The universe provides

Brothers playing

Acrylic on canvas

12 x 16 inches

Barbara Muir © 

I may have said that before -- the universe provides.
It's been a catch phrase of my existence for some
time.  Combine that with Mike Dooley's Note from
the Universe this morning -- I get them in my
email on weekdays -- about being happy, and here
we are.

I was exhausted tonight after teaching.  I have a great
class, and it was good tonight, but I drink a lot of
coffee to keep going, and felt like I'd hit the wall
when I got home.  I was not going to blog, but I am
blogging daily now, and didn't want to stop.

So I went looking for something to write about and
came upon this sweet portrait of my sons that touched
at my heartstrings.  I love those boys, now men, so much.
I feel so grateful for the experience of being a mother.
And I am so lucky that they grew up to be wonderful
men.  This painting brings back the delights of having
children in the house.  At this nostalgic time of year,
it seems appropriate.

Have a loving your family day.

Sentimental Sunday

Chris Muir on the set of his short film "Bye"

Watch it here: 

It's easy to get sentimental with a garden full of gorgeous
flowers and the temperature falling way too rapidly.
Out in Alberta they had snow today! But to write my
blog tonight, I decided to look back on events that
happened on this day.

On this day n 2011 my son Christopher was directing
what I believe was one of his first films Bye.  Steven
and I were in the studio, and I had a very
minor role in the short film.  It was an exciting day, and
I was so proud of Christopher, who has gone on to be a
pro photographer, and now a Director for music videos,
ads and films.

Looking back and seeing this joyous photo of him on
the set, I felt so happy at the memory, and so proud
of where he's taken his incredible talent.

Have an enjoying your present moments and memories day.

Recognizing two geniuses -- Elton John and Bernie Taupin

Bernie Taupin

Black marker on drawing paper

10 x 12 inches

Barbara Muir © 2013

My husband Steven and I watched Rocketman tonight.  What
an amazing movie -- a tour de force about Elton John's
life.

All through the film I was thinking back to meeting
Bernie Taupin, and to how I really didn't get his part
in the music of Elton John until I saw it clearly in
this movie.  I'm so glad the film made it clear, that
Elton John is the music, and Bernie Taupin, his
loyal, incredibly wonderful friend, is the words.

Without the music the words would not sing, and
without the words, the songs would not be great.
The whole story hit me powerfully, and I'm
so glad I got to meet the genius who wrote
the words.  And I'm glad that we share a love
of making art -- as in painting.

Have an enjoying the brilliance around you day.

Focusing on the environment -- we need action now.

The ocean series

Wonder Water Image paintings #1, #2, #3

Acrylic on canvas

Barbara Muir © 2014 

Water Image paintings #2, #3, #1

Acrylic on canvas

Barbara Muir © 2010 Each painting is 30 x 30 inches

My portrait focus started to include the ocean and the environment in

2010.  I knew we had to save the ocean, and wanted to make a room of

people in front of their favourite ocean scenes, that could link together

horizontally by a band of colour representing the sand in the various

locations.

Today people from all over

greater Toronto and beyond

came out to make their presence matter. 

Current estimates put the crowd at 30,000/

The march begins.

Protesters worried about

climate change start their march.

So today joining the Climate Strike March at Queen's Park felt like the

least I could do.  I feel so powerfully for the young people who are

so worried about the future of the planet.  And I am proud of them

for working on waking up the rest of the population.  I fervently 

hope it works.  

Thank you to Faye and Eric Jordan who helped me navigate both

the subway and the crowds.  My knee chose this morning to act

up and hurt like hell.  But my husband, Steven urged me to go

and witness this amazing event, and I'm glad I was there.  I didn't do

the full march, but I did what I could do.

We were urged to ask our supporters (you out there) to sign on
to Freegrassy: Grassy Narrows Solidarity on Facebook to urge
the government to fund special healthcare facilities for
the people of Grassy Narrows who were exposed to lethal
levels of mercury poisoning and have not recovered.  That was
one of many topics for the day.

Have a caring about the environment day.

Nasturtiums and more from the peach chronicles

 

Night Nasturtiums 

Watercolour on watercolour paper

5 7/8 x 9.5 inches

Barbara Muir © 2012

Nasturtiums are one of the hardiest and happiest
flowers in my garden, and at this time of year seem
to attract bees in surprising numbers.  This is good
because we want the bees to survive.  Right!
My kitchen is enjoying  several white cream pitchers
filled with nasturtiums -- so pretty, and the perfect
backdrop for more peach production.

Tonight I was freezing the last of the second batch
of peaches from the market. They are juicy, messy,
smell divine and I've frozen another tray.

Peaches ready to go into the freezer --

pure peaches, no lemon, or sugar,

just peaches.  So good!

After  taking them off the wax paper, and putting them in
a reused freezer bag with the air sucked out, they
look like this.

Summer is in the bag.

Have an enjoying the bounty of the season day.

A super night at the Heliconian

My painting Sky High Summer Joy

is featured in The Heliconian Club Yearbook

Last night was a big night at the Heliconian Club in Toronto.
The club is the oldest women's art club in Canada and is housed in an
extremely beautiful building downtown on Hazelton Avenue, that was
once a church. At the President's Reception the outgoing president, Mary
Perdue, welcomed the new club president Ruthia Pak Regis.
The new artists, dancers, writers, and musicians in residence were welcomed.
And the new members in the club in each area (Visual Arts, Music, Dance,
Literature and Humanities) were introduced, welcomed and each given a
beautiful rose.

Members enjoying the presentations sit under

the work from the Encounter show.  I loved

seeing them under the wall featuring my work and

I felt proud to be a new member of the Visual Arts section and
part of a group of amazingly talented women in every area of
the arts.  Spectacular.  Plus my work was featured in the Heliconian
Club Yearbook -- an incredible honour. I would have missed that completely
 if fellow artist, and new member, Faye Jordan hadn't pointed it out to me.

I met some of the artists in various fields and felt so happy
that I'd decided to join the club, and grateful to the women
who sponsored me.

The beautiful rose I received for

being a new member.

It was also a pleasure to have this lovely event going on in the
middle of our Encounter show, which was a delightful
backdrop to the evenings festivities.

Wonderful food was displayed beautifully in the center of the
club, and at the end of the festivities we were all offered
champagne to toast the new members and each other.

Jane Blackstone serves champagne.

How wonderful!

In other words a perfect night.

Have a supporting fellow artists day.

Holding on to summer

Wildly happy flowers

watercolour, acrylic ink and black marker

on watercolour paper

6 x 9 inches

Barbara Muir © 2019

I found this watercolour I hadn't finished, and

added more colour. It might be complete.  Everyone

is talking about fall, pumpkins are on sale.  Halloween 

candy has been filling the shelves in grocery stores for a month,

but I am holding on.

In the daytime now it can still be quite hot, but most of the time it

is perfect out -- the best -- warm, but not hot -- energizing. At

night the fall cool hits, and of course eventually both the cold

and the night will win out, and we will live through those 

short days, and long nights, and bebam it will be winter.

But right now our white anemones are six feet tall, and a mass

of white blooms.  Our back porch is newly painted and rebuilt and

the gleaming white shouts out summer, summer, summer!  Yes.

A great night tonight at the Heliconian Club, but more about

that tomorrow.  

Have a holding onto summer day.