Happy Anniversary and the painting progresses

At the art show (detail) Work in progress

Acrylic on canvas

24 x 24 inches

Barbara Muir © 2011

Today was our wedding anniversary.  We are hopeless
romantics even though we've been together a long time,
but decided to keep it simple today -- with flowers (the
flowers we buy one another every weekend), cards,
a quick bite at home and then a very funny movie tonight --
Bridesmaids -- exactly our cup of tea.  Afterwards we
drove by the house I was living in when we fell in love,
and then toasted one another with champagne on the back
porch and felt quite giddy with happiness.

One of many bad photos we took of ourselves in

Montreal a couple of weeks ago, trying to get

ourselves under the Narcisse sign (French for

Narcissus). Well we look at least as silly as this

tonight.

Tonight I'm showing you the portrait of the mother
and daughter -- still a work in progress.  I am working
on commissions that have to remain unseen for a little
while yet.  Then all will be revealed.  It's been a lovely
evening, and we've decided to make it a weekend of
celebration -- so if no more paint graces these
pages, you'll understand.

Have a falling-in-love-again day.

1001 blog posts

 Ready for joy

(work in progress)

Acrylic on canvas

24 x 24 inches

Barbara Muir © 2011

Happy, Happy 2011.  So far it's been an overwhelmingly
amazing year.  Pure bliss.  Part of that is because it's
almost a holiday, although I'm painting, and part
is because of the great conversations I've had with
friends.  Also I'm reading a superb novel that I discovered
because of Oprah's summer reading book reviews
called The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake.  I
have been having the most wonderful creative dreams,
and am filled with ideas for projects.  I implore the
universe to let this feeling last.  As I only had two
half glasses of champagne on New Years Eve, I
can't blame my euphoria on the bubbles.  But
isn't it a glorious thing when you feel that all is
right with the world.  We artists are sensitive beings,
and life isn't always (pardon my illusion to the novel)
a piece of cake.

It could just be that my husband's been away a lot
on business this fall, and having great amounts of
time together feels like a present.  Last night I sent
him a series of ridiculous videos of me singing three
of our all time favorite terrible songs.  What are
they?  "We'll sing in the sunshine," "McArthur Park"
and "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad."  I emailed each
crazy video from my computer to his, then we watched
them laughing hysterically.  Our shared humour is
really ridiculous, but such a treat.  Just so you know
I am probably one of the worst singers on the planet.

Have a loving-this-new-year day.

Hey I won the lottery!

What?  Now you want to know what happened.
I mean the life lottery.  Every single day as an
artist I feel lucky.  Yesterday I had lunch with an
artist friend, and another artist friend of the family
visited my studio last night and oohed and aahed
about my work.  It's such an amazing feeling to be around
people who understand you, and get your work.
It was like a blessing.  (How would that go? --
"Go forward my child and continue your wonderful
work." Well all right then.  I will.)

 The baby's asleep

(work in progress)
Acrylic on canvas

8 x 8 inches

Barbara Muir © 2010

Earlier at my friend's house as we talked
I'd been dazzled by her paintings on the walls,
and in her studio.  I was so fascinated by what she was
doing.  We talked about how lucky we were
to have this passion for art.  On the way home
I thought about a story about a  man who went
to see a guru (I wonder if I heard this in a movie
recently) and when asked what he wanted, the
man said, "to win the lottery."  What was the
guru's advice "buy a ticket!"  So I bought a
ticket.

An artist's bounty at the park today

But I wondered why I so rarely check my actual
lottery tickets to see whether or not I've won.
The answer is simple.  I already have.  I live
a life filled with love, compassion, fun and beauty
full time.  I am an artist -- and that my friends is
like winning the lottery every day.

Zoey enjoys our neighbourhood park

Have an I-just-won-the-life-lottery day.