
a fact. 

So my image tonight for the Month of Love is of a bowl of
cherries."

Wishing you a joyous day in the Month of Love. Sleep well.

Saturday, February 18, 2023

15 years of blogging -- 15 Gratitudes


Before the Dance
Acrylic on canvas
4'x6' 
Barbara Muir © 2008
(One of the many things I've learned
 in 15 years of blogging is how
to take better photos. But this
 is the original painting I put on
 my first blog.)

I started this blog 15 years ago today -- which seems completely
unreal.  It actually feels like yesterday.  My friend Flora Doehler
was blogging, and tried to get me into it, but I resisted. Thank 
goodness I did begin it on this day -- the blog has been huge in
my life!

Today's blog gratitude list

1.  Thank you Flora for suggesting that I start a blog. You were so right.

2. Thank you to my son Christopher for getting the blog
going, before he and his girlfriend (now wife) Megan went
to teach for a year in Korea.

3. Thank you to all of my blog friends, many of you remain
blog friends after all these years, and we meet on other social
media.  Plus I have met some of you in person, and it has
always been wonderful. And some of you I talk to
on the phone once a week if at all possible.

4. Thank you to Howard Wolinsky who saw my blog in
2008 and interviewed me on YouTube about blogging.  His
interview got me on the Oprah Winfrey show.

5. Thank you to Alyson Stanfield, the Art Biz coach, who
calmed me down before I went on the Oprah Winfrey show
with excellent advice.

6. Thank you to Oprah Winfrey for letting me draw her
via Skype in 2009 live on her show, and changed my art life.

7. Thank you to the art collectors and galleries who have 
supported me along the way. Amazing.

8. Thank you to all of the artists out there blogging, using Instagram,
YouTube, TikTok and Facebook, for your exceptional art, excellent
ideas, and inspiration that has kept me going in the art world.

9. Thank you to the wonderful event organizers who have
found me through the blog and invited me to show in Florence,
Italy, Paris, France, New York City, Niagara Falls and
my home city of Toronto, Canada. You have made my art
life miraculous.

10. Thank you Alyson Stanfield for your wonderful book--
I'd Rather Be In The Studio for the book's excellent advice.

11. Thank you to the Don Valley Art Club in Toronto for
its weekly drawing group sessions, where I've loved 
painting and drawing with fellow artists on Tuesdays and getting 
material for my  blog. 

12.  Thank you to the Heliconian Club in Toronto for its
wonderful exhibition space, and for having me as a member.
My work will be in the second show this year -- Woman --
in March.

13. Thank you to the beautiful young women who posed
for the painting in my first blog, which you can see tonight.

14. Thank you to my early art teachers at OCAD who got me
working in a way that could make the art I wanted to create, and
to every in person, and online art teacher I've had since. You make
a huge difference.

15. And first not last thank you to my family -- My husband, immediate
family, and a wide group of people here in Toronto, across Canada,
and in the United States.


Friday, February 17, 2023

Art and Coincidence

Let's get this party started!
First in the Times Tables series
Acrylic on canvas
30 x 30 inches
Barbara Muir © 2013

I've been preparing work for the Woman show at The Heliconian in Toronto
 -- opening on March 4.  The deadline for submission was this Wednesday. 
One of the paintings I was working on wasn't complete, and an organizer
helped me by suggesting I put in work that I haven't shown there before.

I picked two paintings from the Times Tables series I painted 10 years ago,
updated this year, and another painting from 2017, all updated. The painting
I'm showing you is from the Times Tables series, and isn't in the show, because
the family bought the painting.  However, guess what? Alyson Stanfield republished
a blog I did just after I created the paintings, in January 2014, on February 7, 2023.

So these paintings are back in action in the blog world.  I'll tell you more
about the Heliconian Woman exhibition opening this week, and here's
the link to Alyson's blog, and to my piece on her blog.

Have a loving your life day.

Thursday, February 16, 2023

The story of art

 


A Magic Day in the Neighbourhood
Acrylic on canvas
24 x 24
Barbara Muir © 2016
SOLD ♥ 

Tonight I looked up a post from 2016, and loved the description
of what it's like to be an artist, so I'll share it with you. When I was
painting this, I had no idea that a happy scene from my street
would sell in New York City.  But it did. 

"I wrote this post without this first thought attached,
read it and thought what?  For Valentine's Day
I bought my husband a cushion that says,
"Today I will make magic happen."  I got it
to let him know how special he is to me, and
to remind me of how magical it feels to live
with someone you love, and to get to experience
what Elizabeth Gilbert calls "Big Magic" --
the creative experience.  For me that's making art.

