A Magnificent Day

 

A beautiful day at
Sir Casimir Gzowski Park
Photo
Barbara Muir © 2025

Steven was delighted to find out this morning that he had a day off.  Today 
is a holiday in Canada in honour of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

So we went down to sit by the lake and enjoy the beauty. 

Tonight we had a super model at our art group who is actually a professional
fashion model Michra Joseph.  If I spelled it wrong Michra, please correct
me.  She is a fabulous model. I had about 35 minutes to get a portrait done,
and it is close to complete, but I don't have time to spend a few more minutes
on it tonight, so I will tomorrow and I'll show you then.

Have a loving your life day!

This painting went home today

 Apples on a fancy dish

watercolour on Arches 

watercolour paper

with black marker

12 x 14 inches

Barbara Muir © 

This painting -- done quite a few years ago -- went home today
to a sweet collector, The Blue Jays won yesterday, and I tidied a
couple of bookcases with excellent help.  We took the books to local
small book libraries set up on neighbourhood lawns.  And all in
all an awesome day.  

Now the studio gets tidied. And I begin some exciting new
work. 

Have a loving your life day

The opening for Georgia Fullerton's exhibitiion at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery

Happiness Expression

Gouache and ink on paper

Georgia Fullerton © 2025 

(This is one of my favourites.  Forgive

the bad photo with the photographer

reflected in the glass.)

Georgia sharing her happiness about

her solo show with the audience

earlier today.

Today Steven and I went to Oshawa to see the opening of Georgia
Fullerton's exquisite exhibition Being In and Moving Through at
The Robert McLaughlin Gallery.  

It was a super opening with visitors from Georgia's university
days, art collectors, fans and gallery visitors.  Georgia delivered
a great, moving, funny, warm speech, explaining her 
inspiration, and process, and thanking everyone who had helped get
the exhibition up and running -- including her daughter India 
who was in the audience, and proud of her mother.

If you're in the Oshawa area, make sure to visit the exhibition.  It's
a beautiful show in a superb gallery.

Have a loving your life day.

My delight with people dancing into life

 

Before the dance with the cat, Before the dance in the red dress, The Promise

Acrylic on canvas, each one is 36 x 48 inches

Like most Saturdays, today was crazy busy. We went to the market 
to get food from Jens, the wonderful Marvellous Edibles farmer in
the late morning. Then we ran around doing a number of tasks. We
gave a quick birthday wish to a close friend, and kept doing our
Saturday routines.

Tonight is movie night, and we haven't picked a movie -- but I
hope it's funny.

The paintings tonight are a few from my Dance series.
They're about the time when young people move into their adult
lives. 

Saturday night would be a great night to go dancing, but instead. I
did play Bob Dylan's She Belongs to Me and sang it badly on the 
back porch, accompanied by my singing dog, Sally, who
may in fact have been commenting about the fact that it was
5:58 p.m., and she believes dinner should be served at 6:00 p.m.
on the dot. That was as close as I came to dancing.

Have a loving your life day.

Happy Birthday to my friend Raylea, and the youngest member of our family

Happiness
Acrylic on Birch panel
5 x 7 inches
Barbara Muir © 
(Raylea was the model for this.)

Happy Birthday to my dear friend Raylea today.  I'm showing you one of my favourite portraits. Raylea modelled for this painting, and was
magnificent.  It's a big day for the youngest member of our family too -- a
very Happy Birthday day.

Wishing everyone a great birthday, and happy year. We enjoyed the fabulous
weather here in Toronto.

Have a loving your life day.

Thinking about the market

 

Pegann's flowers
Acrylic on canvas
8 x 8 inches
Barbara Muir © 

One of our happy habits as a couple is going to the Brickworks market on the
weekend.  I'm working on a flower painting now, based on a magnificent 
bouquet from the farmers we order from every weekend when we're home.

It is complicated, but a treat to work on.  So soon I'll be able to show you.

This painting is based on flowers from Pegann -- a woman who used to sell
at the market. I'm grateful that the Marvellous Edibles farmers now sell
flowers, because market flowers are fresh and magnificent.

It has rained like crazy today, which is good.  It was a dry summer. But
nothing compared to the Maritime drought, so I hope some of this rain 
is going over to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

Have a loving your life day!

