Grateful for May -- and incredibly packed and joyous month

 

Our garden in bloom (detail in progress)
 Acrylic on canvas
 30 x 30 inches
 Barbara Muir © 2024
SOLD 💖

Our garden in bloom
The whole painting

The detail and full view of the painting above captures one of
my favourite paintings -- a commission to honour a friend's
fantastic garden.

In Toronto it has been a wonderful slow, cool spring. Remembering
Toronto's recent overwhelmingly hot summers we have loved it.
And May was a beautiful month with spring unfolding
so slowly, we could see things developing and felt so happy
and excited.

At the moment the city is filled with beautiful lilacs like the ones

in the painting, and white spirea bushes.  Flowers are coming up 

everywhere. It is all happening. 

I hope you had a great weekend.

Have a loving your life day!

Beautiful Don Valley Art Club show at Todmorden Mills

 

Summer of '69
Acrylic on canvas
Jennifer Hinrichs ©

Today we went to see the fabulous Don Valley Art Club 2026 Spring Awards
Show.  I went to see the painting above by my good friend and amazing a

artist, Jennifer Hinrichs.  And she not only won the AmyYi Chen Portrait
Award, she sold the painting!  So wonderful.

The show was absolutely fantastic -- so many artists, such great work. And the
people sitting the show were so warm and kind and informative.  My 
husband and I loved it.  I wish I took more photos, but I was so busy
enjoying the work.  I think it was the last day today.  If not make sure
to check it out. 

Have a loving your life day!

One story

Monique
Photo (selfie with Maya)
Maya Mulametovic © 2026

Today there is one story.  Yes I worked on my art -- picked up a reference
photo from my printer, took a work to be framed, and bought paint for
my current work.

But the only real story is our new kitten Monique.  Oh boy,  During the
day this tiny being sleeps -- but watch out at night.  We've had to rearrange
all the sleeping arrangements of the animals to try and keep this tiny
rocketgirl safe,

Funny.  And exhausting.

Today family came by, played with Monique and made art.

Enjoy your pets.  I know we do, 

Have a loving your life day!

Looking back to the first May 2008 -- like today it was all about cats

 

The cats take it easy 
(Fiona lying down, Monet
sitting.)
Photo
Barbara Muir © 2024
(This was a photo
of Fiona who died
at 18 last June,

and Monet who was missing

her.  We hope Monet and
Monique -- both female
Siamese can enjoy
one another. That was the
idea.)

Sorry I had computer issues last niight.  This is yesterday's post.
Back in 2008, my first year blogging, Steven was away on May
28 for work, and the house seemed quiet without him, but
the cats (we had two at the time) decided to snuggle together
on our bed, something they didn't do normally.

We could do with some of that peaceful behaviour today, as
yesterday we got a new Siamese kitten, 12 weeks old who we've decided
to name Monique.  Our four year old, also female Siamese cat is Monet.
So yes -- the names are similar.

We got the kitten because we didn't want Monet to be lonely if our dog
Sally, now blind and deaf (13) got ill.  Monet is acting like this is the
worst betrayal ever. A cat who has never hissed and is never upset is
hissing and yelling a lot. Our hope is that in time she will discover that
Monique is a friend.

As it was in 2008 the garden is lush with blue forget me nots.
Such an amazing sight. 

The other similarity is that I have a super good novel, and 
I'm working on a painting not ready for viewing. I hope if you

have pets that everyone is getting along. 

Have a good travelling day.

Delighted to be in the art world

 

Tree by the lake
Acrylic on canvas
24 x 24 inches
Barbara Muir ©

I'm going to a meeting tonight at the Heliconian Hall for the
artists in the World in a City exhibition.  The show comes
down tonight, and we wanted to get together with the artists
who joined us for the show invited by Heliconian members.
I invited my friend Georgia Fullerton, who has two 
beautiful paintings in the exhibition.

I found the painting above scrolling through my blog,
and I think I may have painted over it.  It's a beautiful
day here in Toronto, and it seems right for the mood
today.

One exciting part of being an artist is being ready to
change something so it works better.  I think when I
finished this I thought it wasn't good enough.  But when
I look at it now I see that two more  trees
could have made it better. Then I'd just written that and 
went through all of my paintings and found it. So that's
what I'm working on.

I love watching Mitchell Johnson videos on Instagram
for that reason as I've told you before. He changes work
all the time -- sometimes when it is hanging in a show!

