Thoughts on Canada

Our rose bush acting as the red against the

white front of the house with red 

shutters celebrating Canada Day!

Photo

Barbara Muir ©

I''m thinking about Canada Day tomorrow.  Last night despite
endless worries about the current horrific news, people
down at a park by Lake Ontario were celebrating, eating together
in large groups, having romantic walks as couples.  It was
beautiful. So I found this scrolling through my blogs and
I like it. 

"My Canada is about my childhood memories
of going to a cottage every summer -- swimming
and canoeing in a fairly clean lake. It's about
growing up free to be able to say almost anything
that comes into my head (not necessarily with parents
or teachers). And about not being afraid to walk on the
streets, even at night most of the time, because Canadians
don't have the right to bear arms, so the chances of someone
having a gun are slim.

My Canada is about beautiful wilderness in close proximity
to cities filled with culture art, music and diversity.
My Canada recognizes that diverse cultures teach us 

so much in terms of different styles of thinking, eating,
and celebrating. We are growing up as a country
because the rest of the world is coming to join
the party. 

My Canada is the long, beautiful drive through
Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova
Scotia - four provinces to get to our schoolhouse.
My Canada is flying across the Rockies and landing
in Vancouver where I can see ocean and mountains
and hug the friend of my young life, or today -- my
sister. I love this country coast to coast. Call it corny.
I love travelling, I love other countries, but this is my
home. Now stand up and sing the newer version
of Oh Canada and the French version, and then
have a glass of champagne like we will at supper
and toast one of the great countries of the world,
then put the patriotism, or matriarchism to bed for
another year."

Have a loving your life day!

Canada Day weekend (Canada Day is July 1)

 

Canada Day Sidewalk art by the children next door
Photo
 The Barskeys © 2025

It's Canada Day weekend, Pride weekend, graduation weekend, so many things.  I've

never been happier to be Canadian.  Canada is not perfect, but it's a beautiful
country and it's pretty good. I'm not a nationalist, and we don't have a flag.
But our house is white with red shutters.  We have a huge rose bush in red across the
front garden in front of the porch.  The red and white theme is there. 

And today I was delighted to walk out and see this beautiful homage to summer and
Canada Day created by the children next door.  Beautiful.  And it was a treat to walk by
the lake this evening and hear so many different languages, and everyone wherever we

looked was having fun.

Have a loving your life day.

Movie night

Shadow pattern

Photo

Barbara Muir © 2024

Saturday night is movie night for me and Steven, so this will be really short.
Saturday is a task day, and we went to the market, and saw our wonderful
farmer and his great staff.  I stopped by a garage sale and bought a 
lovely briefcase, not realizing until I got home that the main zipper
was broken.

So we visited a leather repair shop we've never been to, and the briefcase
will be mended in a week.  Next stop the art shop to get a watercolour of
mine re-papered on the back of the frame. Check.

Then fabulous take out lunches and this was a tiny part of the view as 
we ate them facing beautiful Casa Loma.

Now a movie.

Have a loving your life day!

(Apologies for not proofing the title yesterday.  I was tired!)

If you're breathing you're achieving!

 

Water Image #2

Acrylic on canvas
30 x 30 inches
Barbara Muir © 2014

It's been a unique day -- cooler -- to our relief.  My husband is on holiday, so I wandered

in and out of my painting life, and mostly spent time with Steven.  I talked to some

artists, and I think you could call it promo when we went down to the shore for 
take out supper, made by great chefs while we sat at a picnic table enjoying views
of the lake, and of children celebrating the end of the school year.  I gave out some
business cards (promo), and we had fun.  This portrait is of Shaniece. I sold it to
a wonderful boss at Seneca College, who has died.  If you know where the painting is, 

please let me know.

Tonight a neighbour walking slowly along the street when we came home,
gave me this title.  It seems especially significant with so many wars, and cruel
actions taking place in the world.  "If you're breathing, you're achieving."

Have a loving your life day.

Coming home

Our house with the happy rose bush

Photo 

Barbara Muir © 2025

(Yes I know we have some weeding to do.)

