Artists need adventure

Tulips unwrapped
watercolour on Arches watercolour paper
10 x 14 inches
Barbara Muir © 2010

Perhaps I should have taken a camera with me today
when I went down to Gwartzman's art store to pick
up some canvasses, on Spadina Avenue. I knew I'd
have fun after my friend and I had settled the business
of the canvasses and carried them back to the car.
That done, we were in one of the most
colourful and vibrant parts of the city. The art store
is in an area where I used to spend a great deal of
time, as a student, young married person, and first
time mother. It sits right in the middle of Toronto's
Chinatown and Kensington Market.

When I was a kid from the suburbs attending art
school, there was nothing more exciting, or exotic
in the city than this area. And now that all of Toronto
is a wide mix of different cultural influences these
streets are still compelling. Colourful shops line
Spadina and all the small side streets. Restaurants
with food from every part of the globe vie for attention
with open market stalls stacked with bright coloured
fruits and vegetables, fish and meat stores, and vintage
clothing shops.

My friend and I were walking along and couldn't
resist the lure of bakeries, cheese shops, stores
with beautiful silk Chinese purses, and quaint little
shops with Marimekko fabric. It was a pure
delight.

I bought Steven cheese, and fancy breads, and
a beautiful apple pie that was as decorative as
anything you'd find in a Paris bakery. I wish
I could send the smells to you over the Internet --
they were delicious. Even though all we did was
walk around oohing and aahing, we felt like
we'd been eating non-stop. We were full with the
impression of mouth watering food from every
country on the planet.

I went home to my colourful little house, which
seemed pretty tame after the riot of colour we'd
seen, and did this quick watercolour of the tulips
I finally put in water last night. So they were both
first out of the wrapping, and last. One bunch each.
These are the last flowers from last Saturday to
make it into a vase. I put them in a beautiful, big
antique Victorian jug and recorded them for you.

Have an-I-should-get-out-more day.

A house filled with flowers

Tulips First
watercolour sketch
watercolour on Arches watercolour paper
10 x 12 inches
Barbara Muir © 2010
(I called it tulips first, because the
tulips were the first to make it out
of the big enamel pitcher we keep
the flowers in in the kitchen
sink, until they're arranged
in vases all over the kitchen and
studio. The tulips insisted on
being first.)

There was a character in a movie we watched recently
who didn't like to have flowers in her house. She
must have been crazy. But today with school,
painting and marking I've noticed I bought
so many flowers yesterday that I haven't had time
 to arrange them all.

But before I made supper (my night), I did this
fast watercolour sketch of the tulips. I was trying
to stick to 20 minutes, but can't seem to create
anything in less than 30. So I roughed the whole
thing in in about 20, and when I went back at it
for a few minutes after supper, the tulips had
moved and grown and changed completely.

There was another wonderful program on crows
on CBC's Ideas program on CBC Radio tonight.
If it's there I'll include the link. School is early
tomorrow. I'm going to go and work on another
painting now. I wish you a lovely Tuesday.
It will be cold and rainy here, but everyone
seems in good spirits. We know that rain will
give us a beautiful flowering spring soon.

Have a-dreaming-of-gorgeous-gardens day.