Happy Birthday to my Sister Lina

Lina's back door
black marker and graphite on bond paper
8 x 10 inches
Barbara Muir © 
(I did this little sketch very quickly in my
brother and sister-in-law's kitchen. What
intrigued me was the chord from the
blinds hanging over a coat by the door.
I was attempting to capture the strong darks and
lights created by the trees and outbuildings set
against the snow.Then there was a
lovely grouping of flowers and big plants
in planters set against the window. It
is absolutely beautiful there.)

Thinking of my sister-in-law Lina today.  We call each other sisters
because it feels that way when we get together, and can talk and
laugh about anything.

Lina is a talented photographer, major lover of nature and kind
and delightful wife to my brother.  I found this cool drawing 

looking for her name.  I haven't done a published drawing of her 

-- yet!

Happy Birthday Lina!

 

Working on paintings for the Off The Wall show

Untitled (Work in Progress)

Acrylic on canvas
12 x 12 inches

Barbara Muir © 2025

I had a great day today working on this painting for the Off The Wall show at
The Heliconian Hall in December.  It is definitely a work in progress, and I'm

happy with it so far.

I hope you had a great day! Back to work.

Have a loving your life day!

A Happy Day -- and grateful for my website

 

Some images -- not all on the website.
A year ago I said that I needed help

with the website, and miraculously 
that help arrived this year.

We are still working on it when we
have time.  This group of photos
are just images that make me
happy.  Some are of my work,

and some of images I love
like my cat sleeping, swans
at our favourite park, and
Morning Glories, which
hardly bloomed this year.

 I wanted to put a celebratory piece up

 for you tonight.

Getting my website was an incredibly
exciting development for me. 
And despite the first and
continuing snowfall, it's been

a lovely weekend.

Getting a website was just wonderful for me.  If people want to see what
I do, I open the website on my phone or iPad, or computer.  It still needs
adjusting, and constantly needs new information, but it works.

Here's what I said about it in a former post:

"I first went public with my website on November 3, 2021, and
it is a wonderful thing.

People who want to see my work, don't necessarily want to read 
my blog, and some people don't want to look at Instagram.  So
there it is. https://www.barbaramuir.com -- wonderfully organized,
and a clear way for people to see what I do.

I am over the top grateful to my son Christopher for organizing it,
designing it, and just helping me all the time with my questions
about how to handle my sites.

Thank you to everyone who helped me with the website, and to everyone
who has visited it to check out my work, buy my work, and promote me
as an artist."

I am also extremely grateful for my help this year by a wonderful 
woman who has helped me update the website.  Thank you Maya!

Have a loving your life day!

Steven's Happy Birthday weekend

 

You can't keep a good man down

Acrylic ink and acrylic on canvas

36 x 48 inches

Barbara Muir © 2020

The Happy Birthday weekend goes on -- delightful family videos

singing Happy Birthday to this guy, phone calls, and people at

one of our favourite take out places, saying Happy Birthday and

offering treats to Steven.

A very Happy day, and I hope it was for you too. Steven, my husband

is a sweetheart, so kind, funny, and loving.  I'm glad it was a super
day for him.

Have a loving your life day!

The birthdays continue: Happy Birthday to Sam and Steven

 

After the Dance

Sam sketch

Acrylic on canvas

30" x 30"

Barbara Muir © 

Today is my son Sam's birthday.  And we discovered when
Steven's mother was living in Ottawa, that it's Steven's birthday
too. Some mix up when Steven was born recorded the wrong date.
And he found out that the date on his birth certificate was 
correct. He was having trouble with any document that needed
his correct birthday. 

Our solution for awhile?  As Sam's birthday was November 7, and 
Steven had celebrated on November 8 for his whole life,
we kept that tradition.  But today with Sam living in another city,
we called and sent a gift, to Sam, and celebrated Steven's birthday
all day because he had the day off.

Me and Steven

Photo

Steven van Schaik © 2021

So Happy Birthday to Sam, a wonderful young man.
We love him, and are so proud of him. And Happy Birthday to
Steven, my sweet husband.  

Happy Birthday Sam and Steven!

For me today is about my mother

 

The lake at sunset
Photo
Barbara Muir © 2022

Today is my mother's birthday.  She died just before her
birthday in 2013 leaving a big hole in all of our lives.
My mother, Isabel, was a wonderful person -- brave, 
kind, brilliant and generous.

She was dedicated to living a healthy life, and encouraging
her children to do the same.

Isabel Muir
by Christopher Muir

Christopher Muir © 

My mother died 12 years ago.  It was Thanksgiving Day. We were
in Ottawa where she lived, and were in the hospital with her the night before
she died.  