😉

It was a rainy, windy day today and for the first time in my experience
in Toronto, people actually appreciated that it was cool! Of course that’s
because people had just experienced an incredible heat wave with temperatures
too high for human beings without air conditioning. It was 46 Celsius with 
the Humidex for a couple of days -- which is 114 Fahrenheit. A serious
fever is 105 Fahrenheit. 

When the rain stopped today and I went out our front door this is what I saw.
We are not gardeners, but our beautiful rose bush in our front garden is absolutely
breathtaking. And looking at the house with its red shutters and the beautiful
rose bush, I felt so happy to be home.

Thank you to everyone who makes our life here in Toronto so happy.

Have a loving your life day!

Our wedding anniversary happened in Ottawa!

 

Our view as we ate our lunch

in the car today. So pretty!

Photo

Barbara Muir © 2025

We had amazing time in Ottawa for our wedding anniversary. Ottawa was
experiencing a heat wave,  so we watched a lot of French TV as we ate
fabulous room service breakfasts.

And thank you to Lina and Andrew for entertaining us, feeding us a delicious
dinner, and making everything feel celebratory.

Thank you to my sweetheart -- Steven for this sweet getaway!

Have a loving your life day!

Happy Wedding Anniversary to me and Steven

Me and Steven

Photo

Steven van Schaik © 2021

I love this photo of me and Steven.  It's been a very wonderful anniversary day
spent with friends and relatives.  Beautiful drives, wonderful meals,
and a lot of fun.  And most of all the happy reality of being in love.

Wishing you a Happy Day! 

More celebration

 

 Me and Steven on a super happy

day in Paris.  

High on our list of where we want to go

 as soon as we can is Paris. Yes!

On  what we consider our anniversary week, today was a beautiful day spent
with family members, laughing and trying to solve the problems of the
world.  

We had a wonderful drive through the countryside, sat by the water eating our
lunch wraps and watching a man play catch in the water with his dog.  So 
sweet.

Then we enjoyed a fabulous dinner made by my sister-in-law -- a chef, and
lots more serious and humorous conversation.  

Have a loving your life day!

Happy Monthaversary Steven

The two of us in Quebec City

watercolour and marker on

watercolour paper

9 x 10 inches

Barbara Muir © 

It's been an extremely hot Monthaversary, and it's late. I want to watch our
favourite French from France TV cop show with Steven.  We took a lovely
drive today through gorgeous countryside, which prompted us to talk about
our first date, and our wedding, and all the very intense memories we have
of when we fell in love. Pretty special.

I like this painting for the affection in it, which is something we are very lucky
to enjoy. Wishing you a joyous day with whoever you're spending time with.
It's a hard world right now.  Find happiness where you can.

Have a loving your life day.

The Anniversary weekend--week

Me and Steven

Photo

Wallace Muir ©

This is a special weekend for me and my husband, Steven. Tomorrow --
June 22 -- is our Monthaversary of our first date. Each month we drink
a toast, to one another and say Happy Monthaversary. 

On Tuesday, it’s our Wedding Anniversary.  Predictions are that it will be
very hot, so if possible we'll spend lot of time near the water.
That is one of the most romantic things we can do.

Have a loving your life day.

More on Fiona

 

Fiona 

Acrylic on mounted birch panel

5 x 7 inches

Barbara Muir © 2014

Our friend the artist Ian Fancey in Nova Scotia helped us name Fiona.  We 
wanted a name that sounded a bit like a Siamese cat meow.  Fiona did the
trick.  She was such a beautiful, kind, intelligent cat.  Yes we are sad.

And a very rapid death of someone you love teaches you that you should

appreciate each moment.

Meanwhile the wars continue -- defining the cruelty and stupidity of our

world leaders, and the military -- killing children lining up for food. 
Fiona is just another reason to be sad.

Have a appreciating that you're alive day!

The main story — our beloved Fiona died

 

Fiona the cat, holding some long notes.

Her love of the piano was quite impressive.
Fiona loved music.  She was an amazing cat.