Occasionally people who don't make art want
to harness the process.  How does it work?
I would not like to be tracked all day as I paint,
then have a tea, read, then paint again, then sit
wondering about what I'm doing.  A non-painter
might go mad watching me.

But one of the questions artists get frequently is
"so how long does it take you to do a
painting?"  I don't know how this question
applies to our bizarre craft exactly, but one of
my artist friends answers, "50 years -- that's how
long I've been alive and working on becoming the
artist you see now."  That answer makes me laugh,
but in practical time-spent-on-the-work terms,
each painting is different.

Artists have to decide how much to charge for
their work based on something -- my rate sheet
is based essentially on size. But some work takes
what feels like a long, long time to look
like you just got excited and made it in an afternoon,
and other work happens joyfully quickly and looks
like it was painstakingly produced.  See? Hard to
answer.  So here's what I'm working on now --
a work in progress. Not quite done.  But it will be.

And the reason you haven't seen any work here
for awhile?  This painting falls into the first category.  It's
a painting of the schoolyard in my neighbourhood,
just across the street and up the hill.   As tempted
as I am to paint the bridge leading to the Grand
Palais in Paris -- which I dream of every night
since my last visit to that beautiful city in October --
for my upcoming landscape show I'm taking the best
advice to artists of every type, and starting with what I know,
and going from there.

Have a loving-your-own-neighbourhood day!"

Wednesday, February 15, 2023

Valentine's Day continues


Flowers at twilight
Photo
Barbara Muir © 2023

Not much to say tonight.  We are very tired because of
working long hours yesterday.  Here's a photo I took today
of our Valentine's Day tulips and irises at twilight. 

When the work day was over we took a delightful long walk
today -- so I'm tired -- and happy.

This is the ideal day for a cheerful photograph -- our kitchen
with the Valentine's day flowers. 

Have a loving your life day.

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Happy Valentine's Day

I hope you are having a wonderful day with people you love.
Commercially Valentine's Day is mostly about couples.  I
understand that, and I know I'm lucky to have had dinner tonight
with the one I love, who unfortunately has to work all night.

But love is also about friendship, and love can be in all of 
our relationships. It's about kindness and giving, and sharing --
laughing together.  I feel blessed to have been around friends
all day who make me laugh, and who I love spending time with.

Wishing you a fantastic day! 

Monday, February 13, 2023

Our Happy Valentine’s Celebrations continue


Me and my sweetheart Steven, with some 
Valentine's Day bluebirds
(These photos were taken at
the Louvre by a friend who
lives in Paris.)

On Sunday (yesterday)  Steven and I got our wish. We went to visit
good friends out of town who love us and our dog, Sally. We haven’t
seen them in months. They rapid tested no problem. So we could hug
and be together. 

My friend made delicious small pizzas and we ate and talked, drank
excellent coffee, and drove home to get ready for the new week.

Today I had a lovely walk in the sun with a friend, then went to my
printer to pick up more Valentine's cards, tomorrow I will drop off
as many as I get done, but I am also working on a painting for a show.

It's been a very Happy pre Valentine’s Day celebration. Wishing you
a wonderful time with the people you love.

Have a loving your life day. 

Sunday, February 12, 2023

Reading with Heart
Acrylic on canvas
8 x 8 inches
Barbara Muir © 2010

I found a post I like on my blog that is about creating a Valentine's
Day painting to donate to the Heartbeats of Africa show in 2009. So
I'm sharing it with you.

"Sitting on a shelf in my kitchen I have the original painting of this subject.

I am so busy most of the time, that I just glance at it.  What I didn't remember 
until tonight when I picked it up to check the date, was that I painted
2 versions of this painting.  The first (the one I still own) Reading
in the kitchen,
 I painted in 2009 of my wonderful model, Shakoya. 
She is dressed in a formal, supposedly getting ready to go out to a
dance, and reading a magazine.  I asked myself tonight, "where's the heart ?"
-- because there isn't one.  Plus the flowers and the chair, and even the cup
are different.

The version I'm showing you tonight Reading with Heart is the second one,
created to be donated to a fund raising event, the Heartbeats of Africa show in
2010, an auction held for the Stephen Lewis Foundation to help buy antiretroviral
drugs for people suffering from AIDS in Africa.

I'd forgotten about this.  After I saw Stephen Lewis speak about this work
on AIDS in Africa at the University of Toronto, years ago, I knew
his work was important." 

Happy Valentine's Day weekend. 

