Friday, April 7, 2023

Holiday weekend

Pip the Lionhead 
rabbit delivers eggs
8 x 8 inchs
Acrylic on canvas
Barbara Muir © 2015

I hope if it is at all possible that you are having a wonderful holiday
weekend too. We are. So tonight I am putting on a painting of another
kind of bunny. We are not religious, but we like the bunny and egg
fun -- which goes way, way back in history.

If I had time, I would get a photograph of my neighbours' two bunnies,
(rabbits -- very big and adorable), and paint them, but time is not that
available on a holiday weekend with my family.

Wishing you a happy holiday whatever you are celebrating. 

Have a loving your life day.



Thursday, April 6, 2023

My wonderful printer

Happy Spring cards lining up,
ready to go.

The image is from the painting:
Harold and the blue egg
Acrylic on canvas
8 x 8 inches
Barbara Muir ©

In the spirit of the season, I had Happy Spring cards made by
my printer (the printer I use for everything to do with making art
 -- Chris, at St. Clair Printing and Graphics). They are based on a
bunny painting I did.  We are not religious -- and the cards are about
celebrating spring. Have a great long weekend whatever you're
celebrating.

Hey? My brother in Ottawa is one of millions of people who
experienced a severe ice storm, and they are without power.

So is spring something worth celebrating even if it's just
for the beginning of the season?  The answer is a resounding Yes!

Have a loving your life day.

Wednesday, April 5, 2023

A slow drawing



Crème Brûlée
sketch
Marker on Fabriano
paper
7 x 10 inches
Barbara Muir © 2023

I came upon a photo today of Steven eating crème brûlée in the café
where we ate lunch every day when we were in Paris last October.
It’s almost impossible to draw crème brûlée in a line drawing, but
the photo was so compelling that I had to try.  At the last minute I
messed up Steven's face, so I'll fix that if I can, and finish the details,
and strengthen the whole thing.

This is it so far. If I can summon the patience it will go farther. And
I’m also working on a very different piece about a café here. The French
would be shocked at how things are done so differently. We had the most
wonderful time in Paris. And our profound gratitude goes out to Moustafa
in this café who treated us like family. 

Have a loving your life day.

Tuesday, April 4, 2023

Happiness


Today's Happy Pansies
Acrylic ink and marker on paper
5.5 x 8.5 inches
Barbara Muir © 2023

It’s too bad that happiness as a concept is suspect. Because
ultimately there’s nothing more important in life than figuring
out how to be happy. I woke up this morning wondering if just
saying the word "happy" could make you happy. I’m not talking
about being in the middle of a period of deep grief. I mean on an
 ordinary day, when nothing awful has happened if you woke up
 in the morning and thought I am happy, would it affect the day

 I’ve been trying it out today. And here’s a painting I did. I was
thinking not just happy, but extremely happy thoughts about how
amazingly beautiful spring flowers are. Yes I do have a thing for
pansies.  

And as one of my former bosses used to say -- here's
the thing.  I have two pots of pansies that are growing.  We bring
them in when it gets cold.  To keep growing pansies have to be
picked every day! Yes. So that means there are always new
subjects for paintings.

Have a loving your life day.

Monday, April 3, 2023

Showing up matters


Pansies try perfection
Acrylic ink, watercolour and marker
in watercolour paper
5.5 x 8.5 inches
Barbara Muir © 2019

It's Monday, maybe not your favourite day of the week,
but I have to admit I like it. Why?  Because there's a whole
week ahead with promises of things to happen, and people
to talk to who will be inspiring, interesting and fun.

Plus I enjoy the feeling that I will get a whole lot done by 
Friday, and maybe I will. That's a happy thought.  So instead
of feeling burdened by the tasks ahead, I feel a sense of
promise that I can make things happen. And that feels good.

Showing up can also mean getting things in order. Today was
primarily a filing, and email kind of day, so I'm
showing you this pansy painting from 2019. 

Have a loving your life day.

Sunday, April 2, 2023

The Two Minute Rule

Pink in the city
Acrylic on canvas
16 x 16 inches
Barbara Muir © 2017
(Soon this is what we'll see. 
Not quite yet.  But
it's coming.)

I watched a video a couple of weeks ago about The Two Minute 
Rule. Apparently the fellow who was talking wrote a book about it.
But what's great, is the idea of thinking -- maybe if I just do this for
2 minutes, I can get it done.  (It did take a bit longer. Lol.) The point
is that if you start something thinking maybe you can finish it in two
minutes, you might keep going, and not even notice that you're working
way beyond two minutes. Smart.

Which is why I'm here.  It's been a very busy day -- delightful
and busy spending time with family -- not a lot of time for
anything else.  But I thought. Just write your blog. Spend two
minutes.  And...here we are. I hope you had a beautiful day.

Have a loving your life day.

Saturday, April 1, 2023

And suddenly it's April

Untitled
Work in progress
Acrylic ink on
watercolour paper
5.5 x 8.5 inches
Barbara Muir © 2023

I asked Steven please not to pull an April Fool's joke
on me and he didn't thank goodness. Instead we went
to the market and saw our favourite farmer, then to
a camera store to get Steven's good camera fixed,
and then to buy shoes.  That's something we wouldn't
have thought of a week ago.

Everywhere we went we met sweet, kind, helpful
people who were cheered up by the brief hours of
warmth we had today.  I love this time of year in the
hopeful times when your coat is too warm, and you
have too many layers.

I came home and worked on this little painting of 
pansies. 

Here's what my mother used to do on April 1.

"When I was a child my mother had one
excellent prank that she pulled on us year

after year. She used to change the time on all
the clocks in the house, and wake us up an hour
early for school, then shout "April Fools!" into
our sleepy faces. Thinking about that now I can't
help laughing, and imagining my mother as a
young woman, with four children to get off to
school, dying for some fun. Most of the time
our lives were fairly serious. The house followed
a set routine, and we all did whatever we were
expected to do. But every now and then there
would be a mood of extra fun and gaiety."


Have a loving your life day

Portrait Artist

My photo
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
I paint and draw on commission and for shows. To commission a portrait, or purchase one of my paintings please contact me at: barbara.muir@sympatico.ca
A major highlight in my career? Drawing Oprah Winfrey live via Skype for her show "Where in the Skype are you? Galleries: Studio Vogue Gallery, Toronto, Canada. The Amsterdam Whitney Gallery, New York City. Gallery at the Porch Door, Kingston, Canada. Your positive comments on this blog mean the world to me. I'd love to hear from you!