There isn’t much to say. Our 17 3/4 old cat Fiona, would not eat her breakfast
 this morning, lay down on the floor in front of the table where she normally ate,
 then lay down by the water bowl, then went down to the dog bed in the basement.
 About 1/2 an hour later she died.

Steven and I and her animal family — Sally the dog, and Monet the cat are all sad.
We know Fiona had a good life, but we missed her the second she stopped breathing. 

I wish I’d done more paintings of her.

I will put one on tomorrow.

Have a loving your housemates day!

Let's let June be the Month of Love -- and it starts with loving and accepting yourself!

For David Lobenberg

Self portrait
Acrylic on canvas
12 x 12 inches
Barbara Muir © 2009
(I did this portrait for David Lobenberg's

June Paint Off in 2009)

I was talking to a friend the other day who was feeling down about the
tragic news coming into his news feed every day, and we talked about
how to get back to happy.  This year I imagined a technique called

the Love list in my dreams one night. How does that work? Create a
simple list in your mind of 20 things you love about your current life.

I list things like my morning coffee made by my husband, the beautiful
flowers from my neighbours in the kitchen, a phone call with a friend
in The Netherlands, a note from a friend in France, the view out the window.

In the spirit of trying to be happy with one's life, I found this great
blog about self portraits, and loving yourself, and thought I'd share it
tonight. 

"You can read about David Lobenberg's contest here. A fact of a
portrait artist's life is that if there is no one else available to paint,
you always have you, so of course I've painted and drawn myself
 many times. Some of these images stick and make me happy.  

When I taught Positive Psych one of the first things we said

to students was that if you don't know yourself, you won't love 

yourself, and if you don't love yourself you can't love anyone else,

and you won't be happy.

This was totally not acceptable when I was growing up -- loving 

yourself smacked of narcissism.  But in fact nothing could be 

further from the truth. If we love and accept ourselves, the world 

is less about us, and more about the people we love.  It's when we 

don't love ourselves that we go around hurting other people, don't end up

doing what we love, and generally don't enjoy our lives.

I credit Louise Hay, excellent therapy and Frank Daley, who

was my boss, and wrote the book Who are you and what are you
doing here? for helping me get that concept.  It is an excellent 
idea.  When you love yourself, you love others."

Have a loving your life day.

 

With my art group

Art group sketch

Acrylic on canvas

16 x 20 inches
Barbara Muir © 2025

It was a jam packed day -- meeting with neighbourhood friends for coffee,
then going with Steven to buy flowers for our front garden, and the planters
on the bannisters of our back porch. Plus we planted a bit of one of our side
gardens.

Then I was off to my art group, for a wonderful session with a great model.
So many excellent artists were there tonight. 

Home for a fast dinner, and now I'm writing you. 

The sketch I'm showing you tonight took maybe 30 minutes what with
 set up, a break and take down.  It needs work, and it was a complete
pleasure to paint with an excellent model.

Have a loving your life day!

Working on a number of things for Let’s Play show

Flowers for the table (work in progress)
Acrylic on canvas

12 x 12 inches
Barbara Muir © 2025

I hope you’ll come out to the opening of the Let’s Play show at
the Heliconian Hall on July 7, at 35 Hazelton Avenue, Toronto. I’m
working on a number of pieces for that show and here is one of
them. It’s a work in progress – almost done.

The theme of the show is clear in the title --  it’s about play, or
having fun. This painting is about the joyous feeling you get when
you put the flowers on the table that are going to be part of a dinner
party.There they are. And in our case, the bowl of lemons is also a
centerpiece. That is force of habit and we love the look of it.

Have a loving your life day.

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful fathers in the world

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

You can't keep a good man down

Acrylic ink and acrylic on canvas

36 x 48 inches

Barbara Muir © 2020

(My husband Steven,

the father of my two wonderful sons)

Happy Father's Day. I like the portrait of my father. It makes me happy
because it captures the wonderful, loving nature of my Dad. 
In  the reference photo my father is smiling at Christopher, my
older son, who was a little boy at the time.  Our son Sam had not 

been born yet.  I miss my father every day.  