One good thing about having a blog is that even if older
work is changed, or gone -- the images live on.

Have a loving your life day!

More Paris dreams

The gorgeous restaurant

in the Musée d'Orsay, Paris 

Photo:

Barbara Muir ©

Here's what I talked about a year ago, and strangely enough I am
thinking exactly the same thing today one year later.

"Sometimes the life of an artist is about cleaning up the studio,
sorting things out.

It's been a great day, lovely weather, and of course we're dreaming
of Paris, and this amazing restaurant in the middle of one of the most
spectacular museums in the world, the Musée D'Orsay.

Hope you had a wonderful day."

Have a loving your life day! 

Memory Monday

 

My model and Steven pose

with the portrait 

Alice on a good day

Acrylic on canvas

16 x 20 inches

Barbara Muir © 2024

Super busy today and this came up in my blog from Doors Open last year.
The same model and a dear friend modelled for me this year, and it's 
fascinating to see the difference.  More to come on that wonderful
afternoon, but for now -- here's the newer version of one of the day's 
paintings.  Much less time with two models.

Alice
Doors Open Sketch at The Heliconian Hall today
Acrylic on canvas
18 x 20 inches

Barbara Muir © 2026

Have a loving your life day!

Great day at the Heliconian Doors Open with my models Alice and Maya

Alice
Doors Open Sketch at The Heliconian Hall today
Acrylic on canvas
18 x 20 inches

Barbara Muir © 2026

I had a super time painting my two models -- 10 minutes for one, then 10 minutes

for the other one after another for two hours today.  Not an ideal plan for a very
slow painter (my art group will disagree with that, but this was different -- I know
these models), still it was cool.  We had a lot of fun. And my family came out to
see us, and the event. I took some breaks so it was probably 40 minutes per
painting. We were in the back room behind an exciting event with musicians,
dancers and of course the beautiful art show called World in a City, on until May 27. 

I hope to work a bit more on the other painting sketch done in this quick, quick
fashion. And then I'll show it to you.

I hope you had a great weekend.

Have a loving your life day!

Doors Open Toronto tomorrow -- come and visit the Heliconian Hall

I brought us a picnic

Acrylic on canvas

18 x 24 inches

Barbara Muir © 2026

Tomorrow is Doors Open in Toronto, which means
the Heliconian Hall, at 35 Hazelton Avenue, will be one
of the places you can visit.  I have 4 paintings in the
World in a City show hanging in the Hall -- a wonderful
exhibition about Toronto, featuring beautiful work.  The one 
I'm showing here is of a couple looking at Cedarvale park

Plus I will be working on one or two live portraits in the
backroom of the Hall from 2 - 4 p.m. I'd love to see you there
if you want to come by. It's free and it's going to be fun.

Have a loving your life day!

Happy Monthaversary of our first date to my sweet husband!

 

Steven and me on the Seine in Paris in 2022

on a boat cruise organized by the

curators of the show I was in in the
Louvre. 
That show was virtual so Steven and
I are wearing T-shirts decorated
with the painting I was exhibiting. 

Today is the Monthaversary of our first date. I was delighted to find
out recently that Neil Pasricha and his wife celebrate the anniversary
of their first date. I love this photo of Steven and me sailing down
the Seine as part of a celebration of being in an exhibition in the in
the Carousel du Louvre in 2022. 

We have been so lucky since that first date at a restaurant on
Yonge street (now gone sadly). At the time one of my friends
worked there, and we got treated like royalty.  We were
falling in love. I'm currently doing drawings of a young couple
newly in love, and they are so sweet. 

Have a loving your life day! 

There is only One story -- the stupid cancelling of Stephen Colbert-- his last show tonight

Drawing of a man

black marker on watercolour paper

8 x 10 inches

Barbara Muir © 

Of course there are a million equally important stories, but tonight
I am so sad that the network cancelled Stephen Colbert because
of a threat from the orange man.  As one of my friends said today
America is no longer America.  I think it is, but this kind of 
arbitrary shutting down of comedians who talk about the insanity

of bad, sometimes unconscionable, government decisions is
definitely a hit at what democracy is about.

I wish Stephen Colbert a new show with all of the team he
currently has who love working together.  And I also wish

that sensitive narcissists no longer have such arbitrary power.

Have a loving your life day!

