Happy Valentine's weekend

Me and Steven in Paris
Photo
Barbara Muir ©

This is one of the happiest photos of Steven and me in one
of our favourite cities -- Paris. Yes it is one of our dream
destinations, and I'm sure we'll get there again soon --

maybe this year.  In the meantime it's been a wonderful

love weekend.  Now we're heading out for dinner with
family, (tomorrow is Family Day in Ontario), so the fun
continues.

Wishing everyone who gets the holiday a great long weekend,

and Happy Month of Love.

Have a loving your life day!

Happy Valentine's Day

 

Wishing you a very Happy Love weekend. We are having a sweet time,

talking to family and friends. It was a lots of love day.

Here's what I said in a former post about the day.  I
like it for today:

"In our house Valentine's Day is huge.  We decorate, we
talk about our favorite foods, we eat more chocolate
than is at all wise, and in recent years I've done paintings
for my own cards.  I love the idea of celebrating love.
That force for good is an incredible power, and I
can't thank my family and friends who love me enough
for the kindness, encouragement and wonder they've
brought into my life. And I thank them for giving me
the pleasure of loving them."

Thank you for your kindness, your inspiration, and your 

sweet support.  You all mean the world to me.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Galentine's Day

Galentine's Day banner
Acrylic on canvas images
joined together
Barbara Muir ©

Having a lot of computer issues today.  Happy Galentine's Day to all of
my wonderful women friends. I don't call women gals, but I do
like how it works for this celebration.

It's been a busy day, including a sweet drive in the country.  Wishing
everyone a Happy Valentine's Day weekend.

Have a loving your life day!

Happy surprises

 

Spring Table

Acrylic on canvas

12 x 36 inches
Barbara Muir © Revised 2025
(This is a painting of mine --
that I changed last year and
is suitably happy!)

There is very deep snow in Toronto. I know environmentally that's good, 

but it means that many side roads are single lane instead of two way.

After patiently driving behind a garbage truck on a side street for
3/4 of an hour, on what would have normally been a four minute
drive at best,  I thanked the garbage men, and marvelled at how
much we throw out.

And! I arrived home to an absolutely spectacular present from an
artist friend -- a calendar of my friend's art, which is beyond
awesome.  Steven and I were so delighted.   

Friends matter.

Have a loving your life day!

Flowers really make winter better

 

August market flowers
Acrylic on canvas
12 x 12 inches
Barbara Muir © 

It is a cold, grey winter day.  The scenery out of my back door is still
beautiful because the snow is deep and contrasts perfectly with
the houses and trees.  It makes the house roofs look like cake with
icing.  But even so we need some flowers.  So I'm glad we have
roses -- purchased before the Valentine's price spike, and in the
kitchen the Amaryllis is about to bloom again -- its radiant red
flowers so magnificent.

It is Wednesday but I'm thinking about our normal late Saturday
morning tradition -- visiting the Brickworks Market in Toronto and
our favourite farmer, a former European chef.  We count on buying eggs,
quiche, baked goods, the most delicious pies I've ever eaten in my whole
life and flowers (in season) from Jens Eller. He takes our order online,
and then gives it to us, and we have a great conversation when we go
to the market.

He is away now probably at least until June because of back surgery, 
so we miss him.  But I am working on a painting inspired by a 
magnificent bouquet we bought from him last summer -- (not the
one in the photo above.)

So in The Month of Love I want to honour everyone who makes our lives

happy.  Jens and Ayse from Marvellous Edibles Farm are wonderful, and 
we look forward so much to seeing Jens again at the market this summer.

As I've said before flowers are one of my addictions. (The other three are
coffee, art and love.)

Have a loving your life day.

Grateful to the teachers who've taught me to love my life

 

Reading with Heart
acrylic on canvas
8 x 8 inches
Barbara Muir © 
(The model for this

was a former student of mine

who kept in touch with me
after our classes together 

were over.)

This has been a great day.  I went to the morning coffee
meeting in my neighbourhood, and gave everyone my Valentine's
cards.  Plus I'm working on some pieces for my next show
in April.  

I lost my part time teaching job a couple of years
 ago (10,000 part time college teachers in Ontario
lost their jobs because of restrictions on foreign students).

I loved teaching, and I know that teachers have had a powerfully
positive impact in my life.  I hope that one day I'll
get to teach again.  I wrote a happy tribute to teachers
in a former post.  Here it is:

"Thank you to my teachers, and I send love out to all the
 inspiring teachers in my life.  When I started drawing in
school, I was like all the people who tell me I can't even
draw a stick figure.  Why do people think a stick figure is so
simple? But within months I was drawing very competent life
drawings.  

