Honouring older work

At the art show

Acrylic on canvas

24 x 24 inches

Barbara Muir © 2011 

I was scrolling through my blog looking for posts about this
day (June 30) and found a post about a piece I was 
working on 11 years ago.  I love the painting, which is of
an artist and her daughter -- from a photo I took at a show
at the Don Valley Art Club.  

I love how the painting captures the love between
the mother and daughter, and how proud the daughter is of
her mother's work. These are special times that will come
back to us as art shows open up again, and we can share
our work with a live audience.  These moments mean the
world to artists, who spend most of their days working 
alone.

Have a loving your life day.

July 1 means the world to me

The Life Changer

Black marker on drawing paper

11 x 14 inches

Barbara Muir © 2014

This week is the week of Canada Day on July 1.  Fire crackers are
already going off in the neighbourhood. Unlike in past years
not as many people are putting up Happy Canada Day signs,
or the red and white Maple Leaf flag.  The invasion of Ottawa, our capital
this winter, changed our feelings about the flag.  It was used
as a symbol of the trucker convoy who positioned themselves

in front of the parliament buildings and stayed for weeks,
because they wanted "freedom" mostly it seemed from masks,
and the vaccines that have been saving our lives during this
pandemic. And apparently they are going back for Canada Day.

 
So we won't be hanging a flag like we have before this whole

fiasco happened.   The front of our house is already
white, with red shutters, (white and red are the colours of
the Canadian Flag), so we've got the theme going.

But for me Canada Day will always mean something infinitely
more important.  Because Canada Day was also the day I
went into the hospital with labour pains. And I had my baby boy,
Christopher, the next day.

This image is of a mother and child looking at one
another after the birth for the first time.  That mother
and child are me and Christopher.  Yes I wasn't always
blonde.  The drawing is far from perfect, but I think
it gets that shock, absolute love, and wonder on the
mother's face, and the shock of being in the world --
and "who are you? " on the baby's face.

And what a delight that baby, now a grown man, is in our
lives.

Happy Birthday Week Christopher.

 

Great art group tonight

Art group sketch --
Man in blue
Acrylic on canvas
16 x 20 inches
Barbara Muir © 2022

Working with my art group is almost magical.  I think I had
about 45 minutes with them tonight, and 30 was this pose.
We were lucky to have a great model, and this image flew
onto my canvas.  That's the most fun -- how painting a 
person who is modelling live transmits the image almost
without thought.

Amazing.

Wishing you a wonderful day.

End of day

Late day light
Cherrywood
Acrylic ink on 
watercolour paper
6 x 8 inches
Barbara Muir © 2022

Yesterday was such a joyous day.  And when we took the dog
for a short walk the sky was magnificent.  I am not a sunset
painter -- never say never.  But this sky captivated me, and
I wanted to give it a try.

Here it is. Acrylic ink is maybe not the best for clouds, still I 
had fun trying to get that beauty down, even with the wrong
medium. What I hadn't planned on was spending most of the
day with it.  Some days in an artist's life are like that, and 
everything is learning.  Now back to the canvas. Yay!

Have a loving your life day.

We need to talk about it

Happiest Day
Acrylic ink on 
watercolour paper
4 x 6 inches
Barbara Muir © 2022
(Our anniversary was
a very happy day.  But the
news that came out
about Roe v. Wade
being overturned that
day was devastating.)

This is the little painting I did for a Happy Anniversary card for Steven.
It’s been a complicated weekend emotionally. I am overjoyed to be
celebrating my happy marriage. We’ve had a beautiful time despite
the fact that I’m still recovering from whatever bug hit me last week.

And today is my friend Georgia’s birthday and I wish her the happiest day.

I can’t ignore and don’t want to what’s happening in our neighbouring country
south of the border. The women of the United States have been betrayed by
their own Supreme Court, which on Friday overturned Roe versus Wade and
the right to a safe, legal abortion.

This has happened in a country that will not eliminate assault weapons so that
people shopping for groceries, and little children in school will be safe from
being murdered. I am heartbroken, and will do whatever I can as a Canadian
to help my neighbouring country's women. 

If you have women friends, and you talk to them seriously about their lives,
I'd predict that the majority have either had an abortion or taken the morning
after pill. We have been so lucky to have that right. And in Canada we still do.
Every woman deserves the right to choose. 

Have a making a difference day.

A Happy Saturday

Waves for you
Acrylic ink on 
watercolour paper
6 x 8 inches
Barbara Muir © 2022

 It was a hot one here in Toronto today. Steven and I continued our anniversary
 weekend celebrations. We went to the market to see the farmer who sells wonderful
 lettuce, quiche, eggs and delicious pastries for Steven.

Because it was hot we went for a walk in the mall (masked). We haven’t even been
to a mall more than a couple of times in the past year. It was a shock and also fun to
see all the artistic decorations in the stores used to try and sell us stuff. COVID has
made being a consumer seem frivolous. 

And I painted this happy acrylic ink painting based on a memory from Nova Scotia.
I love the sight of waves, and of course I love clouds. So this little painting has it all.

Wishing you a very happy Sunday.

Happy Anniversary Steven

Me and Steven on our
wedding day
(I had dark hair--yes)

More recently in Paris
Photo
Steven van Schaik ©

This will be short and sweet because it's our wedding anniversary.
We've had a wonderful day - sleeping in, reading, puttering around
the house.  We had a take out lunch, then a walk at one of
our favourite parks by the lake. 

Our flower store gave me peonies (one of my favourite flowers),

and Steven bought us a take out dinner from one of our favourite
restaurants. We toasted our very happy marriage, and our great life
together.

 Perfect.

 Have a loving your life day.