 

A charming walk

Local lilacs
Photo

Barbara Muir © 

Today I was sitting on our front porch working on new ideas while workers
inside were finishing up.  And a friend walked by with one of my favourite
dogs.  So we went for a walk.  Perfect weather -- neither cold or hot, and the
neighbourhood is at it's spring peak.  

My dog was inside helping my husband with his full time Project Manager
work.  Plus she'd had two walks and she's blind and deaf.

I hope you had a great day too.

Have a loving your life day!

Paris, Paris, Paris and joy!

Thinking about Paris for the past few days.  We visited 
the city coming home on May 6, 2 years ago, so the 
desire to go back is strong right now. 
This is one of the photos I showed in a former blog.

My plan was to photograph the wonderful postcards I had

of my painting Dream Selfie in the Carrousel du Louvre show,
 in different venues around Paris -- giving my model Regan 
the Paris experience from a distance -- but I ended up being too 
busy in the moment to remember most of the time.  Here's one 

with Regan metaphorically enjoying a glass of delicious
Sancerre with us when we ate at Khao Thai, on rue Dauphine
most evenings. I did hand out many, many postcards
of Dream Selfie both at the Louvre and around Paris in my travels.
 Everyone loved them, which made me super happy.

One of Monet's exquisite Water lily paintings
 at the Orangerie in Paris. 

Because we arrived home from our last Paris trip just over two years ago,
Paris has been on my mind. That trip made me so happy. I could hardly
settle down to normal life. I kept being in a state of perpetual inexplicable
happiness for more than a month despite the grim state of the world. 
In the past week the memory seems to be taking over again two years later,
 once again making me inexplicably happy. And the world news gets 
more grim every day.

If you can manage it I recommend visiting Paris.

Have a loving your life day!

Happy Victoria day

Fireworks

display in the schoolyard

Photo

Barbara Muir ©

A short one tonight.  Steven and I went down to the lake today
We had both lunch, and dinner as take out.  Dinner was
a chicken burger from the wonderful Al Pa Cone's on the
waterfront. If you're in Toronto please write your MP to ask
them to stop the airport extension on our waterfront which
will ruin the beautiful parks where everyone was playing today
with friends, and family. Today is Victoria Day, a special
three day weekend holiday. So tonight we went to our local
park to watch the fireworks. Everyone calls today Firecracker
Day, or Queen Victoria's birthday.  

Someone just north of Cedarvale park was creating a
fabulous display. It was such a great day -- seeing the swans
on the lake, and amazing trees in beautiful bloom.  We saw
family Friday, went to a wonderful celebration of the
Heliconian Hall on Saturday, drove to London to see family
on Sunday, and enjoyed some of the best of Toronto today.

Have a loving your life day! 

Family fun and dreaming of Paris

 

First stop Paris

Acrylic on canvas

30 x 30 inches

Barbara Muir © 2012
(available)

(When I painted this painting I was
thinking about encouraging Shaniece
to go to Paris.  I hadn't exhibited
in Paris yet -- my first time
showing in the Carousel du Louvre was in
2015. But in a way the work was telling
the world that -- hey! I love Paris,
and since I painted this piece, I've visited Paris
a number of times, and exhibited in
the Louvre three times! Of course I loved
 it every time. Right now there's a 6 hour
 time difference between Toronto and Paris.
When you go there it's worth every
 minute of that difference.)

It's Sunday and we're visiting with family for the day.  This is Victoria
Day weekend in Canada.  Usually it's the weekend of May 24th, but
hey -- a three day weekend is a treat whenever.

It's  a beautiful day today, and we are having a great day.  Scrolling
through my blog I found this in a former post:

"My mind today is consumed with thoughts of Paris.  That
happens.  Have you ever been there? Well the place gets
into your psyche, and going once makes you want to
return.  And so on.  It is somewhat addictive -- beautiful
buildings, wonderful art, delicious food -- kind, brilliant
people."

This painting seems right today.  A dear friend gave us a new
sculpture of the Eiffel tower for our front lawn for my
birthday. We need to get new lights, and we will when
life is a bit less busy. The neighbours are fond of it so
we'll do that in the next couple of weeks.  Right now
the tulips are the main show.

Have a loving your life day. 

Happy Birthday to my wonderful friend Miranda Brouwers

Chu Okoli's photo of

Rolf Leemeijer, Miranda Brouwers,

Me and Chu at the gala dinner for the

2015 Florence Biennale

Chu Okoli © 2015

Yesterday some of our family members and the dog sang Happy Birthday
to Miranda and sent her the audio recording.  Miranda is in the Netherlands,

so the message was there when she woke up. I wish I could be there to
celebrate her birthday -- she is so much fun!