Here's what I wrote about her in a former tribute:

"A couple of weeks before she died, I sat with my mother, who
was totally blind, helping her fill out cheques to organizations she
believed in that protected the environment -- wolves, whales, parkland.
Those weren't her only passions -- she gave to women's shelters, money
for hurricane and famine victims.  Small amounts to be sure -- but this mattered.

The beautiful portrait photo I'm showing you is by my son, Christopher.
I love it because it shows her strength, her beauty, and the nature
she protected with letters, her voice on call-in radio on CBC, in protest
marches even when she had a serious chronic lung condition, and
with donations.

She was a good, kind and supportive mother. What
shone through with her was her love for her family, her intellect,
(she had a Masters in Bacteriology), and her concern about the future of
the planet."

We miss you Mommy.  

Back with my art group

Gabriel -- DVAC Art Group Sketch
Acrylic on canvas
16 x 20 inches
Barbara Muir © 2025

So much fun last night painting again with my art group.  The model
Gabriel was fantastic.  I haven't captured him perfectly, but this is
a 35 minute sketch.  It was such a pleasure painting it. I may work more
on it if I have time.  I took some photos.

Gabriel seemed to like the results.  He asked to see it before I left.  I only
stay for an hour, which I've said before I know. Such a pleasure
to get something done in that time.  

Have a loving your life day!

Number 3 of mine in the Avant Garde show

 

Crows know
Acrylic on canvas

30 x 20 inches
Barbara Muir © 2025

My work for the Echoes of the Avant Garde show is about choosing
peace and hope.  To choose to be positive with the world in chaos is

a rebellion of sorts right now.  The people wreaking havoc on the
planet through wars, and pollution want us to be depressed, so we will

be numb, and not take action to work for positive change.  

In the work for this exhibition I focused on ideas about saving the planet.

The crow is one of the most intelligent birds. A Dutch startup was working
on training crows to pick up cigarette butts. 4.3 trillion butts are thrown
away every year.  The crows would bring the cigarette butts to a smart 

container which would dispense a treat when the crow dropped the butt
in the container. I love this idea.

Clearly the young woman in the painting loves crows, and so do I.

They are brilliant.  And what they know is that we've got to pay
attention to the environment.  Stop the wars, clean up our act.

The next opening of the show is on November 12 from 4:30 - 7 p.m.
at the Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave., Toronto. Free to the public
with cookies and goodies.

Have a loving your life day!

Today is a special day

Sally the dog when we got her 12 years ago.

Her name then was Sweet Nelly, but
as we were her fourth owners in one year,
we changed her name to Shelley.  That didn't
work as a call name, so she became Sally.

Sally the dog

Acrylic on canvas

5 x 7 inches 

Barbara Muir © 

We got Sally on her birthday 12 years ago. So today I took her on a long, 
beautiful walk to celebrate.  She got an extra cookie, and we all sang 
Happy Birthday together when we got home.  She is very happy --

almost completely blind, and deaf, but healthy, and still a wonderful dog.

Have a loving your life day! 

More celebrations and another of my pieces in the Heliconian Avant Garde show

 

Lemme tell you something
Acrylic on canvas
36 x 24 inches
Barbara Muir © 2025

This is another one of my three paintings in the Helliconian Hall Avant Garde
show at 35 Hazelton Avenue in Toronto.  

The painting was inspired by a dream I had when I was thinking about the
Avant Garde.  I wanted to be as positive as possible, but had decided that
my theme would be about the environment.  In the dream a woman is
standing wearing a dress made of ocean waves. And for some reason
lemons were flying around her head with a ribbon floating around the
lemons.

How this relates to saving the planet and the environment might be
-- save our planet, save our crops.  

Somewhat corny I know.  But also vitally important.  These insane

wars have to stop.

The celebrations? Family birthdays.  A real treat.

Have a loving your life day!                                                                                     

The Avant Garde show opening

 

Love the planet
Mixed Media
Acrylic on canvas
plus photo collage

48 x 36 inches
Barbara Muir © 2025

The Avant Garde show at the Heliconian Hall -- 35 Hazelton
Avenue in Toronto opened today. It is a beautiful show and it
was a delightful opening.  

I was so busy talking to people, and inviting them into the show,
that I didn't get time to take photos of the work, and almost forgot

to photograph mine. So here goes.  This is one of my three pieces

in the exhibition, which runs for the month of November.

The painting is a combination of a scene from a beautiful
day in one of our favourite parks, and a photo of some 
young women I met outside the Art Gallery of Ontario
recently.  They wanted to be in the painting, and in the
ironic symbolism is the fact that the phone we use to photograph
beauty is part of what's destroying it. 