Happy Wedding Monthaversary Steven

 

Our dog Sally smelling the Cosmos

on our walk.

Photo:

Barbara Muir © 2024

A very rough day in the world, but our wedding Monthaversary so I 

made Steven a big card from one of my Nova Scotia ocean scenes,
and we had a sweet walk after Steven finished work.  We saw the artist 
Matthew Pazzol on our walk and congratulated him on his show
that I wrote up on the blog.

Then it was dinner, and now it's time for TV.  I didn't see Cosmos
like this this summer.  It was very hot, and that affected everything.

Please wave your magic wand and make our Morning Glories bloom.
Tons of leaves and I talk to them saying -- time to bloom! No response
yet. 

Have a loving your life day!

Back to my art group

 

Captain Giacomo

(art group sketch)

Acrylic on canvas

11 x 14 inches
Barbara Muir © 2020
(* Not tonight's sketch)

Tonight I painted with my art group.  It was great to be back. 
There were two 10 minute breaks in my one hour with the
group.  So between set up and clean up I think I had 30
minutes to get a painting done.  The model was wonderful,
and looked nothing like the sketch above.

But the painting is not finished enough to show you.  So 
this sketch surprised me at the time (five years ago),

because it worked out well probably with the same time
constraints.  My husband drops me off at about 7:30 and
picks me up one hour later.  Yes.  It is fast.  And I usually
get a not bad sketch done in that rushed time.

So if I can finish my sketch from tonight with no photo

reference I'll show you another day.  Meanwhile it

was a fun hour, and I painted all day on a painting that
is going well.

Have a loving your life day!

Thanks to inspiring artists like Pete Sinjin

Subway Overpass
Oil on canvas
21 1/2 x 17 1/2 inches
Pete Sinjin © 2024

Before Steven and I left on our 16 day holiday driving to Nova Scotia
and back, I was very depressed about the state of the world, and it was
affecting my art. 

As soon as we were on the road It was difficult to get the Internet. While
we drove, we listened to a P.E.I. music radio station and sang a lot. Meanwhile,
what was moving alongside us outside the window were the most magnificent
landscapes that I’ve ever seen. This is Canada -- such a beautiful country.

The Maritimes were in serious trouble this year because of a very prolonged
drought and high temperatures because of climate change. But it was still
beautiful there. In Nova Scotia, we stay in a 1909 wooden schoolhouse with
no running water and an outhouse. It does have electricity and the building
itself is so beautiful. This past year an animal ate our last comfy chair, so
that wasn’t fun. But in a couple of days we totally adjusted and loved it there.

Ultimately, I want to thank Pete Sinjin who advised me to take lots
of pictures and to work on enjoying being inspired. It worked and thank you.

Today I worked on a painting of a bouquet I bought at the market from my
favourite farmers. I had fun all day. The painting isn’t finished and I’m
showing you one of  Pete Sinjin's paintings. We met last year beside the
Seine in Paris.  He is a wonderful person -- obviously times are hard for
anyone who cares about the world right now. Pete and his family live in
Brooklyn, New York. I love how Pete portrays New York, and how vivid
he makes it for people like me who love that city.  

Check out his work and be inspired 

Have a loving your life day!

And we are -- Home again!

 

Flowers for you
acrylic on canvas
12 x 16 inches
Barbara Muir © 2010
(I love the story of this painting.
The flowers were delivered in the winter
to our neighbours who weren't home.
I was asked if I would keep them
until the neighbours came home from work
by the delivery person. So I did, and
painted this painting during the wait.)

We have been on our holiday for the past 16 days, and traveled over 5,300 

kilometers in that time. 3200 miles. Wow! I was too busy traveling 
while it happened to talk about it.  So I just talked about things that
occurred to me. In code in a way I was talking about where we were.

Coming back to Toronto, and Ontario is a shock to us.  Despite all of the 
driving, we were living at a much slower pace, and because we didn't have
internet most of the time, we were cut off completely from the news.

Given how horrific and crazy the news is, that was an absolute gift.

Yes we went to our school house, and visited our friends in Pugwash,
Wallace, Bear River and Annapolis Royal.  Plus we went to Fredericton
New Brunswick, Quebec City, and Ottawa. It was wonderful.

Now back to work.  I have a million ideas, and many beautiful reference
ideas and wow I'm excited.