Miranda Brouwers is an amazing artist who I met at the 2015 Florence Biennale.

I can't believe it's almost 11years (11 years this fall) that I've known her.
If our schedules permit, we talk once a week.  And we love that conversation.
We always laugh when we say hello -- she is in the Netherlands, and I am
 in Toronto.

Here's what I wrote in a former post that seems perfect today:

"Miranda and I, and her husband Rolf, and the artist Chu Okoli (shown above)
met at the 2015 Florence Biennale in Florence, Italy.  It was such a wonderful
time, and all of us are still connected.  Miranda and I started the Happy People
Group at the Florence Biennale to keep the artists' spirits up during the long days
of sitting the10 day show.  And Miranda and I have been close friends ever since,

even though she lives in Breda, The Netherlands, and I live in Toronto, Canada.  

I so look forward to our weekly calls, and I'm always happy about the
conversation. Happiest of birthdays to my dear friend.  And love to all of
the family."

Have a loving your life day. 

 

The perfect painting for today

Pink in the city

Acrylic on canvas

16 x 16 inches

Barbara Muir © 2017

It's been an extremely busy day today, and tomorrow is going to be the same.
Before this gorgeous time in Toronto ends, I want to honour it with this
painting that captures it comepletely

I wrote a past blog post, that says exactly what I've been thinking today:

"When we were driving home today from picking up some essential
groceries I spotted this view. It’s happening. The trees like the ones
in this painting are at their full flower right now-- so beautiful.

I immediately thought that I need to rush out, and take some photographs
of this beauty while it lasts. I know we only have a few days, which doesn’t
seem fair, but it is the reality. I have got some great photos.  But this 
will do for now.

And I’m so happy that I cared enough about that glorious view to
create this painting."

Have a loving your life day! 

Sweet opening for Tanya Murdoch today at the At Origin Coffee

 

Harpist with the soul of a cellist
oil on canvas
12 x 12 inches
Tanya Murdoch © 2025

Tanya's opening today from 6-8 p.m. was perfect.  Wonderful exciting work in a

café environment.  Guests sitting down and enjoying snacks, delicious
coffee and conversation surrounded by amazing art. Go and see it when

you're in the neighbourhood of 687 Mount Pleasant and enjoy a superb
espresso.  Steven and I did.  

As always Tanya was welcoming and happy, and so were all of the
people who came out to the opening.

Have a loving your life day!

A delightful opening of World in a City at the Helconian Hall

 

Martha Davis 
explains her Diorama Welcome World
about the special day when she
was a school teacher when 
students from all over the world would
come dressed in the costumes from
their former homelands.

It was a great opening today, but as always I was so busy talking to people that
I didn't get many good photos.  It is an amazing show. Come and see it.  I put
the information on last night's blog.  I will share what photos I have on Instagram
story tomorrow 

Have a loving your life day!

Opening for World in a City

 

Tomorrow is the second opening for the May show at the Heliconian
Hall, World in a City, and it's a beautiful show.  It's all about our
city, Toronto and wow it is really something.

The opening runs from 4:30 - 7 p.m. at the Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Avenue,
in Toronto.  There will be treats and coffee, and as always it is free.  I'd love
to see you there.

Have a loving your life day!

Mother's Day continues

 

Mother and Child
Acrylic on canvas
30 x 30 inches

Barbara Muir © 

Some of my favourite paintings are of parents with their children,

and this is one.  This collector loved my work and I'm so happy
I could create meaningful work for her.  

I'm not sure whether I have enough paintings to celebrate a Mother's
Day week.  But I'm going to try, because I think mothers and
fathers too deserve more than one day a year of celebration.

I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend. I knowI did.  

Wishing you a joyous spring week, 

Have a loving your life day!

Happiest Mother's Day

 

The Writer's Life

Acrylic on canvas

30 x 30 inches

Barbara Muir © Revised 2025

Happy Mother's Day to all of you amazing mothers.
I feel so lucky to have two sweet sons, two lovely,
kind daughters-in-law, and a growing family.  Mother's 
Day is the best for me every day. My family is the a treat,
and my friends who mother me, and who are mothers
are also so fantastic.