The women were actually making peace symbols. But
they agreed to be in this work, and that's the message -- we
need to wake up.  Thank you to my gracious models.

Have a loving your life day!

A very Happy Halloween

A very Happy Halloween
Our front porch.

So much fun this year

Steven and I dressed up as "Nice agents" inspired by a skit on the
Canadian comedy show This Hour Has 22 Minutes.  The Canadian
agent was the opposite of  ICE -- super nice and kind to American
tourists. I can't get a link, but if you write the show name -- This Hour Has
22 Minutes and nice, you can watch it. Maybe this will work.

It was a great night on Cherrywood handing out candy to so many kids
in fabulous costumes. Most have gone home now to watch the Blue Jays 

baseball game.  Blue Jays fever in Toronto is at an all time high.

Happy Halloween! Thank you to everyone who made it a super
fun night for us!

Have a loving your life day!

The art of the day

Pumpkin prep in process for the big night!

Wishing you a wonderful Halloween

if you celebrate!

Photo

Barbara Muir © 2025

Almost no sleep last night, and a first for me -- dropped off my
new work (3 pieces) for the Avant Garde show at the Heliconian Hall 
opening at just after 9 this morning, and there was only one other artist
there. I was one of the early people! How lovely. The show opens this
Saturday at 2 p.m. at 35 Hazelton Avenue. It is sure to be fascinating.
And there will be treats.  If you're in town, drop in.

Now the prep for the next art event -- Halloween begins.  We 
don't do big inflatable sculptures. Love them.  We carve pumpkins,
rely on the Pumpkin princess (hand made at home), and hand out
candy. The best. Our street should be quite festive if the rain stops. Fingers
crossed.

Have a loving your life day!

Happy Halloween week

 

Nasturtiums in a cream jug
Acrylic ink and marker
5 1/2 x 8 1/2
Barbara Muir © 2022 

Crazy busy tonight.  Drop off first thing in the morning

for the Avant Garde show opening at the Heliconian Hall

Saturday afternoon. 

So off to bed.

Have a loving your life day!

Does size matter?

 

Nectarines on a pressed glass cake plate

Acrylic on canvas

8 x 8 inches

Barbara Muir © 

Don't get me wrong, I love large work, and love painting on
larger canvasses.  But I love painting with whatever size I
am using. I used to follow a wonderful artist named Robert Genn
who died in 2015.  Genn said that,"painters who sell small
works at a low price who want to have credibility in the 

art world need to paint large works."

The Pool

Tom Thomson (one of The Group of Seven)

37.95 x 32.17 inches

1915

(This is one of the large Group of  Seven
paintings)

But on Sunday I was at the Art Gallery of Ontario,
one of Canada's major public galleries,

and some of my favourite works in the gallery
are the work of The Group of Seven.  In Canada
these painters from the turn of the last century
are artistic icons. Painting plein air in the woods
of northern Ontario where they created most of their
wonderful landscape pieces -- they were painting on small
boards.  The reasons were practical, lighter if 
they were backpacking. and the perfect size for 
quick studies.

And their smaller works are just as
magnificent as their larger paintings in all respects
except for scale. They hang beside the large works,
and are now just as "important."

In my case, if I had not been doing small Skype
drawings I would not have attracted the attention
of Howard Wolinsky, and then The Oprah Winfrey
show etc.  I might not have been asked to show in
Florence, and a vast, exciting world of opportunities
would never have opened up to me.

I'm reminding myself of that because the December/
January show at the Heliconian Hall will be the
Off The Wall show -- of small works for quick sale.

Have a painting-in-whatever-size-suits-you day.

Works in process -- Paintin'

(Detail) Untitled

Acrylic on canvas
48 x 36 inches

Barbara Muir © 2025

Thank you for sticking with me in these weeks when I'm working on
things not ready to show you.  We bought the pumpkins and 
candy today, and talked to a very nice person helping with Tech
issues.  So I also painted --working on refining my work.

Here's a detal of a painting that may surprise you (and me) when
it's complete.  Hey. In good ways I hope.

If you haven't watched Paintin' with Pete videos -- give yourself
a treat.

Have a loving your life day 

National Pumpkin Day

Steven carving the pumpkin!
This will probably happen tomorrow.

Photo
Barbara Muir ©

Today is national pumpkin day and Halloween is almost here. This will
be the scene in a couple of days when we get ready for the big night --
Halloween. I draw the faces -- usually happy (I'm not a fan of the horror
part of Halloween), and Steven does the carving. We drove by many
stores selling pumpkins today, and planned to go and get our pumpkins 
and start the carving process, later in the day.