I reeled in shock as a 17 year old girl when the first
male life model came out  to pose for us at art college
-- a huge, naked, middle aged man with a cloth bag over his 

privates.

It took great teachers to bring young innocents who grew up
in the dull suburbs, like me, into the exciting, confusing,
wild, world of art, and they did it. I learned a lot from life
drawing classes.

My teachers in university got me excited about the world of literature,
opening doors to what would be a life long love of reading
and writing.

And more recently the workshops I've taken in person and
online have taught me so much about art, that I am sometimes
so dazzled I don't even know where to begin.  But isn't that
a good thing?   My brother's current philosophy is to ask,
"Is it true?"  Constant learning sets us up in front of that
question every day, and for sure makes life just as exciting
as it was when I took my first art lessons."

I love reading your Instagram posts, blogs and articles 
because you are all teaching me about every aspect of art
and life.  Thank you.

Have a loving your life day!

Here's a super positive exercise

 

Here's a photo from the taping of the Oprah Winfrey show

back in 2009. The woman with her head down

drawing beside the Skype symbol is me.
I am trying to capture Oprah when she looks
in my direction.  I've never been quite as excited and
scared at the same time.

When I was teaching Positive Psych at Seneca College I taught my
students this exercise.  I was trying to psych my students up
to dream big, and I used to say to them -- "You watch me
I'm going to be on the Oprah Winfrey Show one day!"  
Then I used to put my hands in the air, and say, "Yes!"  
Steven and I just did this exercise in the kitchen. Try it.
Immediately our mood improved! Yes.  

The fall after I was on Oprah I ran into one of my former
students in the hall.  He asked me how my summer went, and I
said,"not bad.  I was on the Oprah show in May."  He kept
shouting "You're kidding! That's amazing!" and followed me into
class to tell my new students that they should listen to me!

I've been painting all day -- and sometimes it's a slow process. I'm okay
with that. It's also a delightful process thinking about what will make
a painting complete, what will make it come to life.

I came upon this exercise in my blog that I learned from Mike Dooley, 
and ended up teaching to my Positive Psych classes at a local
community college.  It does seem silly, but it works. Since I learned it
I have had an even more wonderful life than I was already having.  True. 
I am lucky.  And we have hard things in our lives. But knowing how to
 return to joy is a quite fabulous skill.  And it's helpful to those
around you too.  I don't mean you don't allow grief, sorrow, disappointment.
If you pay attention to the news these days, those can be a constant.  I mean
you can sometimes return to being happy.  Here's the exercise -- 

"Stand up (if you can), put your arms in the air, whoop
like you just had the best news in your whole life,
cover your face because you're so excited you can't
hold your joy in, whoop again with your hands over
your head, put your hands on your chest, shake your
head because you're so astounded with joy, and say
out loud, "You won't believe what's happened." 
As I said I learned this from Mike Dooley at Tut.com 
and it is amazing what happens if you try this little
exercise once every so often.  Huge things happen,
wonderful things happen -- that's why I'm sharing it
with you.  (I got on the Oprah Winfrey show, invited
to show in Florence, Paris, New York!) My life has absolutely
taken off into a level of joy I couldn't have imagined since
I learned to do this.  No.  I'm not crazy, I'm one of the sanest
people you know.  And no my life isn't perfect.  People in my
family and intimate circle have serious health issues,
I do experience deep sorrow and loss, and even so...
Give it a try."

So this exercise was good for that too.  I now feel excited and can hardly
wait to get back to the canvas.

Try this -- I'm sharing it from a former blog.

Have a loving your life day!

I hope you believe in love -- I do

 

Flowers at twilight
Photo
Barbara Muir © 

It's Sunday night. We had a great day today making art with young people,

listening to music, singing, dancing -- the best.  So here are my thoughts for

this Valentine's week.  I said Happy Valentine's week to the young woman
at the baking counter at our local supermarket.  The Valentine's Day set up

is beautiful there with cakes and tarts all decorated on the love theme.  And she
said, "thank you that's so sweet!," and gave me the heart sign.

The news every day is daunting, but I agree with the people promoting love
instead of hate, that change is coming. Love still exists, and maybe

if we can make our passion for caring about each other dominate our choices
we can solve some of huge global issues.

