Friday finds

The tea tray is ready
Red marker on
drawing paper
14 x 22 inches
Barbara Muir ©️

Looking through an old sketchbook I found this still life that I like. It was also from
my red and green marker phase. I like the fact that the drawing goes over two pages.
I love painting diptychs for that reason too. It’s so exciting when an image spreads.
But more than that I was taught to paint and draw on large surfaces. Not always possible,
especially in a very small studio, although I have made some quite large pieces.

This teapot is long gone – probably the victim of life in a growing family. Things break.
But I love how it looks here in red. It was probably brown with dark brown decorations.
I like that there are two tea cups sitting waiting and selection of orange pieces. (No I have
never liked lemon in tea.) When I was younger, and studying art I had no idea that a still
life drawing, or painting could convey a feeling of intimacy. I didn’t know that you could
imagine the people who were drinking the coffee, sharing the breakfast, toasting one another
with a cup of tea.

That realization fits in beautifully now with my romantic view of life. What do I mean by that?
I mean that love and romance -- relationships between people are what powers happy lives.
And I wish everyone happiness. So I hope you enjoy your tea, or your coffee this weekend.
And I hope you get to have a feeling of festivity with someone special. Happy weekend
everyone.

Have a loving powerful still life situations in your life day.

Dining out?

Ordering dinner 
Marker on drawing paper
5.5 x 8.5 inches
Barbara Muir ©️ 2021

A fast sketch today possibly in preparation for a larger painting. This is about the pleasure of
dining out. I just love the look of someone looking at the menu, and someone else talking, and the pleasure I feel at the whole idea of going to a restaurant, and eating with friends. It is not possible
here and I don’t know when it will be.

My friend in the Netherlands said that they can eat outside at restaurants now -- social distanced
with two people dining together. That sounds amazing to me. And we don’t have that.

A crazy busy day today--the thought of going out to dinner with friends after such a day is
especially appealing. Luckily as an artist I’m good at dreaming.

Have a dreaming of a happy day day.

The kind of day I love

 

Pansies for happiness
(Work in progress)
Acrylic ink and marker
on watercolour paper
7 x 9.5 inches
Barbara Muir ©️ 2021

Today was the exact kind of day I love. It was rainy enough when I woke up that
there was no point hurrying to go somewhere. I drank my coffee and read. I was
trying to find a new book that I could get into. Reading is my thing and it’s been
 very difficult to read a whole book in this past year. Just finished one -- on to the
next!

I got another book out of the library by Neil Pasricha -- You Are Awesome. I can’t
wait. His The Happiness Equation was wonderful. And here's a new pansy painting.
I bought two pots of pansies on the weekend that were looking quite unhappy. I
figured that once I brought them home and watered them they’d feel better.

Today’s rain was exactly what they needed and they looked ecstatic. I picked some
and began this drawing and acrylic ink painting. It’s almost done. I may add a bit of
shadow here and there. But for now here’s today’s offering.

Have a loving the bounty in your life day.

The purple mountain

The purple mountain
Acrylic ink and acrylic
monoprint on watercolour paper
7 x 9.5 inches
Barbara Muir © 2021
(This was inspired by the magnolias,
but should be much lighter and pink.

That's the thing with monoprints.

You don't ever know how they
will turn out.)

I painted all day. All day. Okay not all day. I spent a little time in the garden
trying to get the grass and weeds out so we can plant. Oh and I went on a beautiful
walk with a friend very far socially distanced. But in the main I worked on painting.
This image comes from feeling inspired by seeing the gorgeous trees in bloom. The
magnolias are at the height of their beauty. They are so gorgeous in their voluptuous
pink radiance, that they make you both swoon looking at them, and ache knowing
how much you'll miss them when they're gone.  No photo can capture the feeling 
of standing under one of these gorgeous trees. 

Our neighbour came home as we were sitting on our porch having tea in the cold
(it was 11 degrees Celsius -- 51.8 Fahrenheit). She was so excited about having had
her first vaccine. And we all smiled. She is happy it's spring, and hoping that this
summer we'll be back to normal. That would be wonderful, but it’s unlikely. I think the restrictions will still be here.