Thank you for sticking with me throughout my vacation.  And to everyone
we met along the way -- thank you for being amazing.

Have a loving your life day!

Thinking about what home means to me

First sighting -- coming home

(work in process)

Acrylic on watercolour paper

10.6 x 13.8 inches

Barbara Muir © 

Thinking about the meaning of home, I came upon this blog 
I wrote about home, which expressed my thoughts pretty
perfectly. In recent years Paris has become a place
we'd love to live -- just from visiting. But
that is not practical emotionally or financially. 

"I am  rooted in Toronto, Canada, but if
I visit another city or town, even in another
country, I can start to feel at home in
a week.  That's happened in
France, England, Sweden, Italy, and
the U.S.

But the place in my painting tonight
near Pugwash, Nova Scotia, in Canada's
Maritimes is in a different league.  I've
been visiting for 20+ years, counting
the views on the way out, like clues in a game
called "getting closer," and on the way back
to Toronto, in a profound series of goodbyes.

This view is poignant both coming and
going.  It is iconic of our Nova Scotia home." 

Have a feeling-at-home-anywhere day.

The beginning -- thank the cat

Sketchbook drawing of Clown the cat

marker on Bond paper

Barbara Muir ©

I have had cats for my whole life, which means I have been very
lucky.  My parents loved cats too, and I think we had cats before
we had dogs as children. But I grew up with both, and Steven
and I have a cat, Monet (a girl), and a dog Sally, (also a girl.)

Today we had breakfast in a French restaurant. Here is some
of a blog post I wrote in the past about French.  It leads
at the end to the cat in the drawing. Since I wrote this
post we have been to Paris five times, and I've exhibited 
in the Louvre three times.  Plus currently we've been
watching a French TV show from France with English
subtitles every night for six months.  That definitely
helps.  I had a sweet conversation in my stumbly French
with the server this morning. 

"I was raised for part of my childhood in Ottawa,
and we started French in school early.  I was sad
that some of my understanding disappeared through
lack of use in English Toronto. In recent years our friends
speak more Italian than French. But the roots of the
language linger in my baby girl unconscious.
I was probably five going on six when I first learned
some French words.

Every year we go to Quebec city on our way to Nova
Scotia, and on our way back home to Toronto. I know
enough French to know that I wish I was fluently bilingual.

In Europe children easily learn five or six languages, but
the English in Canada have been somewhat reluctant
to learn even one other language. Some people place
their children in French immersion schools. The school
across the street from our house is a French immersion school.

Falls seems to make us nostalgic. We were talking today
about the great animals we've owned and loved. Here's a
drawing I did of Clown the cat. Indirectly Clown brought
Steven and me together. He took care of the cat for me when
I was away on a trip, because his sister asked him to, and that's
how we met.

So this story loops back, because without Clown,
I wouldn't have met Steven, and without Steven we wouldn't
own a place in Nova Scotia, and without the place in Nova
Scotia, I wouldn't go to Quebec City twice a year, and stumble
through my poor French."

Have a loving your life day!

Thinking and planning

Yellow fields

Acrylic ink and pencil

on watercolour paper

5 x 7 inches
Barbara Muir © 2022

You probably know that there is really no time off for artists.  I am
still on holiday, but of course my eyes aren't.  I love this little 
painting I came upon scrolling through past blogs.  It captures the
beauty of the fields against the water that we see driving through
Quebec on our trips out to the Maritimes.

Today I thought, "wouldn't that make a great larger painting?" And
I do think it would.  The nice thing about taking a break, is the
intense increase in energy, and endless imagination. 

Have a loving your life day!

One of the many places in Canada that inspires me

La  Pocatière in Quebec 
Photo
Barbara Muir ©️2023

I'm still on holiday, but wanted to write you. I love the
park in this picture, and the fellow-- my husband Steven. |

When we take our annual trip to the Maritimes, we make
a point of stopping at this lovely park on the St. Lawrence
River.  In fact in June I sold one of my paintings of this site.  It
is beautiful. 

My photo doesn't do the place justice.  The grasses wave in the wind.
The mountains across the river are vivid blue most of the time. It

is knock out, and very peaceful after the highway.  If you've never
been there, do check it out.

Have a loving your life day!