As I said in a former blog:

"I feel sorry for people who say they don't like Valentine's Day. Why? Because
the day is commercial? Make your own cards then, or like my mother used to
do make chocolate fudge for your children, or your love.  My husband and
I had help from young family members to start decorating the house today --
we put up the Valentine's decorations we've saved for years.

Celebrate, celebrate, celebrate.  Celebrate whatever love you have.  Your cat,
your friends, your family near and far.  That love really is the answer.

And your kindness and love for me that you show me all year 'round helps me
think of the world as a space of possibility, and affection, you help me believe
that miracles can happen."

Have a spreading the love day! 

The inspiration of artist friends

 

With Flora Doehler in her studio
in Bear River 12 years ago.  

When we're in Nova Scotia every summer we make a point of going
and visiting our friends Flora Doehler and Larry Knox.  They live
in Bear River 5 hours away from our school house, and Steven
will have already driven 2,000 kilometres (about 1,000 miles). 
But it is so great to see them, and to visiit Flora's studio.

Her flowers are so vibrant that it feels like they're dancing on the canvas.
Wow!  I get happy just thinking about that on this very cold winter day. 

And Flora and Larry are so warm and kind and funny -- it's a pure
delight to be with them.

The Heliconian Hall had the first opening of the Drawing from Life
exhibition which I went to this afternoon.  It's a great show.  If you can
make the Wednesday opening from 4 - 7 p.m., I recommend it.

At the opening I had many great conversations with artists, including

with a collector of my work.  Steven and I had been talking about
Botticelli's work in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy.  And the
collector had done a work inspired by Botticelli.  Plus she'd been

researching him when Steven and I were talking about him.
Synchronicity right? Always so cool.

Movie night in our house. 

Have a loving your life day!

Friendly Friday

 

Across the Highway

Acrylic on canvas

24 x 24 inches
Barbara Muir © 2016

I found this post from a former blog, and I like it.  It's late.  I've been 
painting all day, and I wish you a wonderful night, and a super 
weekend.

"Dear artist friends, get your dream visions down.  This beautiful
view across the street at our school house is what we dream about.
(See the image above).We dream about walking across the street
 from our little school house at this time of night, late, late and
 seeing the stars, the entire Milky Way clear as can be.  

We dream of going to the beach, we think about it night and day, and
 feel so lucky that we have had this joyous experience year after
year.  The only years since we bought the school house just over 20
years ago that we didn’t go, was the year I broke my ankle, and the
year we couldn't go because of COVID and Nova Scotia wasn't

letting in visitors. 

 

The year I tore my meniscus in my knee — our wonderful friends
down the road, not only cleaned up the school house before our
arrival, they brought over a double bed and put it on the main floor,
because they thought it would be too hard for me to climb the stairs
 to the second floor to go to bed.

But this year as we will say over and over to one another, is different.
And this year we are focusing on all that is wonderful both here at
home, and where we can get too.  Ottawa was beautiful, the drive
was beautiful, and our street right here in Toronto is lovely. 

The dog and cat are waiting for me to feed them their night
snacks.  Please enjoy wherever you are, and if you’re in the
Maritimes and drive by our school house on Highway 6, say
hello to the building for us."

It's very cold here, and I know we should appreciate that
because lately summer has been way too hot.  But I'm 
dreaming of the ideal summer anyway. 

Have a loving your life day!

The delight of creating

Untitled (Work in progress)
Acrylic on canvas

24 x 24 inches

iBarbara Muir © 2026
(I'll try and get a better photo 

of this tomorrow.)

Yes this is one of the paintings I'm working on.  Not finished yet, but

getting there. Quite a treat to work on this beauty in the middle of a

cold, grey day. (Still pretty out, but not quite as vibrant as on a sunny day.)

There's a way to go with this painting, and I'll let you know when it's done.

As always thank you for your support.  It means the world to me.

Have a loving your life day!

It starts with loving yourself

A Valentine's wall at
The Summerhill market

Photo

Barbara Muir © 2025
Art -- Summerhill market staff

I had a wonderful day today painting, and visiting a good friend.  It was
also great to meet a young woman who works with my friend, who
has just fallen in love, and to talk about love as she smiled so
happily.  That made me think of this former post:

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

to students was, "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 not a popular idea 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

wrote the book Who are you and what are you doing here? for

helping me get that concept, and then of course the constant work of 

quieting the ever present inner critic to keep the idea going. 

I know I'm lucky.  I love my life, my work, my family, my friends."

 

Have a loving yourself and your world day!

