Perfect painting for the day

All dressed up for you
Acrylic on canvas
24 x 24 inches
Barbara Muir © 2019

The fall cool has begun in earnest at night. But during the day the sun
warms things up, and luckily the garden is still going. We’ve had
some family health matters happening today (all is well), so I'm not
going to talk to you for long.

A friend in Texas is travelling to a state north of her place to see the
fall colours, and the leaves are just starting to turn here.  They are
absolutely stunning.

The first time I showed this painting, a woman (an artist), came up to me
and told me I had it all wrong. Can we agree that unless you're an art
teacher that's not the appropriate thing to say to an artist, and even
then -- not in an exhibition, where we're already wearing our hearts
on our sleeves?

Well for me, the painting has it all right -- the dramatic transformation
of the schoolyard across the street. Always an exciting time.

Have a loving your life day.

Inspired by friends

Imagined bouquet
Acrylic ink on
watercolour paper
6 x 8 inches
Barbara Muir © 2022

The painting I'm showing you today was inspired by my friend
Flora Doehler, who first introduced me to acrylic ink. Wow.
I love her work. The other day she posted a photo of her 
studio, and she was working on a bunch of 8 inch square canvasses.
I am not like Flora -- much slower, but I was inspired to paint 
the flowers in my garden, from my mind.  And here's the result.

I started a painting from life of the Nasturtiums from my garden,
and it is not nearly as lively as this imaginative effort. 

Have a loving what you do day. 

More on apples

Apples in a bowl
Sketch
Marker on drawing paper
5.5 x 8.5 inches
Barbara Muir © 2021

It has been a strange and beautiful day. I had a good walk with a dear friend.
It was a wonderful day, and ideal walking weather. I love it when wearing
a sweater is the right choice, and that was today. The garden, which has had
almost no care from me is at a point of high perfection. The Cosmos that I,
wished were a different colour are magnificent. I now understand my neighbour’s
lecture about flowers. She was right. these magenta and mauve Cosmos dancing
at about 6 feet high are just so inspiring. It’s almost impossible not to be happy
looking at them.

So I brought some in, and put them in a large antique glass jar. They're making our
kitchen table happy. Looking through my blog I found this drawing of apples. It
surprised me because the style is similar to the one I used to make the drawing I
showed you yesterday. I don’t know yet whether our apple trees in Nova Scotia
was struck down by the horrible storm that hit the Maritimes. We were sent a photo
that showed many trees down on the property, but I couldn’t identify them. I hope
the apple trees made it through the storm because they are very beautiful.

Wishing you a gorgeous day and I hope you can enjoy the apples of the season.

The apple of my eye

Apple time

sketch

marker on Fabriano 

paper

Barbara Muir © 2022

I am so lucky to live with a man who loves to be make food. A few
weeks ago the theme was peaches. He canned peaches in glass jars
on two separate weekends. Now we’ve moved on to apples. And
soon our cold room will be filled with applesauce in jars too.

Even though I’m eating green apples every time I’m tempted to have
candy or cake -- my favourite apples are Macintoshes. I really don’t
know any other kinds. But Steven is a perfectionist, so his apple sauce
has to have more than one kind of apple in it.

I started this sketch of three different kinds of apples. I don’t think it’s
finished. The challenge is drawing apples in line drawing, rather than
in color. But I like a challenge,

So there may be more developments in the drawing tomorrow,
but for now this is how far I got.

Having an enjoying your apples day.

Happy Birthday to my friend Raylea, and the new baby in the family

Happiness

Acrylic on Birch panel

5 x 7 inches

Barbara Muir © 2014
(Raylea was the model for this.)

Today was a busy and happy day.  So much good news. The roof is
finished, and it is my good friend Raylea's birthday. Happy Birthday
Raylea. And there is a new baby in our family, who looks
adorable. We have not met the baby yet. So all in all Happy Monday,
and Happy September 26.

I taught my once a week class tonight, and am happily exhausted.

Have a wonderful day.

Our school house has received some damage

The school house near
Wallace, Nova Scotia today
Photo: Greg Smiley © 2022
Blog: Barbara Muir © 2022

Whether you heard about it or not, a major storm from hurricane
Fiona hit the maritime provinces in Canada. Yesterday when this
was happening, we were safely in Toronto, listening to the radio,
and watching the news on T.V.  We always listen to Ocean 100,
a P.E.I. radio station in the car, and were getting horrific accounts.

The main thing for us is knowing that our friends are safe. And
so far the friends who've reached out to us, and that we've contacted,
are okay. Whew!

One of our friends braved a highway blocked in places by downed
trees today to check out our school house, and this is one of his
photos. As far as damage goes, we are lucky. Many buildings have
been damaged irreparably.  Still from this distance, this photo
breaks are hearts.

Here is a bit from a post I wrote four years ago about the school
house. It's vital to appreciate what you've got, and the moment 
you're living in.

"As I write this it is very late and the sky outside is
filled with stars and the Milky Way.  Only 25% of
Canadians live where they can see the Milky Way and
we are there.  Steven has rigged up the tripod for his
big star watching binoculars to hold his camera, and
is taking photo after photo.

But the experience is impossible to capture on a camera
in a way, because what we see, and what the camera sees
are so different.  There is the full orchestra effect of the sound
of the wind, and crickets, and the occasional strange night
moaning of a gull on the tidal river, the land behind us
backs onto.

Today we have seen deer, (one was right at the edge of
the road to the beach we visit), a  black bear, far off on
 that same road, a pair of seals, a fox, a flock of small
sandpiper like birds, and a skunk (which was by the highway
and ran off into the fields without incident).

It is hard to imagine this place becoming everyday or
ho hum.  It digs deep into your psyche, which is why
we fell in love with Nova Scotia when our children were
small."

Have a loving your life day.

Finding magic everywhere

Now that was good!

Black marker on notebook paper

6 x 8 inches

Barbara Muir © 2014

My morning started off horrifically early for a Saturday -- the one
day I can sleep in.  The roofers redoing our roof forgot a vital
detail yesterday, and had to come and fix that today. 

Because I was up early, and guzzling down coffee, I was alert
earlier, and looking through photos on my iPad.  I was trying to
delete pictures, and kept finding images I not only couldn't
delete, but wanted to draw or paint immediately. I loved several
photos of room service breakfasts.  Steven and I miss room service
in hotels so much! For us a romantic hotel visit means a delicious
breakfast in the room each day, beautifully served on a little table,
maybe even with flowers.  But lately that hasn't been an
option -- so I'm showing you a sketch of a past room service 
morning.

Saturday is packed, and it's our Monthaversary of our wedding
day. So we went to the market, saw the farmer, got beautiful flowers,
and headed out to get wraps from our favourite short order chef at a
Rabba for lunch. There are some great people at that store, and we
talked about business cards, and my Professional Communication course,
and laughed a lot. 

After walking through our favourite park, and feeding the birds, we
stopped to get gas on the way home.  I talked to the young woman
behind the counter at the gas station for a minute, and it turned out she
was an amazing artist, so I gave her my card, and we are now connected
on Instagram.

Then when I got back to the car, I found out that when we visit Europe
again, I will see my friend, whose name I would love to have as my
own -- Alessandra.  In fact, one of my friends calls me Alessandra all
the time, and I call her Gabriella. That made me very happy.

Wow.  The roofing seems to be over, and we just had a delicious dinner.

Have a loving your life day.