Goodbye 2016 -- You sure did treat me right!

On the way

Acrylic on canvas

20 x 20 inches

Barbara Muir © 2016

SOLD ♥ 

Today was a glorious sunny day here in Toronto, and probably unlike
any other day in the coming year.  Why?  Because we had a New Year's
Eve party last night that was so much fun!  Great company, great food
brought by our friends, and wonderful wine and champagne.  A friend
treated us to wonderful songs on the piano, and people joined in singing
so beautifully and happily.  So lovely! All evening long there was laughter
and superb conversation.  And our last guests left at 4 a.m.  What could be better?
I can predict that 5 a.m. will not be my normal bed time, and I will have infinitely
more energy in the coming days.

True there was bad news last year, grievous loss of people we love,
family illness -- lots of hardknocks in 2016.  But I see all of the magnificent
times, even in moments during the saddest days of the year, and they stand
out. Hard not to enjoy visiting New York three times, Paris, and Nova Scotia.
The last few weeks of the year were intense in terms of art, and I will show
you some of what happened over the next few days.

Let's start with a commission I finished just on time to be a Christmas
gift.  I was asked to create a typical Toronto scene, not in my happy
style (blue skies, puffy white clouds) you know me.  Although Steven
would come into the studio and say, "Honey this is looking cheerful!"
Oh oh -- hard to keep that positive outlook down.  A good thing.
I am super grateful to my generous collector for helping me step out
of my norm.  Always a good thing.

Thank you to everyone who came to our party, and to all of our friends
and family near and far.  Thank you for making my life a loving,
kind, funny and exciting one.

Thank you to my supporters, curators, and collectors in the art world.
Look around you.  The happy people you know have all got a passion.
It's beyond thrilling when the world celebrates your passion.

Have an enjoying-this-first-day-of-2017  day!

More Paris -- straight up addicted

My plan was to photograph the wonderful postcards I had

of my painting Dream Selfie in the Carrousel du Louvre show,
 in different venues around Paris -- giving my model Regan 
the Paris experience from a distance -- but I ended up being too 
busy in the moment to remember most of the time.  Here's one with Regan
metaphorically enjoying a glass of delicious Sancerre with us
 when we ate at Khao Thai, rue Dauphine on more than one evening.
I did hand out many, many postcards of Dream Selfie both at
the Louvre and around Paris in my travels. Everyone loved them,
which made me super happy.

Yes it rained, and it was still beautiful.

Okay I confess, I have thought about Paris more than is
probably healthy since I landed back in Toronto.  I have
pined for it, longed for it and missed it.  Too much?
Go there for me this weekend, and report back.  Meanwhile
I'll give those of you who can't go a bit more exposure.

Clouds reflected in a bus window outside the Musée d'Orsay

Doing the happy people pose at

the Orangerie Museum in Paris.  This is

the museum specially made

to house Monet's waterlilies, and it

is beautiful.  I am a devoted fan of

Monet's.  I have seen his work in

Stuttgart, Germany -- where I fell

deeply in love with his poplars,

in New York City, where I rush to

see the Monet water lilies (also

magnificent before the museum closes, when

I arrive), in Ottawa, Canada -- last year

his bridges, and in Paris -- Oh Monet!

Steven at the Orangerie with the

beautiful Monet Waterlilies

More of Monet's Waterlilies at the Orangerie. 

Detail from Monet's Water Lilies

Is there more?  So much more.  But I don't want to lose your interest.

Here's a picture of my wonderful friend Miranda Brouwers

 with her painting, Morning Mist

at the Carrousel du Louvre show.

A typical view in our neighbourhood

And that is all for now.  I miss you Paris.  Things have happened on this

side of the Atlantic that make me want to catch the first plane into CDG.

But the truth is I'd feel that anyway except for my wonderful family and

friends, who keep me grounded and sane and happy back here at home --

in Canada.  

Don't sleep in Paris

Down the street from our hotel -- the beautiful Notre Dame Cathedral

A friend at George Brown College cautioned me before
I showed in the Louvre last year, not to waste time sleeping in
Paris.

