Recharging the batteries

Hi --after the work week Saturday is definitely for recharging.
But this time it's not just a metaphor. The batteries on my
camera were running low the other night. I know I
should be more organized, but I don't like shoulding all
over myself -- so they weren't. Today they are, and whoee
what a difference. Me too. I wrote to/talked to/blogged with
friends and family today and felt a definite lift in my spirits,
already pretty high, but just socked after a big week.

We ended the day today on a magnificent/happy/sad
note. My friend Lisa's father died recently, and his
family and friends organized a memorial service tonight
-- actually a concert put on by the band he played with.
The music was exceptional -- that big band sound and
many wonderful pieces you would know if I knew the
names but I don't. Sam was home for the weekend, and
he went with us. Lisa's dad played the trumpet and so
does Sam, so it was great for him to see such fantastic
musicians play.

I was inspired earlier by my friend, Theresa Rankin,
who is such a magnificent artist and writer, and by
her thoughts on many things. I took myself back to
the canvas I'm working on, and got into the paint
for a couple of hours in a laid back day.

The Promise
acrylic on canvas
36 x 48 inches
Not quite finished

I'm not quite done, but here's a much sharper image
of my painting -- The Promise. I hope you like it so far.

Have an I'm-having-fun-want-to-join-me? day

I've quit smoking

I found this picture in my files and loved it so much I
thought I'd share it with you. When did I quit smoking?
I hope my paintings are still "smokin" as Jim Carrey
says in the movie Mask. Before you get all up in arms
about parents who would let their children smoke,
even photograph them in the act -- calm down. When
I was a little girl many people thought smoking was cool.
Luckily my parents didn't, although my father did smoke
when he was in the navy. But...because smoking was
so cool, children could buy chocolate cigarettes in what
looked like cigarette boxes, complete with a tear off
cellophane over the box, and tin foiled paper lining.

Me "smoking" a chocolate cigarette
(That's my brother in the background)
by my father Wallace Muir
black and white photograph
8 x 10 inches

It did feel really cool to "pretend" to smoke. Other
than that -- I had a few puffs in university and early
adult life, when I foolishly thought that a cigarette
would help me stop crying. But I'm not a smoker,
so you could say that if I was eight or nine in this picture
I gave the dirty habit up when I was 13. There were no
chocolate cigarettes anywhere when we moved to Toronto.
Sometimes when I find evidence in childhood photos
of the self I've become it makes me happy. This
shot tells me that I had a sense of humour even as a
little kid, and that my father encouraged that fledgling
propensity.

Have a finding-out-you're-funny day.

Ascending light

What's beautiful? To everyone of us who tries to
capture the answer through art -- light is at
least part of the answer. When I teach in the late
afternoon in winter, I get accustomed to surfacing
out into the great outdoors to face darkness. In
the country (I teach at a college on a nature reserve)
that darkness is the deepest, most gorgeous blue.
But lately when I finally pack up my notes and head
out into the frozen landscape, I feel released -- and I love
teaching. I mean I feel released into the light. It was
actually sunny today during my drive home -- white
light skimmed along the top of brilliant blue snow
banks. Driving along I was in that state of pure
flow -- a oneness with the world that makes everything
all right.

Tia
charcoal on watercolour paper
12 x 9 inches

Because it is I'm going to be brief. Here's a sketch I
did of the girl who used to live across the street, and
was a favorite model -- Tia. She is more beautiful than
line and light can say. She has an air of intelligence and
wit that defies record -- by me anyway. But I thoroughly
enjoy trying.

Have a surrounded-by-supremely-funny-people day.

Productive Procrastination

The Promise
acrylic on canvas
36 x 48 inches
I'll take a better picture of it tomorrow.
My battery was dying.

I've been preparing to talk about procrastination in my class.
There's a great article called I'll Do It Tomorrow, that I've
been putting off reading, in the December2008/January 2009
issue of Scientific American Mind. What hurts
us most is delaying taking action on things that help us. But I
have a theory. I think you can procrastinate positively by making
a list of everything you have to do, and then deviating wildly
from that list to something you only thought of fleetingly.
Take today as a case in point. I needed to prepare notes,
file papers, paint, and meet my friend for tea. Looking at that
list it's clear that meeting my friend for tea was right up at the top.

So I did meet my friend Susan. The sunlight in the coffee place we
sat in was stunning, making snow blowing off the building look
like magic dust, and rimming my friend in gold. We talked
and laughed, and as the sun set every person in the place was
outlined in brilliant pink. I came home, and placed the leftovers
in the microwave. Steven and I ate supper with candles just
about right at six o'clock, which never happens. And I picked
preparing my notes as top of the list, and crossed that off.
But the big thing was getting back to work on a large
painting I haven't touched since before Christmas when I put
it in a show and felt mortified because the face was all wrong.
I procrastinated some more. I vacuumed
the top floor of the house. I cleaned the bathroom mirrors.
I made a decaf coffee, and read my notes for tomorrow.