Have a loving each other day.

Saturday, February 11, 2023

Happiest Valentine’s Day weekend

Robin's Message of Love
8 x 8 inches
Acrylic on canvas
Barbara Muir © 2017
(a very cold day, and the robin 
shouldn't be here, but he
 and his family felt it was a
 vital message -- love one another.)

We have had a wonderful day -- ate our favourite take out 
wraps for lunch, then went to the park we love to feed the ducks,
geese, and swans who were very hungry.  I love the fact that
a swan out of water is almost as tall as I am, and yet both
the male and female know that I'm doing my best to feed them,
so they do bite my glove holding the food, but not hard. 

Then we took a walk along the lake -- extremely cold with a 
fierce wind, but beautiful. Now Steven is making dinner, and
then we're going to watch a movie.

I worked on a painting for one show today.  There is a long
way to go, but I hope I get it finished in time to submit it.

Wishing you a very happy weekend.

Have a loving your life day.

Friday, February 10, 2023

In the meantime draw yourself

Self portrait sketch
marker on Fabriano paper
7 x 10 inches
Barbara Muir © 2023

There are so many art possibilities that I'm excited about right now.
Contests, art shows, ideas swimming, and popping in my head.  That's
just on three cups of coffee.  

Right now everything is a work in progress, so what can I show you?
I did this self portrait yesterday.  It does not really look like me, but
that's art right? It was fun to do, and made me happy.  In my book
that counts. 

Have a loving your life day. 

Thursday, February 9, 2023

Be a Lovebird

The Lovebird 
Acrylic on canvas
8 x 8 inches
Barbara Muir © 2018

Crazy as it may seem on a rainy day, I do love the Month of
Love. Steven reached this painting down from a high shelf,
because its time has come.

On a somewhat hard day, the lovebird I live with, who does
love birds so much (sorry if I'm overdoing it), made my day.
I photographed the painting, and it will be my Valentine card
thanks to our wonderful printer.

We drove to Ikea in the rain singing in the dark car, hurried to
beat the 8 p.m. dinner cut off, and had dinner out at its simplest,
far away from other humans.  Not that there were many there in
this weather.  Otherwise we were masked.

Some little children, equally thrilled at getting out for dinner
played tag, running around laughing and shrieking, and I 
understood their happiness.  They were a long way away, but
the fun extended throughout the restaurant.

Have a loving your life day

Wednesday, February 8, 2023

At The Heliconian Life Drawing Show


Me with my paintings at the Heliconian 
Life Drawing exhibition
Light on form
Acrylic on canvas
20 x 30 inches
Barbara Muir © 2023
above,
and
Figure with shawl
Acrylic on canvas
20 X 30 inches
Barbara Muir © 2023
on the right

I missed the opening of the Life Drawing exhibition at the Heliconian
Club in Toronto on February 4, because I was in Ottawa.  That trip
had been planned for some time.  But this afternoon I spent time at the
exhibition with Steven and some of my fellow artists from the Heliconian. 
I had some wonderful conversations with guests to the show, and it was
a lot of fun. 

It is a beautiful show, and I'm delighted that I have two pieces in the
exhibition.  If you get a chance, please call the Heliconian, make an
appointment, and go and see it. To everyone who came out today, thank you.

Susan Power with her beautiful
life drawing paintings
won the People's Choice
Most Popular Artist in the
exhibition. 

A strange little photo my husband Steven 
took of me with my painting at the
exhibition.

Have a loving your life day.

Tuesday, February 7, 2023

Drawing with a marker

The artist thinking
Sketch
Marker on Fabriano paper
5.5 x 8. inches
Barbara Muir © 2023


Who knows what makes us artists want to do what we
want to do?  Last week I wanted to try drawing with a 
thicker marker.  I needed to use one to sign a painting, 
then felt like drawing with it. So here's the sketch.

I spent today trying to organize my studio, and working
on a couple of pieces. 

I hope it was a good day for you.  I find I come back from
being away, and have to get my bearings in my old life 
back.  Even four days away makes me feel like a different
person. After a day of shuffling through my notes, and
supplies, I am home, and happy to be back.

Have a loving your life day.

Monday, February 6, 2023

Weekend away



Farmland near Kingston
Watercolour and marker on
watercolour paper
8 x 10 inches
Barbara Muir © 2011

We just got home from 4 days in Ottawa. Today we saw one of
our favourite people in the hotel, who had just returned from a 
month in the Côte d'Ivoire at 32 degrees Celsius, to come home
to -40 degrees Celsius in Ottawa. She could not understand why
we would come here in this weather.  But I needed reference for
painting, and this was our Valentine's Day trip, so we stayed at
our favourite hotel.