And my  father is still a huge influence in my life.  He was a wonderful writer,
a business man, a fabulous photographer, and a great painter -- good at all
of his roles. He was a strict father to young children, which is probably
why I don't like rules to this day. I'm sure his time in the navy contributed to that. 

But as I grew up we developed a happy bond over art, and over family, and were
close at the time of his death from lung cancer way too early.

My dad would have been delighted to know our children and to
see how they have grown up into amazing people.

Happy Father's Day to Steven my sweet husband, the man in the
second drawing. and to Christopher my oldest son. He and Megan have two

beautiful daughters -- Alice 9, and Madeleine 5, and a son James 2. Thank you to
my loving family -- Christopher, Sam, Megan, Emily, Alice and Madeleine and
James for being the reason Steven is a very happy and proud father.

Have a loving your family day.

 

Saturday night and art thoughts

Tom Thomson 

sketch

from a Wikipedia photo

Marker on journal paper

5 x 8 inches

Barbara Muir © 2023

(Unfortunately some of the marks from the

other journal page come through,
but I still like the drawing.)

It's our movie night (at home on the TV), and there's a very happy 
birthday party happening next door. Today was packed with going to
the market, and then shopping. And we just returned from a beautiful

late evening walk.

I found this sketch of Tom Thomson, one of Canada's most famous
painters, and felt like showing it to you again. Thomson was an 
amazing landscape painter.

Here's what I wrote on a former blog. 

"One of my Canadian art heroes is Tom Thomson. When I visit the
Art Gallery of Ontario, I never miss 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 continues to thrill visitors to galleries that display his work,
and artists like me, who appreciate his profound love of nature.

Have a loving your life day. 

Looking back at the beginning of blogging

Neely
Acrylic on canvas
7 x 9 inches
Barbara Muir © 2008

I have been painting today, but the work still isn't ready to be shared. 
I am grateful to my blog for this image, showed in an exhibition curated
by the artist Carolyn Megill back in 2008 the year I started blogging,
who gave us the canvasses, because in her opinion, we were already
donating our talent.  

The painting is based on a photo by my son Christopher of his friend.
It looks like it was quite spectacular.   This artist's life! It is always
amazing.

Have a loving your life day!

Favourite practices

Journal Sketch
marker on journal paper
6 x 8 inches
Barbara Muir © 2023

Looking through my photos for drawings, I came upon this one that
I quite like for its simplicity.  I did not get to paint today, and that's
not great because I'm on deadline, but I will paint tomorrow.

I'm showing you this very simple drawing because I think one of my
best "practices" in recent years (similar to writing a daily blog), has
been to try to write in a journal for three pages, and if not for two
pages, with one drawing. Starting the day that way is very good for
me, because I almost always get a drawing I like, and then I can
move on to the rest of the day feeling more confident.

I hope you had a happy and artistic day.

Have a loving your life day.

 

Grateful for my connections via technology

 

Drawing My friend via Skype
Photo
2009

Today was a jam packed day so I was delighted to find a post about drawing
with Skype.  Skype -- the Zoom of the time of the photo, was an incredible
gift to my art career, and connected me with friends and students all over the 
world.

Looking through my really old blogs, I found this image from June
2009.  2009 was a pivotal year for me and my art.  I started drawing
using Skype images, when my son was teaching in Korea, and Skype was

our very cool method of communication. During our talks I'd start
drawing, and ultimately my Skype paintings got me the chance to draw
Oprah live via Skype.  That was thanks to Howard Wolinsky who 
encouraged me to do Skype paintings to feature in the Skype blog he
was writing at the time.

This photo is of me drawing my friend Melinda Esparza in Arizona
via Skype.  I got a lot of attention from being featured on the Oprah
show, and I was featured on City News in Toronto on the day of this photo.

The Oprah show, and other TV shows, and newspaper articles

also brought me more attention in the art world.  As I've told you before the
result was getting to exhibit my art in shows in New York City, Florence, Italy
and in the Louvre in Paris, France.  So yes I am incredibly grateful to technology.