I miss my mother who's been gone for thirteen
years -- I love you and miss you Mommy.  You are with me
every day in my heart.

In a former post this is what I saiid about this painting:

"This is one of my favourite paintings.  I just love how
the painting captures the mother's love and devotion to
her baby son, and her persistence -- to keep on working
while keeping the baby happy.  The woman in the painting
is a very successful novelist."

I hope you had a super Mother's Day.  I did. I had time with
my family, and enjoyed friends calling in. 

Have a loving your life day!

This is what the whole thing is about

Christopher Sleeping 

(journal drawing)

marker on paper

Barbara Muir © 2012

Baby Sam
8 1/2 x 11 inches
black marker on bond paper
Barbara Muir © 2009

This is what it's all about -- Mother's Day weekend.  Whether we

get to be with our children or not, they are 100% on our
minds, and in our hearts. And so are our mothers, whether
we can be with them, or call them, or if they've left this world--

they are in our hearts for the whole weekend.

I feel extremely grateful to my mother for being so kind,
generous and inspiring.  And I'm sorry she's no longer with us. 

My family dropped off beautiful roses for me today, so I am 

lucky and grateful.

Have a Happy Mother's Day weekend.

Have a loving your life day!

The joy of the blog's history

Picture with an archer (detail)
by Vasily Kandinsky
1909

One of the great pleasures about writing a blog is that it
holds the history of where I've been, and what I've 
been interested in.  Today I looked at this day in 2010.

I had been in a show in New York City, and while
we were there had enjoyed visiting the MoMA. 
Such an amazing gallery. I was impressed by 
Vasily Kandinsky's bright colours.  I think the subject
matter escaped me.

Here's what I wrote in 2010:

"While we were in New York we visited the MOMA
(Museum of Modern Art) twice. As an artist with
an exhibit in New York City, I got a special artist's
membership for a bit more than the price of a one
time admission, so the second time I went in free.

What can I say? There was so much to see that was
wonderful in the MOMA. 

But one of the things that I liked was the painting
Picture with an archer by Vasily Kandinsky. I took
several close up pictures of the painting, trying to
capture its intensity and texture. (Photos were permitted.)
It completely entranced me. The colour was so rich,
I know no photograph can convey what I saw. But
check it out next time you're at the MOMA."

Wishing you a great Mother's Day weekend.

Have a loving your life day!

Remembering Paris (yes this could go on and on, and will!)

Jardin des Tuileries, Paris
Photo
Barbara Muir © 2024

Two years ago today we were getting ready to leave Paris 
after a wonderful visit.  On the afternooon I posted this
image two years ago, we'd visited artist friends in their
apartment and they served us a beautiful wine apertif,
and delicious pastries. 

We had an amazing and exciting conversation about everything
happening in the world -- quite a job for me and Steven,
as Jean Philippe and Sophie Barbara were speaking
very fast, intelligent french -- and so much fun.

Like today in Toronto the weather was perfect -- a little bit cool,
and sunny. The whole city seemed happy. Torontonians are
so keen for summer right now, that many are wearing shorts in
10 degree Celsius, 50 degrees Fahrenheit.  Very Canadian.

Have a loving your life day!

Happy Birthday to my wonderful brother

Shorelines, The Gatineau River
My Brother Andrew
12" x 12"
Acrylic on canvas
Barbara Muir ©

It's my wonderful brother's birthday today, and I wish
I could be with him and his wife and Steven singing
Happy Birthday. We will sing for sure -- over the
phone with our dog Sally singing her favourite song --|

Happy Birthday means a treat. And she loves treats.
It would be a treat to be with Andrew and his sweet
wife Lina. We will get together soon

Here's what I said in a former post: 

"My brother Andrew and I support each other in
our artistic efforts (He's a writer, was a host on an
Ottawa talk show about art, a conceptual artist,
an excellent painter, and a photographer).
We've also worked together on numerous projects
writing and editing articles, speeches, websites.

Andrew is one of the funniest people I know.
Working with him was like all the best
working relationships because we laughed so much
no matter what we were doing.

This painting of Andrew is one of my husband's
favourites. The painting is a 12" x 12" square.
It looks less vibrant here than it is in real life.
One day I hope to paint similar paintings of everyone
I know, and clip them together to make one huge work."

I like the dream I had then. Nice idea.  Right now
other ideas are in the works.

Happy Birthday Andrew.

Have a loving your life day!