In all fairness Anemones

 

A gift of anemones
watercolour and acrylic on 
watercolour paper
8 x 10 inches
Barbara Muir © 2020

Last year a friend who'd bought a self portrait of me at a show 10
years ago or so, called to see if she could return it now, because
she didn't have space in her new apartment in Toronto.  She'd

moved to a much smaller space.  I said sure of course, and she
brought the painting over.

But I thought, she'd paid a fair price for the painting, and it didn't
seem right for her to just give it back.  So I gave her this little
painting of some of one of my favourite flowers, which are 
starting to bloom in our garden right now.  That felt much
better, and she was happy.

Have a loving your life day!

The joy of flowers

Holding our heads high 

Watercolour on Arches 

watercolour paper

6 x 10 inches

Barbara Muir © 2012

One thing I've learned from my wonderful artist friend -- Flora
Doehler is that flowers are one of the easiest routes to happiness.
So I love this painting from way back in 2012. Yes I am still
on holiday and one of the best things about this time of year

in our part of the world are the beautiful flowers.  

In a world filled with stress, I take comfort and feel the 
power of nature when I see gorgeous flowers.  And I feel the
same way when I paint them. 

I hope you can take some time to enjoy nature today.
And if you haven't seen it already check out the work of
Flora Doehler.

Have a loving your life day! 

Two million views plus!

 

Self Portrait
Watercolour on watercolour paper
10 x 14 inches
Barbara Muir ©

(This was painted when I was 19)

This girl who was me would have been absolutely amazed at the wonderful
life I've had as an artist. And I think she'd be excited that I've more than 
doubled my views in two years!

In fact I'm at 2066410 -- pretty cool. I am so grateful to everyone who
has viewed my blog, liked my work, and been kind, supportive and
inspiring to me.  Thank you so much for getting me here.  

Obviously I don't always check my statistics.  I have had
other things on my mind -- like what to paint next when I
get back to work.  Seeing these numbers made me very happy.
As I've said before I felt like I was soaring above the clouds

I love to paint.  

Wishing you a glorious day filled with joy and creativity!

The joy of country driving

Summer clouds Wallace Bridge

Acrylic on canvas

40 x 40 inches

 Barbara Muir © 2014
SOLD ♥ 

I'm on holiday right now -- taking a break and enjoying 
every minute of it. Steven and I have been going on
delightful long drives and seeing so many beautiful
scenes with glorious inspiration.  Get ready studio. We
will be making a lot of art soon. This painting of 

course is set in Nova Scotia.  Certainly one of our
favourite places.

We saw some super friends again today, and had the 
best time.  Wishing you a spectacular weekend.
And to everyone we met today, thank you for your
kindness. 

Have a loving your life day! 

Thinking about my art group

Iris

Acrylic on bond paper

18 x 24 inches

Barbara Muir © 

As I said I'm on holiday, and taking time off.  We have been
visiting friends tonight, and it's been wonderful.  Great 
talks tonight about art. Scrolling through my blog I found
this painting and loved it. Here's what I said at that time.

"This is a portrait from an art group session.
I love it. and this is what I said about it when I posted it.
"Here's a rapid sketch I did of an elegant British
lady who posed for us one night at our class.
She was an artist's mother, visiting from
England, and a great model. She sat in this very
proper and straight posture, dressed in lush colours.
I like the agitation in my painting. I think I was
just excited by her gutsiness."

Have a loving your life day.

 

Missing my father

 

My Dad (from his own photo self portrait)

Charcoal on Canson Mixed Media paper

13 x 14 inches

Barbara Muir © 2017

(My father loved black and white photography --

he had books by all of the greats in

that field.  He took beautiful colour

photos too, but that was not his passion.  
The photo I based my drawing on told

me so much about my father.  His love

of playing with light and his knowledge

about light is so evident.  Plus this

is my father in casual dress!  Yes

he would not leave his house, even

to go to the store for many years if

he wasn't dressed properly. Plus his sense

of humour came through in the merest 

suggestion of a smile.)

Today I am quoting my blog from last year.

9/11  is a sad day in because of the horrific events of that
day in 2001. For me and my siblings it's a sad day because
that was the day my father died -- not in 2001. Today I am
going to quote what I said before about my father. 
"I love everything my father taught me.  I most definitely
walk in his footsteps.  He was a very strict father for small
children -- which was hard for us -- but as we grew up, he
enjoyed us more and more. 