Have a loving your life day. 

Another busy day, and I took peonies to a friend

 Stand Back for the Pie

Acrylic on canvas

24 x 24 inches

Barbara Muir ©

It is peony time again in our neighbourhood.  Another day of painting all
day, and not much going right.  But I went to my art group tonight, and
it was wonderful to paint from a model, and to see friends again.

When you look out from my back porch, at the tall trees forming a high
green curtain of waving leaves, or drive through the streets of 
Toronto, you understand why we find our cold winters so hard.
Some of the flowers that make me feel joyous right now are peonies. 
They are so beautiful.  My very generous next door neighbour lets
me pick hers, and they are magnificent.

Here's a favourite painting featuring peonies. In fact it won first prize
in a San Fernando Valley Arts and Cultural Center show. So wonderful.

Have a loving your life day.

Painting all day

 

Self-portrait: The Happy Artist
acrylic on canvas
36 x 36 inches
Barbara Muir ©

I'm thinking doing some work on this, and putting it in the next Heliconian
exhibition, which is about play.  We do need some joy in this current
crazy world, and I think that might be the whole point of the show.  As in
-- For a few minutes lets take a break from the gruesome news, and create a 

place to experience delight.

Then as they say in the French TV show we're watching au boulot (back
to work) trying to help the planet).  

Have a helping one another day!

World Oceans Day -- a sad one

Cloud Magic

Acrylic on canvas

4 x 6 feet

Barbara Muir © 2018
(available --
email me at:
 barbara.muir@sympatico.ca)

On this World Oceans Day one of the bravest champions of the environment,

Greta Thunberg, has been captured by the Israeli military off the coast

of Gaza.  She was travelling on a ship called the Madleen, which was a
sailing ship, bringing food to the starving inhabitants of Gaza.

If it is wrong to believe people -- children and their families -- should not
starve to death, then there is something horribly wrong with our world.
And of course there is.

If you know my work, you know that I love the oceans, 
and try to spend some time near the Atlantic ocean in Nova
Scotia every year.  The Maritimes have been a major focus
of my work for quite awhile, because I love that part of
our country so much.

This is certainly one of my favourite paintings. And I was
looking forward to World Oceans Day, which is today. But it
turns out to be a very sad day indeed. We have to take care of
our oceans, and we aren’t at the moment. And we have
to take care of the world's people, and quit creating wars, and 
even further polluting the air and water.  We're at a crisis point
environmentally.

When you think about whether, or not to buy that plastic one-use
water bottle, or the plastic balloons that last forever for your
friend's birthday -- think of alternatives. We have to save the
oceans.  And please sign the petitions to set Greta and her fellow
activists for peace, free.  

Take care of our oceans! 

Visit Tanya Murdoch's beautiful show at the Heliconian Hall

Encounter (lemons)

Oil on canvas

11 x 14 inches

Tanya Murdoch © 2024

If you're in the Yorkville area of Toronto next Wednesday, June 11, be sure
to drop into the Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave., between4:30 and 7:30 p.m.
to see the work of the artist in residence, Tanya Murdoch in her solo show --
I am here and you are here and they are here and we are all together.

Tanya's work is excitingly varied, from beautiful still life, to portraits, to
life drawing paintings -- all of exceptional.  Check out her show, you'll be
glad you did.

Have a loving your life day!

Friday night time to rest

Slow down time

Charcoal on bond paper

Skype drawing

8 1/2 x 11 inches

Barbara Muir © 2012

It's Friday night, and it's been a beautiful day.  The upstairs (portable) air conditioner

went in, so you know things are heating up. 

I haven't had time to think about what to write to you today, because among other

things I've been working on two paintings. I hope you have a wonderful

weekend.

Have a loving your life day! 

World Environment Day

In the right place at the right time

Acrylic on canvas

36 x 48 inches

Barbara Muir © 2016
SOLD ♥

I love what I said on this last year, and we are super tired in our house from a

day with a very early start. So here goes:

"What seems odd to me is that World Environment Day isn't one of
the most important days in the year.  More important than birthdays,
or Christmas, or any religious holiday.  Our environment, which means
our planet, is in big trouble.  So if we want to keep celebrating all of
the other vital holidays, maybe we should focus on fixing what we're
doing here first.  