Suddenly I could hear Belinda Del Pescoe's voice, even though
we've only talked in print. She said, "go and get some
paint on something." The notes on procrastination say to try
something you're avoiding for just five minutes. I carried the
big painting down to the studio from the bedroom it had been
hiding in. And for five minutes I began. I suddenly thought of
the Susan Jeffers affirmation, "I can handle it," and I started
to enjoy transforming that terrible face on my otherwise
happy painting. Five minutes, then fifty, then a couple of
hours flew by. I'm not quite finished, but I like what's
happening. So I'll show it to you now, and again when
I've got it done.

Have a procrastinating-towards-success day.

Tuesday -- a marathon run

Tuesday is my longest day so I won't say too much.
I teach from 9:50 in the morning until 5:10 p.m., then see
students, then drive home, then head out to paint with
my art group. I enjoy every part of the day to the fullest,
but when I get to you close to 11 p.m. my time, I
don't have a lot of juice left for either thought or
comment.

Tonight I painted over an old painting, and the underpaint
didn't agree with the over paint. I thoroughly
enjoyed the process, but the product is not worth
putting here.

Instead I'll show you the few changes I've made to the
little kitchen painting, and call it a day. It's not
finished yet, but will be in the next few days. You
know how it is. You keep seeing new things.

Homework at the kitchen table
acrylic on canvas
12 x 12 inches

Have a ready-for-dynamic-and-exciting-change day.

Skype Interview Number 2

What a day it's been! I knew that Howard Wolinsky was
planning to interview me on video about sketching
with Skype, but as it turned out that was just the first art
event for the day.
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=NiqX4xYm_Z4&eurl=http://share.skype.com/sites/us/
No sooner had I gone downstairs to
my studio after the interview, and started to paint,
than an email came in from Susan Carlin, asking me to
phone her in Texas.

She wondered if she could paint me from Skype today
using her streaming video technique. Wow! So
of course I said "yes". Susan is a wonderful portrait
artist I met through my blog, and she has become
a friend in the few months we've been commenting
back and forth on each other's blog entries and artwork.
The weekly workshops she hosts on portrait painting
are fantastic.

Today was the first time I really met her face to face
and that was on Skype. We couldn't stop laughing,
and cracking jokes, and she was really worried about
my ability to stay still for my portrait. She's right that
staying still is not my strong suit (unless I'm reading),
as she pointed out to the people watching her paint.

My portrait of Susan Carlin
quick sketch
charcoal on watercolour paper
12 x 9 inches

So in between a rushed attempt to cook dinner, and
painting I sat for Susan's art group while they watched
her paint me. Check out her lovely painting at:
http://susansartjournal.blogspot.com/
Here I was in Toronto, getting interviewed
first by Howard in Chicago, and then being painted by
Susan in San Antonio, Texas. Mind blowing.

Meanwhile my friend, Melinda in Tucson, Arizona did
a portrait of me today based on the first You Tube Skype
interview. Whew! It boggles the mind. I absolutely love
the blogging network, and the Skype connections. I can't
say that often enough.

Portrait of Barbara Muir from Skype interview
by Melinda S. Esparza
mixed media

While I was talking to Susan I snapped some fast photos
of her using Capture on my Mac, and I've done a very
speedy charcoal sketch, which hardly does her justice.

Have an experiencing-the-wonders-of-this-world day.

Sunday -- A is for Art Gallery

Today we went down to the Art Gallery of Ontario -- which
opened last fall again after being virtually shut down for
a few years. It was an ideal winter day, blue sky, warm sun,
steam rising from glistening snow banks. What better
time to go and see some art. The dramatic revamp by
architectural genius Frank Gehry, is absolutely magnificent.

The building is designed to be tactile, with lovely wood on the
staircases, and in the arched cathedral-like glassed-in walk on
the street side of the building. Our wonderful
friends Suzanne and David gave us memberships for our
birthday and today we had the pleasure of having tea
with them in the member's lounge, which is the Grange.
What a treat! If you haven't been and you're in Toronto,
Ontario, Canada, be sure to check it out.
http://www.ago.net/current-exhibitions

Steven sleeping
sketch -- pencil and black marker on Bond paper
5 x 7 inches

Tonight I am really tired, so I'm including a small sketch
done a few years ago of Steven sleeping with his eye mask
on while I read, or sketch into the wee hours.

Have a dreaming-of-great-things day.