Missing the flowers

Flowers for my father

pencil crayon on paper

21 1/2 x 26 inches

Barbara Muir ©

Yes I love snow, and today was warm so the snow was
melting, but I do miss going out to the garden and bringing
in some flowers.  We didn't plant our entire garden
properly this year.  And our beautiful irises almost
died out completely, but the garden we did have made
me very happy.

Tonight I'm posting this old style drawing of flowers.
It looks a lot like the style I learned studying art at
the Ontario College of Art and Design.  I still
love it, especially as I drew it on the tablecloth from
Portugal that my parents brought home from one of
their favourite trips.  It was dedicated to my father
after he died.

And I am grateful to my subsequent teachers, and all
of the artists in the blogworld, Facebook and Instagram
and artists I've met at shows around the world,
for teaching me new, looser (sometimes), more abstract ways
to see.  Someone at one of my recent shows
asked if my colours had always been that bright.
No they weren't I guess.  But now I like colour, bright and
muted and every which way.

Thanks for your continued support.  You do make my day.

More winter and the luck of it

The Cake House

Acrylic on canvas

14 x 18 inches

 Barbara Muir © 2011

Yes we have snow, and we had a bit more.  The luck of
it in the current news is that we are not experiencing flooding
as they are in Venice, Italy, or the fires that are devastating
California and parts of Australia.  It is just snow, and Canadians
can deal with snow.

This has been a busy, almost crazy, busy day.  (By the way
if you don't live in Toronto, that is a very Toronto thing to say.
You see someone in the elevator if you work in one of our
high rise office towers, and if you're asked how you are,
you say,"busy!")

But seriously it was busy with so many different tasks,
and requests, and demands.  So I am showing you another
snow painting.  This is one of my favourites, which I still
own.  I have not been up to the loop in Cedarvale park for years.
The loop is a path that goes in an irregular oval through a
lovely wood. A couple of weeks ago I went with Steven and
our dog Sally. It was a beautiful, autumn day, and the leaves
against the end-of-day golden light were astoundingly beautiful.

We walked by the house in this painting, which is French
castle themed on the street side, and red brick on the ravine
"loop" side.  Much more human out back.  But now they
have a huge solid fence barring the view of most of the
house.  So I'm glad I painted it when it was young and fresh,
and a beauty in the snow.

Have an enjoying your weather day.

Yes I do paint snow

Winter on St. Germain 

(Third in the Trilogy of Our First House)

Acrylic on canvas

12 x 12 inches

Barbara Muir © 2012

SOLD ♥

I'm actually working on a portrait tonight, but can't
show you until it's ready.  Looking through my snow
paintings this one amused me.  A wonderful collector
wanted paintings of her new house in three seasons.

And for the winter image she wanted authentic snow,
plus her husband and two children in the painting.
Challenge #1.  It did not snow.  Not like Toronto today
which is encased in snow on November 12, that fell
yesterday.  I wanted to deliver the paintings before
Christmas.  And it would not snow!

Finally it did!  Whew.  We artists have a very different
view of weather.  Especially if we're painting it.
#2 Painting recognizable images of her wonderful
husband and two lovely children in a portrait of a
house on a 12 inch x 12 inch canvas was a challenge.

With great cooperation from my client, I feel like
we achieved our goal, and everyone was happy.

So Toronto, let it snow.  I was asked the other day if
I paint snow because I paint clouds.  I do, and now that
I've painted so many clouds, I'm looking forward to
painting more snow!

Have an enjoying your weather day.

New thinking -- the delight of making it work

The excitement of light

Acrylic on cradled birch wood

8 x 8 inches

Barbara Muir © 2019

I remember my dear friend George Shane from the Don
Valley Art Club saying that you don't really know if
a painting is working until you've put it away for
three months.

Sometimes you know right away.  Done is done, and
the feeling of exhiliration that comes from that can't be
beat.  But sometimes months or even years after you
started a work that you don't know how to complete,
the answer comes out of the blue (or red, or yellow).

It was that way with this sunset cloud painting.  The
changes I made were minor, but they made me happy.  I
am pretty sure it's done.  It is one of the views I might
get to see when we go to Nova Scotia.  The astounding light
teaches me over and over how incredibly beautiful nature is.

Have a rethinking your work day.

Supportive friends - and going to New York City

Artist Franco Kwacha  Mbilizi and I

at the opening of the ground floor

Amsterdam Whitney Gallery

in New York City in 2016

Last week I was invited to join the December 2019/January 2020
exhibition at the Amsterdam Whitney Gallery in
New York City.  So we hustled and arranged hotels
and air fare, and I'm going to the opening on
December 14.  If you're going to be in town (New York City)
please let me know and come on over.  I believe the opening
runs from 3 - 6 p.m. as usual, but I will check that.

Tonight I'm showing you a photo of me and the artist
Franco the Creator at the opening of Amsterdam Whitney's
ground floor gallery in Chelsea NYC in 2016.
I did not have art in that show, but was invited to celebrate
with the gallery director, staff and exhibiting artists.
I'm sorry I don't know the name of the artist in the work
behind us.

This photo captures my sheer delight at seeing Franco
there.  We have been friends since we met at an earlier
exhibition at Amsterdam Whitney Gallery.  Franco's work
is amazing -- both spiritual and hopeful, and apocalyptic
at the same time.

The Gallery Director -- Ruthie Tucker is one of the kindest
and most supportive people I've ever met.  Even though
I was not in this show, and neither was Franco, Ruthie asked
the TV interviewer Kristal Hart to interview us.

With Kristal Hart and Franco Mbilizi

being interviewed for MNN, Manhattan TV

in front of Wonder Water Image #6

at the new Amsterdam Whitney Gallery.

The painting had sold, and was not in the

exhibition, and still the gallery director

wanted me to be featured with Franco.

Into the smalls -- the source of some big work

It's a fine day sweetheart

Acrylic on cradled birch panel

8 x 10 inches

Barbara Muir © 2017

One of the paintings currently showing at the Heliconian
Club, until the end of November, started out as a small
painting.  Many artists I talk to talk about scale.  The
nice thing about smaller works is that they fit into smaller
spaces, and they are less expensive

The painting I'm showing you tonight is one I picked out
of my box of smaller works, and thought -- 'hey this is
a nice one!'  I have been working on the theme of the
beautiful fields we see driving to the beach in Nova
Scotia, or through the countryside to the store an hour away
to get some groceries when.  As the passenger on these trips
I am probably quite annoying because I am continuously
gasping and asking Steven to stop the car.  So much beauty

In fact I probably have enough photo reference to paint
for a long, long time.  But then there's tomorrow, and what
magic it might contain.

I love this painting, and the title too. And yes it's for sale
if you're interested.  :-)

Have an enjoying your work day.

The art of the card

Apples and Sunflowers
Acrylic on watercolour paper - glazed

3 x 5 inches

 Barbara Muir © (from the files)

Today was a dear family member's birthday.  There have

been two of them this week.  Working with a wonderful
printer I like to create my own card -- from photos and
my work, with personal, funny and meaningful
words inside.

It takes more time than looking at a card stand and picking
out the card, but it makes me happy to give an original
image and original words.

For a very loving message today I used this bright image.
It's a small painting that's been sitting on my dresser
staring at me and making me happy for the past couple
of weeks.  I thought I'd pass on that good emotion.

Today it got its turn, and was delighted to be on the front of
a card -- bringing warmth and happy thoughts to a very
cold and sometimes snowy, and very happy birthday.

Have a loving your family day.