But it was also Sunday (tomorrow is a work day) -- the last Sunday in
October, and the light was magnificent so we decided to go down to the
lake, and go for a walk. That was a great idea. It was so beautiful seeing
the trees in the golden light, set against the beautiful blue of the lake with
swans enjoying the day.

We’ll buy the pumpkins tomorrow, and start the carving. Some
Halloween celebrations have begun already. We saw quite a few
children in costumes. And at 4 degrees Celsius (39 degrees Fahrenheit)
we saw a bride and groom getting photos taken against the lake.  Chilly.

Have a loving in your life day!

Happy International Artist Day

 

The opening ceremonies of the Florence Biennale

in 2015 -- dignitaries, flags, 

a procession through the exhibition

of people dressed in Renaissance costumes, 

playing drums. Lots of excitement!

That was my second time in the
Biennale.  So much fun!

Wonder water series

The work I showed in
the 2015 Florence Biennale
© Barbara Muir 2015

(The portraits sold --

the one of Emily on the left
in New York City, and the one of Etana
on the right here in Toronto.

The center image -- a large diptych --

is still available.)

I feel so lucky to be an International artist, and to have taken part in shows in
Florence, Italy, Paris, France, The Netherlands, New York City, and San Fernando
Valley, California. The excitement of International shows is not something you can
imagine unless you've participated.  So if you can, as I said yesterday,
do take part in a show with artists from all over the world, and enjoy the ceremony, the outstanding art, and meeting some of the nicest, kindest, funniest most brilliant people you'll ever meet.

A friend today was saying negative things about Instagram, but for me it's a
way of contacting people, and maintaining friendships with the superb artists
I've met in my travels with art exhibitions, and with superb artists I follow who I
haven't met yet, but can't wait to meet in person. So delightful and fun.

Happy International Artist Day!

Have a loving your life day!

Oh Europe -- you are calling

View from our apartment terrace when
we stayed in Florence the first time
I exhibited at the Florence Biennale.
There was a church right against
our building, and that's the Duomo
in the distance.
photo
Barbara Muir © 2009

If you're an artist and can possibly do it, I highly recommend exhibiting

in Europe.  I have been in shows in Italy (Florence), France (Paris)
and The Netherlands (Drimmelin).  And if you can visit the place

where you're exhibiting all the better.  In fact as important as it is,

the exhibition fades into the excitement of being where you are and

learning new things every minute.

I am eager to go back to Paris, would love to visit my friend in the
Netherlands, and Florence was spectacular.  Tonight after a good day
in the studio, these ideas are on my mind, and making me happy.
The most wonderful gifts you get from these delightful experiences
are amazing friendships that continue even when you live across 
oceans.

Have a loving your life day!

The pumpkin princess goes up

 

Our porch on a rainy, windy Halloween night.

The canvas pumpkin princess reigns supreme.

She is pinned at the bottom, and

stuffed with newspapers.  We 

recycle the paper.  She goes flat and
rolls up to be put away for next year

when the fun is over. 
Today we put her up. Thanks to
my wonderful helper for helping me

get 'er done.

(Right now she's obscured from view by
our huge rose bush, and two very 
large Mandevilla plants at the bottom

of the porch stairs.  This will

all change before Halloween.)

Big day when the pumpkin princess come out gets unrolled

and stuffed with newspapers that will be recycled. Kudos
to my very kind helper today.  That friend can help

with anything from fixing websites, to amping the Halloween

spirit. The best.

Still working away at my paintings.  Closer each day to having
something to show you.

Have a loving your life day!

Happy Birthday to a wonderful family member, and Happy Monthaversary to Steven

 

Look at this!

Skype portrait

Acrylic on canvas

24 x 24 inches

Barbara Muir © 

Happy Birthday to Megan, plus Happy Monthaversary to Steven.  It's 
the Monthaversary of our first date.

Still painting and don't have much time for the blog.  Apologies. 
I like this painting, done from a screenshot of a Skype
call to Korea. Those portraits have such immediacy. And they bring
back that time.

I hope you have lots to celebrate.

Have a loving your life day.

Portraits make me happy

Detail of a portrait of
my friend Josephine.
I've painted her many times,
and she's a superb model
Barbara Muir © 

Once again an insanely busy day.  I met with a dear friend for
coffee at her office in the late afternoon, and we had a wonderful
time.  Otherwise all day I've been painting (I know -- not exactly new

news I'm an artist.)  Everything is progressing, but still at the
temporary stage.  New photos of the work are coming soon.  

I like this portrait I found of my friend Josephine. Now back to
painting.

Have a loving your life day!

