A very Happy Halloween

A very Happy Halloween
Our front porch.

So much fun this year

Steven and I dressed up as "Nice agents" inspired by a skit on the
Canadian comedy show This Hour Has 22 Minutes.  The Canadian
agent was the opposite of  ICE -- super nice and kind to American
tourists. I can't get a link, but if you write the show name -- This Hour Has
22 Minutes and nice, you can watch it. Maybe this will work.

It was a great night on Cherrywood handing out candy to so many kids
in fabulous costumes. Most have gone home now to watch the Blue Jays 

baseball game.  Blue Jays fever in Toronto is at an all time high.

Happy Halloween! Thank you to everyone who made it a super
fun night for us!

Have a loving your life day!

The art of the day

Pumpkin prep in process for the big night!

Wishing you a wonderful Halloween

if you celebrate!

Photo

Barbara Muir © 2025

Almost no sleep last night, and a first for me -- dropped off my
new work (3 pieces) for the Avant Garde show at the Heliconian Hall 
opening at just after 9 this morning, and there was only one other artist
there. I was one of the early people! How lovely. The show opens this
Saturday at 2 p.m. at 35 Hazelton Avenue. It is sure to be fascinating.
And there will be treats.  If you're in town, drop in.

Now the prep for the next art event -- Halloween begins.  We 
don't do big inflatable sculptures. Love them.  We carve pumpkins,
rely on the Pumpkin princess (hand made at home), and hand out
candy. The best. Our street should be quite festive if the rain stops. Fingers
crossed.

Have a loving your life day!

Happy Halloween week

 

Nasturtiums in a cream jug
Acrylic ink and marker
5 1/2 x 8 1/2
Barbara Muir © 2022 

Crazy busy tonight.  Drop off first thing in the morning

for the Avant Garde show opening at the Heliconian Hall

Saturday afternoon. 

So off to bed.

Have a loving your life day!

Does size matter?

 

Nectarines on a pressed glass cake plate

Acrylic on canvas

8 x 8 inches

Barbara Muir © 

Don't get me wrong, I love large work, and love painting on
larger canvasses.  But I love painting with whatever size I
am using. I used to follow a wonderful artist named Robert Genn
who died in 2015.  Genn said that,"painters who sell small
works at a low price who want to have credibility in the 

art world need to paint large works."

The Pool

Tom Thomson (one of The Group of Seven)

37.95 x 32.17 inches

1915

(This is one of the large Group of  Seven
paintings)

But on Sunday I was at the Art Gallery of Ontario,
one of Canada's major public galleries,

and some of my favourite works in the gallery
are the work of The Group of Seven.  In Canada
these painters from the turn of the last century
are artistic icons. Painting plein air in the woods
of northern Ontario where they created most of their
wonderful landscape pieces -- they were painting on small
boards.  The reasons were practical, lighter if 
they were backpacking. and the perfect size for 
quick studies.

And their smaller works are just as
magnificent as their larger paintings in all respects
except for scale. They hang beside the large works,
and are now just as "important."

In my case, if I had not been doing small Skype
drawings I would not have attracted the attention
of Howard Wolinsky, and then The Oprah Winfrey
show etc.  I might not have been asked to show in
Florence, and a vast, exciting world of opportunities
would never have opened up to me.

I'm reminding myself of that because the December/
January show at the Heliconian Hall will be the
Off The Wall show -- of small works for quick sale.

Have a painting-in-whatever-size-suits-you day.

Works in process -- Paintin'

(Detail) Untitled

Acrylic on canvas
48 x 36 inches

Barbara Muir © 2025

Thank you for sticking with me in these weeks when I'm working on
things not ready to show you.  We bought the pumpkins and 
candy today, and talked to a very nice person helping with Tech
issues.  So I also painted --working on refining my work.

Here's a detal of a painting that may surprise you (and me) when
it's complete.  Hey. In good ways I hope.

If you haven't watched Paintin' with Pete videos -- give yourself
a treat.

Have a loving your life day 

National Pumpkin Day

Steven carving the pumpkin!
This will probably happen tomorrow.

Photo
Barbara Muir ©

Today is national pumpkin day and Halloween is almost here. This will
be the scene in a couple of days when we get ready for the big night --
Halloween. I draw the faces -- usually happy (I'm not a fan of the horror
part of Halloween), and Steven does the carving. We drove by many
stores selling pumpkins today, and planned to go and get our pumpkins 
and start the carving process, later in the day.

But it was also Sunday (tomorrow is a work day) -- the last Sunday in
October, and the light was magnificent so we decided to go down to the
lake, and go for a walk. That was a great idea. It was so beautiful seeing
the trees in the golden light, set against the beautiful blue of the lake with
swans enjoying the day.

We’ll buy the pumpkins tomorrow, and start the carving. Some
Halloween celebrations have begun already. We saw quite a few
children in costumes. And at 4 degrees Celsius (39 degrees Fahrenheit)
we saw a bride and groom getting photos taken against the lake.  Chilly.

Have a loving in your life day!

Happy International Artist Day

 

The opening ceremonies of the Florence Biennale

in 2015 -- dignitaries, flags, 

a procession through the exhibition

of people dressed in Renaissance costumes, 

playing drums. Lots of excitement!

That was my second time in the
Biennale.  So much fun!

Wonder water series

The work I showed in
the 2015 Florence Biennale
© Barbara Muir 2015

(The portraits sold --

the one of Emily on the left
in New York City, and the one of Etana
on the right here in Toronto.

The center image -- a large diptych --

is still available.)

I feel so lucky to be an International artist, and to have taken part in shows in
Florence, Italy, Paris, France, The Netherlands, New York City, and San Fernando
Valley, California. The excitement of International shows is not something you can
imagine unless you've participated.  So if you can, as I said yesterday,
do take part in a show with artists from all over the world, and enjoy the ceremony, the outstanding art, and meeting some of the nicest, kindest, funniest most brilliant people you'll ever meet.

A friend today was saying negative things about Instagram, but for me it's a
way of contacting people, and maintaining friendships with the superb artists
I've met in my travels with art exhibitions, and with superb artists I follow who I
haven't met yet, but can't wait to meet in person. So delightful and fun.

Happy International Artist Day!

Have a loving your life day!