Visiting for the show two weeks ago in the Carrousel Louvre
I knew what she meant.  The city is always alive.  A friend
who lives just outside of the city told us he thought there'd
be nowhere to eat late on a Sunday night, but right in the
neighbourhood on Sunday evening there were people sitting
 out at cafés with heaters overhead -- it was cold -- restaurants
and bars open at midnight.

 It sunk in in this past visit.  If you visit Paris more than once,
you can anticipate the ache you'll feel when the trip is over
 and you're back on home ground, and you don't want to miss
a thing.

But as I told my colleague -- smart people sleep, otherwise the
city is overwhelming.  Soooo much to see. And do.  And eat.
And drink.

Un coin d'appartement (A Corner of the Apartment)

Claude Monet,

Oil on canvas, 1875

One of the things I love is discovering paintings by favourite artists that

I've never seen before like this super detailed, and mysterious painting by

Claude Monet.  It's in the Musée d'Orsay.

The gorgeous restaurant in the Musée d'Orsay where

we ate with my friend Miranda Brouwers 

her husband, Rolf Leemeijer, and their sons Marnix and Hugo.

A superb surprise in the Musée d'Orsay is the beyond gorgeous restaurant above.  

The food was wonderful and we had so much fun with my friend Miranda's

family.  The staff were warm and gracious, you don't need a reservation --

incredible.

This man and his daughter were visiting the Carrousel du Louvre

and I asked if I could take their picture with my painting.  
"Mais oui!" he said, and I did.  

These very expressive sculptures of geese 

were in a gallery window.  I love how they look.

Eclipsed 

Coffee and black marker 

on Clairefontaine watercolour paper

4.5 x 7 inches

Barbara Muir © 2016

The artist Barbara Muir (yes me) painted this on a small watercolour pad 

while having coffee in the Orangerie café -- but the Orangerie discussion

is for another night.  I was thinking of William Wray and his movie

Gamma Wray, and of a blogger friend I knew I'd meet back in Toronto Verna Vogel,

and this is the result.   A lot of fun I must admit, though you may not get the

connection.  They were in my mind.  Love (do I say love too often?  Is it possible

to love too much?) well I do love the work of both of these artists.  And in this

crazy world I think it's vital to love  art, and beautiful cities like Paris. 

Have a loving art Day!  And have fun! 

Paris -- in my heart and soul -- some memories as promised

Night one -- the bridge across the Seine across from our hotel, built in 1607!

Dear friends,

I don't think I did any drawings in Paris, but if so I'll include
them.  Here are some images -- far from perfect to show
why I love the place beyond measure.  The people we've met
are fantastic, funny, encouraging with our bad, stumbly French,
and kind. I'm tempted to start like the annoying birthday toast that
I might make that begins with the grown child's birth,  and
continues with the first smile, and so on.  But instead maybe I'll
break this into two or three blogs.  Bear with me (that's
what I might say when I move from the first smile to first toy!
And if there are 20 more years to cover the birthday guests will
definitely need more champagne).

Rain out our hotel window.  Yes that's rain.  It rained quite a bit,

You don't care when you're in Paris!

The Neighbourhood we stayed in

A Painting I loved at the Musée d'Orsay

Gustave Caillebotte  

Les raboteurs de parquet (the floor scrapers)

1875 Oil on canvas. 

I love the mood, the very French room, the light,

what looks like a bottle of wine (excellent plan).

A beautiful pillow in a store window

The butterfly and ladybug are

embroidery and loose - they

can move on the pillow!  So cool.

The store window

Okay I've decided it better be a Paris weekend.  Artistically I admit the

city resonates with me so powerfully.  And if I keep writing (I could go

all night) I will wear your Paris passion out.  Stick with me.  If you haven't

been there, you will have to go, and if you have you will understand.

Going to take my cough medicine and go to bed -- yes -- to dream of Paris.

More tomorrow I hope. 

Have a being inspired by where you are day.

Our Neighbourhood moves -- to New York!