We have family across the river in Chelsea, and had a wonderful
time visiting. It was so delightful to get away, and miraculously 
on the trip up from Toronto there was almost no traffic on the
road.  

There was a bit of an issue yesterday with the power going off
for hours in our hotel.  But how kind people are.  Tom in our
favourite take out restaurant told us that the restaurant was open
until 2 p.m., and to come back and stay warm if the power was
still off when we returned to the hotel.  Miraculously it was
back on.

Thank you Ottawa for  beautiful snow images, and a wonderful
weekend. 

Have a loving your life day.

Sunday, February 5, 2023

Power outage

Sketch of an artist
marker on Frabriano paper
7 x 10 inches
Barbara Muir © 2023

I thought it would be dicey getting the blog together tonight, because
the power was out where we are, when I wrote it.  It had been off
for hours. Steven and I affirmed that it would come on when we came
back with our take out dinner, and Woo Hoo! It did.  It was a beautiful day,
and we had planned to figure out a way to stay warm. Luckily, it’s only
6 below Celsius, so we thought all might be well. (And it is!)

I was planning to try and get a snow scene on for you tonight, because
at the moment snow is a huge, and really beautiful feature in the landscape
where we find ourselves.  But as the power is back on, which feels like
a miracle, I'll show you a sketch I did today. 

Have a loving your life day.

Saturday, February 4, 2023

Enjoying life at 40 below

 

Served to perfection
Acrylic on canvas
10 x 10 inches
Barbara Muir ©

The secret to a happy life, when you want to have a great
day -- is to notice what is good in your life.  My breakfast
this morning -- which was delicious, looked a lot like this.  And
that was the start of a wonderful day. We rested, read, 
talked to friends on the phone, and then hightailed it out
to see relatives -- all rapid tested -- with the weather
somewhere between 30 and 40 below Celsius. 

And it was a super day.  So much fun. We are starting the
month of love, happily enjoying this weekend. I worked
on a couple of drawings, and thought about what I will paint
next week, when we're both back at work full force.

Have a loving your life day.

Friday, February 3, 2023

Thinking about the Month of Love


True love means 
springtime in any weather
Acrylic on canvas
8 x 8 inches
© Barbara Muir 

Steven, my husband and I are big fans of February, the Month
of Love. One way to take the chill off this, at the moment, very cold 
month (-40 Celsius where we are with the wind chill) is to 
recognize, and be thankful for all of the love in our lives
from our family and friends.  And I think we are very lucky.

This Valentine painting shows a little bird, and that makes it
right as a Valentine for Steven because he loves birds so much.
At the moment our Christmas tree is wired to the fence and full
of bird seed, and the birds love it.  We do have to clap when we
let the dog out so she won't catch any non suspecting bird.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend.

Have a loving your life day.

Thursday, February 2, 2023

Thinking about abundance and a work in progress

Untitled (Work in progress)
Acrylic on canvas
12 x 12 inches
Barbara Muir © 2023

In recent years when Clementines with leaves appear in the
grocery store, I can't resist buying some to draw or paint.
The fruit reminds me so strongly of our first delightful
trip to Florence, when I took part in the Florence Biennale
in 2009.  It was the first time I ever saw Clementines with
their leaves in tact, and they are beautiful.

A couple of years later the same fruit started showing up
in our local grocery stores, and I so enjoyed, buying them,
bringing them home, and putting them in a pretty bowl
to paint them.  I have quite a few Clementine paintings, and
today I worked on a new one. It's a work in progress, and
I'm very happy with how it looks so far.

Have a loving your life day.

Wednesday, February 1, 2023

My second work in the Heliconian show


Figure with shawl
Acrylic on canvas
20 X 30 inches
Barbara Muir © 2023

I enjoyed working on this piece to get it ready for the
Heliconian Life Drawing show, and I am very happy
with the results. 

It was exciting to see the show coming together as artists
brought in their work. There were 23 artists in the show,
when I talked to one of the organizers a couple of days ago. 
So if you're in the Yorkville area in Toronto, drop in this
Saturday and take a look. The exhibition opens on Saturday, 
February 4 at at 2 p.m. 

I will be there on February 8 between 4:30 and 7:30. 
The Life
Drawing show runs from January 30 to March 1, 
and you can
make appointments to see the work if you want to.
 The Heliconian
is at 35 Hazelton Ave. in Toronto.

Have a loving what you do day.