Dreaming of the spring rush

 Spring Waterfall

Watercolour on

Arches watercolour paper

15 x 20 inches

Barbara Muir ©

I was talking to an artist friend yesterday about different media. She

loves working in coloured pencil, and I primarily work in acrylic
on canvas.

I told her that I started out drawing in coloured pencil, but quickly
switched to watercolour, and then to acrylic when I studied with
Skip Lawrence in California.

After that conversation, scrolling through my former blogs I found
this watercolour, and I like it.  Spring is coming.  Meanwhile
enjoy the Month of Love.

Have a loving your life day!

Love matters

 

Robin's Message of Love

8 x 8 inches

Acrylic on canvas
Barbara Muir © 2017

I have been painting for most of the day -- which started early 
picking up work from the Off The Wall show at the Heliconian|
Hall.  Fun to see artist friends, and then back to the studio.

I'm taking a brief break now to wish you a Happy Month of
Love.  So perfect that Steven and I have decided to call 
February The Month of Love, when it is super cold outside
- 5 Celsius, feels like - 10.  So we need the warmth of the 
sweet strings of hearts hanging in a local coffee shop window,

the delight in letting people know you care about them.

I like this painting, which I use as one of my Valentine's 
cards.  The robin looks sprightly, and also determined --

as in let's get on with this love thing okay. 

Fine by me Robin.  I'm on it.

Have a loving your life day!

Happy Month of Love

A Lovebird acting as a banner.

The original (on the left) is 

Acrylic on canvas

8 x 8 inches

Barbara Muir ©

A few years ago, I decided to think about February as the 

Month of Love, not just the month for Valentine's
Day, but for a whole month of hearts, which I love, flowers and
happy thoughts when possible.  That can be a serious challenge. 

I sold some cards featuring my Valentine's paintings 
at the last opening of the Off The Wall show. Thank you to
the people who bought them.  Yes there are more!

So please spread love wherever, and whenever you can. People
need love and affection. Your posts and work make me happy, and
help make me love my life, even when the news is grim. Thank you.

Have a loving your life day.!

One great thing about International Art Exhibitions

 

Journal Sketch
of my friend Miranda Brouwers
marker on journal paper
6 x 8 inches
Barbara Muir © 2024

We hung out with wonderful family artists today after visiting the
Brickworks market, where we very much miss seeing Jens Eller
and Cole from Marvellous Edibles farms. Tonight is movie night
and it's already late. So this post from last year seems perfect.

"If you ever get the chance to show in International shows,
I hope you do it.  Of course there is so much to learn -- how
to navigate, what to send, how to manage shipping, where
to stay.  But the most wonderful part of the whole experience
is the friendships you make that last.

This is a really rough, fast sketch of one of those friends
for me -- Miranda Brouwers -- an amazing artist, and 
fabulous friend.  We met in Florence Italy at the 2015 
Florence Biennale, and formed what we called The Happy
People group, to cheer other artists on through the 10 days
of exhibiting.

We showed together again at the Louvre in 2016. And have
kept in constant touch ever since. Miranda is currently
devoting her work to beautiful cards, T-shirts, invitations,
and art that helps people celebrate the important moments
in their lives. I will do a more refined drawing another time.
Meanwhile have fun Miranda."

I'm still friends with people I met in Florence, Paris and in
New York City who come from all over the world.
Miranda and I have seen each other in Europe again too.
And every time we talk on the phone (once
a week most of the time) -- the conversation starts with both
of us laughing. Such a treat!

Have a loving your life day!

In a world that can be terrifying -- I thank you for my happiness!

Tea Alone

Acrylic on canvas

30 x 30 inches

Barbara Muir © 2013,

revised 2023

(This painting seems right for tonight!)

10 Reasons To Be Happy Today

I used the exercise 10 Reasons to be Happy that
I made up, (but it may not be original), with impressive
results when I was teaching Positive Psychology. 
At the start of a class I'd pick 10 people to go the
front of the room and start a sentence with, "I'm happy
because", and then say why.  I'd explain that the
reason could be very small -- as in, "I'm happy
because I caught the bus on time."  It was
amazing to see that the people who came to the front
of the class, said why they were happy, and let the class
clap for them -- got happier. It sounds like psychobabble magic,
but in fact it's the same principle as blogging and
showing work for artists, and as writing in a journal
and then reading it aloud to friends or people
in a writing group.  It gives people a voice.

Having a voice in art and in the world matters.  Getting a
chance to think about what makes you happy,
shifts your focus to the positive, and as I've told
you before, the former happiness teacher at Harvard
University, Shawn Achor, says that when we are
happy we think not only more creatively, but
better.  Here's today's list:

1. My wonderful husband.

2. Our family -- Christopher, Megan, Sam, Emily, 

Alice, Madeleine and James.

