Tea at the AGO (Work in progress)
Watercolour on Arches watercolour paper
10 x 14 inches
Barbara Muir © 2012
The world is both happy and sad -- inside and outsideour personal worlds. Spring has been halted for a day
here by freezing cold temperatures, sending us all
back into our winter coats. That makes me happy.
The light today was over-the-top wonderful. Let's
hope the apple trees on a farm where one of my
students works don't lose their two-months-early
blossoms to the frost -- or no apples. Sad is the news,
and stories of disaster from around the world. In either
case the artist's answer is to paint. I prefer to paint
happy. My philosophy being that there's plenty of
sorrow to go around. I don't mean sugary fairyland
happy -- although I'm all for that too. I just mean the
warmer side of the life spectrum, the happier place to
be on a frosty night.
The painting tonight is a work in progress of tea
at the AGO. The Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto
is our major gallery in the province (one of them,
because the National Gallery in Ottawa is also impressive).
A friend has given us memberships for the past few
years. The result? We head to the member's lounge
the moment we go in the gallery, then happily spend
a couple of hours looking at art, fortified with a very
nice tea, and maybe some delicious egg salad, or
tuna fish sandwiches. You need to be well nourished
to spend the afternoon looking at great art. Why?
Fantastic art gets your spirits jumping, and gives
your brain and heart a work out. A sustaining
sandwich in advance is excellent prep.
Have an-enjoying-painting-happy-or-sad day.