It is a dear friend's birthday, and wanting to celebrate her is utmost in
my mind, and I do wish we could give all of us the gift of taking care
of the environment, ending wars, and stopping our foolish habits 
of valuing money above all."

I added this about blogging:

"What I like about blogging, is that it's a positive environment.  
 If you love what an artist does, you tell them!  I find the same
 is true with Instagram in the art community. Oh Boy! That is
revolutionary!  Because all over the world (except perhaps in Finland
-- which I hear has an amazing education system), parents are still
taught not to praise children too much!  

But here's what praise does.  Everything.  If people praise
your work, you feel empowered.  Seriously.  You feel like
getting back at it.  You feel like doing more.  It may
not directly affect how you're working, but it definitely
keeps you working.

In the lovely world of art blogs for some reason this is
understood through some secret unspoken code. And hurray
for that.  So go ahead praise an artist, your kid, your romantic
partner, your boss, whoever you possibly can.  

I'd add -- also give yourself a pat on the back.  Acknowledge
each time you've done something you're proud of and reward
yourself.  It doesn't have to be a trip to France (I am ready),
but a phone call to a friend can make your day."

Have a loving what you do day!

A small and happy painting

Tea in the gallery with Marcia

Acrylic on canvas

8 x 8 inches

Barbara Muir © 

(In the original I tried to include

a suggestion of Marcia.  Looking

at it later, I realized that the

figure part, and yellow background

weren't working.  I painted out the

figure and changed the background 

colour and like it much better.)

Today is a busy day in our house.  I'm working on several paintings, and
nothing is ready to show you yet. So scrolling through my blog I saw this
painting, which filled me with nostalgia for a time when we used to
see friends at the AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario) on a regular basis. 
COVID changed that in so many ways.  First because the restaurant
was closed during lockdown, and then because people just didn't meet
to go out the way they used to do.

So yes it's time to get back to that tradition.  It's so joyous to wander 
around looking at beautiful art, and then to enjoy a tea or coffee in a 

pretty restaurant.

Have a loving your life day! 

I bought a beautiful book today

This is a photo of the beautiful cover of
Nikkolas Smith's new book

The History of We
Photo

Barbara Muir

I found out about Nikkolas Smith via Instagram, and started following him
there.  He's an amazing artist, and he wrote and illustrated this beautiful
book about how we human beings began.  It is wonderful.

It was a run around and get things done kind of day, and picking up
this fabulous book from my local book shop was a definite reward.

Thank you Nikkolas. 

Have a loving your life day.

 

The power of drawing

 

The breakfast phone call
8 1/2 x 11 inches
marker on bond paper
Barbara Muir © 2009

I came upon this drawing scrolling through my blog, and I love it. 
I love drawing partially because you can draw anywhere. 
I've drawn in restaurants, on trains, planes, and in my
home whenever the mood hits, or when what I'm looking at is
compelling.

This is a drawing of my son, and sixteen years later it
tugs at my heartstrings. How lovely it is to have children
hanging about in the kitchen. Plus I love the detail.

Have a loving what you do day.

Thinking about sleep

Studio cherries

Acrylic on cradled birch panel

5 x 7 inches

Barbara Muir © 

There's a lot of talk these days about life hacks -- things you can do to make your life
better, happier.  Everyone will agree that one thing that improves your life is sleep.  So
simple, but not really.  What do cherries have to do with the subject of sleep? 
Here's what I said in a former post:

"This post makes absolute sense today.  We have been through
a hard month, and sleep is more important than ever. Being warm and
affectionate without enough sleep is not easy.  So we all need to get enough
of the magic elixir -- a great night's rest.

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.

In recent years I've definitely been 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 happen 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 -- with some plain yogurt 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, as we move into June, is of a bowl of cherries. 

Wishing you a joyous day. Sleep well.