But it was a glorious day, and a cheerful one. We have to hold onto those, and love them
the way I love the look of the magnolia trees.

Have a loving your life day.

Jubilant in spite of it all

Forsythia at the pond

iPad drawing 

8 x10 inches
Barbara Muir © 2019

A couple of major tasks that take a lot of time, and are a huge drain on
my energy, got completed today! Jubilation! Steven and I get silly about
celebrations -- which is especially touching in the hard time we're in now
with this bad virus mounting a serious attack in Toronto.

But we went for a walk in the brilliant spring today.  We saw gorgeous
flowering trees against a brilliant blue sky.  I bought two pots of pansies
so I can continue the pansy drawing series I started a few years ago in
honour of one of the greatest artists, and art teachers I ever had.

We had a toast with champagne tonight to celebrate crossing some hard
chores off our lists.  

Happy Monday.

Have an enjoying what's good day.

The big picture

How small we are in comparison
Marker on bond sketchbook paper
14 x 22 inches
Barbara Muir ©️
(Drawing from my red and green phase)

 It's so weird going for a walk in Toronto today in the beautiful spring weather,
 with all the trees flowering. You see other people coming towards you, and you
 move into the middle of the street, or onto the opposite side of the street. And this
walking dance is perpetual. For the most part, on small side streets, car drivers
 are getting used to moving around pedestrians who of necessity have to get into
 the middle of the street sometimes to avoid other pedestrians.

Given that current reality the big picture is this: those of us who can walk through
the streets, enjoy the beautiful spring, put on our masks, and move away from one
another are the lucky ones. This virus is taking down whole families now.

Yes it’s tiring, but imagine the fatigue of frontline workers. More than a year of
 this! And now there are so few intensive care beds, that doctors are talking about
facing decisions about who to save. Yes if we're getting to go for a walk in the
beautiful spring, we are lucky! 

Stay safe and stay healthy! 

Ah the weekend

The goddess of fog and rain

Acrylic on birch panel

5 x 7 inches

Barbara Muir © 2014
(Speaking of happy I taught positive
psychology for 10 years, and the 10 
reasons to be happy exercise (below)started in
that class.  I found a post I wrote about
another course I taught called
Writing To Vision to help
artists get back to work. In an 

 article on art journaling that I read 
preparing that course --
50 Art Journal Prompts, a featured writer,
April Bowles-Olin's, suggested drawing
yourself as a goddess. At the time
I was always walking my dog through
fog and rain, so created this self-portrait,

which my husband loves, and keeps in his office.
If you love the ocean, like I do, you better like fog and rain.

A funny image for a day that was pure sunshine.)

This seems like the ideal day for my familiar exercise 10 reasons to be happy.
So here goes.

10 reasons to be happy

1. It was an incredibly beautiful day. All of the flowering trees were at the height of their beauty, the sky was blue with perfect clouds, and everyone’s gardens are full of flowering tulips, daffodils and grape hyacinths.

2. We went to the local outlet for the farmers market in the small area behind a church on St. Clair. The farmers pack our  homemade quiche, and freshly picked lettuce into a brown paper bag with my name on it. They are cheerful and kind – it’s a great way to start a weekend.

3. We sat on our back porch with the cats, Timbah and Fiona, and our dog Sally and just enjoyed the beauty of the spring day.

4. The irises in the kitchen that I bought at a market on St. Clair are at the height of their beauty.   They look like magical purple birds.

5. We are well, and delighted to be able to say that at this hard time..

6. This should’ve been first. It’s our monthaversary of our wedding day, and we’re
going to get takeout food for dinner from one of our favourite restaurants.

7. I finished my marking for my once a week evening course. That is very happy news

8. It’s movie night. You all know how important TV is in the time of COVID, and tonight
we get to watch a movie! Yes!

9. The favourite restaurant was closed for renovations to our shock and dismay.  So we 
went to get pizza -- which was delicious -- and also got very fancy ice cream for dessert.
Yum.

10.  While waiting for the pizza we took a lovely night stroll through that neighbourhood.

All in all a perfect day -- with many more reasons to be happy.  But this was a good start.