And here's what I know.  Not only is my father visible in my
face, and in my way of talking, my love of humour, and the fact
that I have been both a journalist, and an artist, like him. But
the main connection I have with my Dad is in my heart.

The powerful message he would like me to convey is that
love lasts.  It never goes away.  And my Dad's love for me,
and mine for him is a wonderful thing, and always will be for
me. Isn't that comforting to know?  I think so."

Have a loving life day.

Places we love

 The House on the Hill #2

Acrylic on canvas

18 x 24 inches

Barbara Muir © 2017
SOLD ♥ 
(Every time I see this house when
we're coming to our school house
in Nova Scotia I feel happy.

I fact every time I see it, I feel happy,

because it means we're almost
at Pugwash, and almost home.)

Steven and I have some odd habits. We fall in love with certain
houses -- sometimes for no reason. This house is like a symbol 

of everything we love about the Maritimes. And yet, we've 
never met the owners.  But I've photographed it and painted
it several times.

In Toronto in Etobicoke, we park in front of a small park, and

the same house is across the street every time.  A man stands

in the doorway smoking, and looking at the lake.  We call
him Fred or Dave.  A couple of times Steven waved to him
when we came back to the car from a short walk in the park.

But this house is really special.  Because at the end of a 
2,000 kilometre drive -- it says we are almost there. Another
10 kilometres to the school house.

Have a loving your life day!

A Happy Portrait

 

At the market

Acrylic on canvas

24 x 36 inches
Barbara Muir © 

Last year on this day I posted this painting, and it seems perfect.
After an extremely hot summer, things are finally cooling off.
And it's coming up to quilt season.

Here's what I said last year:

"Looking through my website, I saw this painting -- a
 portrait of Jan Marriott, a woman who knows
everything about vintage fabric. She now mostly
sells online, but I met her when she was selling at the
Brickworks market in Toronto. The portrait shows Jan
in that setting with quilts behind her, and beautiful fabrics
on the table in front of her. Jan is a wonderful person, and
kind friend. Many of the beautiful things in my house came
from her collections.

I’m so happy that I was asked to paint this painting, and
that Jan liked it, and still uses it as her profile image."

Have a loving your life day!

Taking some time off

Happy Anniversary Tea 

watercolour and marker on
watercolour paper

 6 x 10 inches
Barbara Muir © 

It's not my anniversary, but it has been just as wonderful.  I'm taking 

some time off to relax -- a vacation of sorts.  So I will keep writing
my blog, but I may not post new work.  This painting is a good example.

I like the work, and the happy mood it creates.

It's been a beautiful day today, just hanging around and reading, 
going for walks and seeing the beautiful sunset.  I hope you
had a great day too.

Have a loving your life day!

Enjoying nostalgia

Hannah Creaser and me with 

On the road in Fredericton

Acrylic on canvas

36 x 48 inches

Barbara Muir © 

SOLD ♥

Steven is on vacation, and we've been taking drives and
talking a lot about our wonderful life.  One great 
art experience from quite awhile ago was meeting
Hannah Creaser in the parking lot at the Superstore in 
Fredericton, New Brunswick, and asking her if
she'd mind posing for me.

At the time I was working on a series about young 
people on the edge of growing up, and Hannah
struck me as a perfect model.  She agreed,
I took some photos, did a large portrait of 
Hannah, which showed in the window of a 
gallery on Avenue Road in Toronto, and in
New York City. Hannah's father, saw the painting
in the window in Toronto, came to the exhibition,

and bought the painting.

And Steven and I delivered it to her father Eben
in Fredericton, which is where this sweet photo
happened. Hannah has grown up into a wonderful
young woman, and is having a great life. 

Thank you Hannah for helping me paint one of
my favourite paintings.

Have a loving your life day!

So much fun

Friends in Quebec City

Acrylic on canvas

8 x 8 inches

Barbara Muir © Revised 2024

It was a super day from start to finish.  We saw friends at breakfast,
and then drove through exquisite landscapes.  It's movie night, and
we are super tired and happy.

I love the feeling in this painting. The women are having a happy
conversation on a bench on the boardwalk in Quebec City—one
of my favourite places. The city has the French charm we love so
much. 

Have a loving your life day!