A Magic Day in the Neighbourhood

Acrylic on canvas

24 x 24

Barbara Muir © 2016
SOLD ♥ 

Today I sold one of my favourite street/cloud scenes -- A Magic Day
in the Neighbourhood -- to collectors in New York City.  This intimate
painting of the school yard up the street from us in Toronto, was one
of a pair of paintings I did about where we live.  The one that struck
the collectors was a view of an idyllic day right here at home,
and the other one is of the view across the street from our school house
in Nova Scotia.

Yes I am pumped about the sale.  The buyers loved my clouds, and
the mood, and even the title.  Wonderful.  My thanks to Director Ruthie
Tucker, Torie and Diego at the Amsterdam Whitney Gallery for
showing my work so beautifully!


I meant to tell you more about Paris, and New York -- last
month was jam packed with travel and art, but I have a horrendous
cold, and the rest will have to wait.

I hope you have a magic day in your neighbourhood tomorrow. 

 I love my own neighbourhood, and the family and friends nearby make
it extra special.

A delightful opening -- (vernissage) at the Louvre!

Left to right Marnix, Rolf Leemeijer, Miranda Brouwers, Hugo and me.

in front of my painting Dream Selfie -- Wonder Water Image #7 

Here we are in Paris, a bit tired after a hard week, but
how exciting to be in an opening at the Louvre and to
see my wonderful friends from the Florence Biennale,
Miranda Brouwers and her husband Rolf and to meet their
 sons -- Marnix and Hugo.

Me and Miranda Brouwers with 

her beautiful painting,
Morning Mist

Plus the super funny interpreter for the show, along with Directors
Francesco and Salvatore Russo, Alessandra Masha Mascitti is there
all weekend, and it was fantastic to see her last night.

The Carrousel du Louvre exhibition is huge -- massive, and
last night so packed with people that it was a challenge to
get photos with our paintings, so please forgive the bizarre
angles, we had to bump our way in behind the crowds.
Which of course is wonderful!  I've never seen so many
people at an art show. More to come on Paris, and this super
event.

Me with my painting.  

Great show in New York City -- Next stop Paris!

Me with my large diptych, Heading Home, at the beginning of the opening

The painting is done in Acrylic on canvas,

and is 4 feet x 6 feet 

Barbara Muir © 2016

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving everyone,

Our Thanksgiving is about the harvest and giving thanks for the good
things in our lives.  I feel so happy today about my life, my family,
and my friends.  I've just returned from New York City, where
my large diptych Heading home, and two smaller landscapes --
Across the highway, and A magical day in the neighbourhood are
beautifully displayed.  The paintings are on view there for the month
of October, so if you're in New York, check them out at the Amsterdam
Whitney Gallery.

As soon as the delightful champagne opening started the room my work

was in filled up with people who clearly felt at home in front of

Heading home, and my two smaller landscapes, Across the highway,

and A magical day in the neighbourhood.  

I met some wonderful artists who are in the group show I'm in, Luminita
 Gliga, from Roumania, who was there with her sister the writer Dana Gliga.
I loved Luminita's work, and we had a great conversation about acrylics --
she paints in acrylics too, and we both like David Hockney's paintings.

Luminita Gliga, and her beautiful paintings.

 They are glorious.

I also met and enjoyed talking to Alice Cescatti all the way from London,
England.  She does gorgeous pieces on wood with real silver leaf --
some abstract and some landscape work.  And I loved the paintings of
Sally Ruddy, and  John Peters' work, and the powerful abstract sculptures
by Jim Keller.

My thanks to the ever wonderful and dramatic Gallery Director,
Ruthie Tucker who orchestrates a super champagne opening, is
kind and considerate and generous, and to her husband, Alton
Louis Amsterdam the 4th.  Thank you to Diego for hanging my
work perfectly, and to Torie for helping with everything.  What
a team!

My next stop is Paris and the Carousel du Louvre the weekend
after next.  Just home in Toronto to catch a breath and then off
to more art excitement.

Happy Thanksgiving -- I am grateful to all of you for supporting
me in this creative world.

Have a being thankful for the good things day.