Pansies for a crazy busy day

 

Pansy bouquet
Acrylic ink and marker
on watercolour paper
5.5 x 8.5 inches
Barbara Muir © 2024

A day filled with art and with lots of family stuff.  So here are some pansies for your pleasure.  I love pansies so much. Cutting it short.

I just wanted to say hello and thank you.

More tomorrow.

Have a loving your life day!

Please stay flowers

 

Fall Garden Bounty

Inktober drawing

Marker on drawing paper

7 x 10 inches
Barbara Muir © 2022

It was a very windy day today -- plus it rained heavily.  That's
usually how nature solves the how to get the beautiful leaves off

the tree problem.  But we love our garden.  Sitting on the back
porch enjoying our neighbours' beautiful huge trees, and the 
flowers we've planted and the ones that come back, is a sweet

pleasure.

The slowest flower this summer were the Morning Glories, 

which are just now beginning to bloom.  So sitting in perfect

weather today out of the occasional bit of sun, I felt that
fall feeling, where you don't want it to end.  You don't (I

don't) want winter, although I know I love it once it's here. 

I've been painting a lot today, because Steven was working,
so I worked.  Yes painting is work.  A joyous job, but yes

it's work.

I love this drawing because it captures the beautiful white
anemones -- and pansies (a flower we haven't seen this year). 

Have a loving your life day!

Movie night, so I'm using a former post

See what I mean?

Acrylic on canvas

30 x 30 inches

Barbara Muir © 2019

SOLD ♥

 If I've shown you this painting recently forgive me.  The painting and this former

post are perfect for today.  I've been painting right up to movie night time and this
post perfectly describes today, so here we go:

"It’s Saturday night -- movie night at our house. So I generally look
 at my blog, find a painting I loved, and talk about that. Tonight I wanted to
 say, which painting would you choose to talk about in your work if you
could pick any painting you wanted? So I went on my website and looked
through my landscape paintings, and found this one that’s right for this time of year.

It was a spectacularly beautiful day today – Just warm enough to wear a sweater,
not hot and not cold. The light was brilliant, and trees are turning magnificent
colours of red, gold, orange, and brilliant yellow just stunning. We drove to the
market and home entranced -- feeling so lucky to live in this beautiful city.
That's a great feeling.

This painting sold in New York at the beginning of the pandemic. It was such a
treat that someone loved it as much as I did. Wishing you a great rest of the
weekend and a happy Saturday night."

Have a loving your life day.

One of my favourite Canadian art heroes

Tom Thomson

from a Wikipedia photo

sketch

marker on journal paper

5 x 8 inches

Barbara Muir © 2023

(Unfortunately some of the marks from the

previous journal page come through.)

Tom Thomson is right up there as one of my top Canadian art 
heroes. I love his work, and I love this Inktober style drawing even
with its flaws of having the journal post showing through the
drawing.  Here's what I said about him in a past post:

"When I visit the Art Gallery of Ontario, I always spend 
some time sitting in the room full of Tom Thomson's work. 
He was a fabulous landscape artist. Sadly he died at 39 years old by drowning. There is still all sorts of speculation about how he
-- a very accomplished canoeist -- drowned, and hints of murder,
or suicide, but nothing has ever been proven. He died in 1917."

His work is incredibly inspiring. And he created so much beauty
in his short life.

Happy weekend.  If you don't know Tom Thomson's work --
check it out.

Have a loving your life day. 

Journal writing helps

 

Journal Sketch 

Marker on journal paper

6 x 8 inches

Barbara Muir © 2025

When I'm making something new to me -- and I'm definitely doing that 
with my current work -- I sometimes get so tense.  So many, 'what
ifs?' come into my brain.  Yikes.  Combine that with even a 
few minutes of news, and I don't know what to do.

The answer is writing in a journal every morning. I'm trying to 
get back to two pages of writing, and then a sketch.  Here's

the sketch from yesterday -- a serious young woman.  And

today the ideas were coming through! Yay.

Have a loving your life day!

For the love of dogs

Journal sketch

marker on
Maison de Haute

 Couleurs Charvin paper

8 x 8 inches
Barbara Muir © 2020

When I made this sketch I wasn't happy with it.  But scrolling through 

my blog today I saw it, and thought this captures everything I've
always felt about dogs.  I love dogs -- their enthusiasm for life, and

love of whoever takes care of them.

I was raised with dogs and cats. I love both.  This sketch was based

on a photo by my father, who was an excellent photographer.  I got
a bit lost by the intense shadows. That happens.  Artists get
stumped by small things sometimes.  Right now I'm encouraging
myself not to go there.  "Yes you can!" is the corny message we
need to give ourselves.

Have a loving your life day!