2. Our animals -- Sally the dog, and Monet the cat.
3. My friends both here in Toronto, and around the world
through the art world.

4. My life as an artist.
5. Our walks at Lake Ontario when it's not -18 Celsius.

6. Our neighbourhood.
7. Our city -- I love Toronto.

8. My good health.

9. The art groups I belong to -- The Heliconian club,
and The Don Valley Art Club.

10.You! 
I'll add a couple:

11. The wonderful people who cleared our
street today.

12. The people who collect my work.

Thank you for everything!!!

Have a loving your life day!

I like this now, and working on the behind the scenes

 

Toronto Man

Charcoal, acrylic ink, and

acrylic on canvas

24 x 24 inches
Barbara Muir © 2024

I showed this Acrylic ink drawing on canvas in the Drawing from
Life show last year at the Heliconian Hall. At the time I was not
happy with it compared to the sketchbook drawing that inspired it. 
I like it now. 

The man is wearing a trench coat, because last year at this point
in the winter we had had mostly rain.  This year in January alone

we've had 88 centimetres of snow.  And that's a lot.

Behind the scenes in art for me? -- preparing canvasses with two
layers of gesso, searching through my references for inspiration,

organizing an art show. All good.

Anyway Toronto Man -- thank you for being an inspiration.

Have a loving your life day.

A short one tonight -- Happy rest of the week

 Ken's flowers

Acrylic on canvas

8 x 8 inches

Barbara Muir © 

Sold

A lot going on today -- plus painting, but the current piece is not
quite ready.  I dug my car out of the snow, which was quite a 
task.  Plus after work Steven helped me with the rest.  Hey I got
my steps -- so great.  

There will be more to say soon.  We're trying to organize an
April show.  Still a few details to sort out.

Have a loving your life day!

Snow, snow, snow

 

Snow in the backyard

Photo

Barbara Muir © 2026

A couple of days ago we had two feet of snow. Although it makes
many things more difficult, it's a good thing because in recent
winters we've had almost no snow in Toronto, and that is not 
good for the environment.  We need winter.

So despite the cold, and the inconvenience, Torontonians are of two minds, because they have no idea when it will disappear.  I haven't dug my car out yet, but the side roads are not much fun right now.  Two lanes don't exist, so each trip is a matter of intense negotiation.

Here’s a look at the backyard in this beautiful snow. Of course we
artists are enchanted, but it sure is cold.

Have a loving your life day.

Happy Birthday to a great person and allow yourself to be happy

Market pansies in a cream jug
work in progress
Acrylic ink and marker
on watercolour paper
5.5 x 8.5 inches
Barbara Muir © 2023

Today was an amazingly beautiful day after 2 feet of snow fell yesterday.
And today was our young family member's birthday. We're glad she's
a winter freak, and had a wonderful day!

I'm thinking about happiness because aside from constantly finding in
research that it's good for your health, it feels like a form of resistance
now.  As I say every time I express this, I mean that if we are living in
comfort -- have a roof over our heads, food to eat, enough money to
pay our bills -- we are blessed in a world full of turmoil, and need to
be grateful.

As artists our rebellion involves sharing the beauty we see. As people
we can rebel by doing everything we can to help others, and by
appreciating our joy.

It feels like a good moment to share this information from
a former post.  I taught positive psych as a college prof for
10 years.  Loved it and learned so much. I edited this a 
bit for the current moment.

"The Happiness Trick

Is there a trick to happiness?  Yes.  People have written books
about how.  But there is a secret to being happy.  We have to
allow it.  I heard about this phenomenon called the "Nocebo
response".  In medicine it is related to telling a patient that
they will not get better. This message apparently has such a
profound effect on the person's mind that she shuts the door
on hope, and may get rapidly worse.

My great happiness magic for today is to talk yourself out of
it.  Of the depression you could get because in this city many of
our cars are buried in snow banks, and digging them out takes a 
long time. It's been quite grey but today it was quite sunny for a while in

Toronto. And in painting of the fear that you can't do it.

Try this.  Instead of freaking out about what you can't do,
start with "This is easy!"  Just repeat that a few times, and
watch your shoulders quit tightening into a vice grip.
As for painting or drawing -- we need to take a look at how
tough things are in the world, and let ourselves know how lucky
we are to be compelled to make something, and to have the
 freedom to create."

Have a loving your life day!