The drawing today is of my cat Timbah, my loyal
companion as I've tried to shake off what started
as a cold and progressed to what my doctor calls
walking pneumonia. After three long weeks
of feeling quite physically wiped, I am now on
an antibiotic (thank you doctor) and can expect
to be back to my chirpy, zippy self in a few days.
My husband keeps asking me when I'm going to
blog again. I've been looking at him in desperation,
first coughing, then with full blown laryngitis, and
then this lingering lack of oomph. So okay Steven
and everyone else. I'm back, and hope that soon
I'll make up for lost time. Meanwhile. Take care of
yourselves. I have missed you and your work so much.
Since I got home from beautiful Nova Scotia I have had a very
bad cold. I know who gave it to me. My sweet husband. But
he is better and mine is getting worse. Since yesterday I've
had laryngitis on top of the sniffles and coughing. And I say
enough already. Because I didn't mind the cold, but not being
able to talk or get my voice to work -- that's not natural for me.
Add to this the fact that they're tearing up my street to
make new sidewalks and the noise begins in earnest at
7:30 a.m. and you have a formula for missing my school house
and acre of land -- birdsong, peace and quiet almost too
much. But on the flip side, when I'm better I'll appreciate
my friends and family here, the buzz, the wonderful park
near me, the trees and yes, my studio. I was in there
today to finish this little watercolour of our breakfast table
at the hotel in Quebec City last week. Meanwhile I'm
working on painting, but have limited energy for blogging.
I hope you know that I love your work.
What do I mean? Here are three attempts at the same
beautiful bunch of flowers sitting on my table
at the schoolhouse. People who draw and paint
actually get addicted to a certain medium. That
makes sense. You buy paint and it costs a lot,
so you stick with that paint, acrylic, oil, watercolour.
But what you are is an artist. If someone asks you what
kind of artist you are, you don't need a long
explanation. People are tweeting their whole
lives in 140 characters. So I paint and draw will
do, or I sculpt.
In this case I wanted to draw because we are
heading out and there isn't time to paint. And
it doesn't matter which medium I use, or you
use, the main thing is to give it a go.
I do feel so blessed to know you, and I miss you out here
where the internet is a special treat, not an accepted reality.
The other day our wonderful friends Flora Doehler and Larry
Knox from Green Willow Studio came for a visit. We had a
superb day -- ate at the Chatterbox Café and had a great
talk about conceptual art with Norene Smiley, another
fabulous artist. Then we had a lovely long walk on the
beach when the tide was out.
More art coming. I will post photos of Flora and Larry
when they send me some. My camera wasn't working.
We are on vacation in one of the most magical
places on the
planet. It wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea,
but for us the
combination of sun, sea, blue sky and white
clapboard houses against
rolling fields, wide vistas, or dense spruce
and pine forest – it ‘s ideal –
idyllic.
We’ve been at our schoolhouse near Pugwash, Nova Scotia
since last Friday night, and already it feels like forever,
and like
the blink of an eye. That’s how
the place tricks you.
It’s slow and
easy, the people so friendly , the days so long.
And before you know it poof it’s over, and it’s back to the
busyness and constant thrum of the
city.
The Gulf Shore Beach today
I have learned some things since I arrived. Inspired
by the
lessons Melinda Easparza posted during her visit
to the Grand
Canyon, here they are:
1.Enjoy each day.
2.Half a blueberry muffin from Grumpy’s bakery in
Oxford, N.S. (only the home of Canada’s
blueberries, only
The most delicious muffins on the
planet, will not make you fat.
3.Long walks on the beach at any time on a good day are
the answer to the major questions of life – why? And
how?
4.Long walks on the beach after sunset on a rainy
day
are to be avoided – mosquitoes.
5.Even a less than stellar book is great on
vacation.
6.I am addicted to the internet and talking to
you, and I
have maybe half an hour of
internet time per day – not
enough to keep up with all that
you are doing. So I have to
back off. Forgive me for not
responding, there is barely time
to post and read my email.
7.I have two apple trees on my little acre of
land. They are crabapple
trees, and may make me want to
paint. But I am working on a
commission that’s almost done, so
given our demanding schedule –
eating, walking on the beach,
sleeping, eating, walking one the beach,
there may not be much time for
other forms of painting.
8.I love it here.
On a sunny day, (most days are sunny) I wonder
why I don’t live here full
time. All need falls away – stores seem
odd. Breathing, and looking at the stars, and picking
wild
raspberries, and buying
raspberries from the woman up
the road who has a little garden
fill my brain. On a rainy
day I know I’d be lonely here –
even with all of our lovely
friends. On a rainy day I’m a city girl. Well we do have an
outhouse and it is scary crossing the lawn to the trees in
a thunder storm.
9.Light is different from place to place, and here
it is captivating.
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!
