A tribute to the school yard

 

A Magic Day in the Neighbourhood

Acrylic on canvas

24 x 24

Barbara Muir © 

Currently for reasons no one can explain the schoolyard across
the street has been under construction for the whole summer,
and there are gates, and fences everywhere on what used to be
a welcoming space. Sometimes it feels like that's the story all
over the city -- that developers rule.  

But we have to believe that when the work on the schoolyard
is done, the fences will come down, and the spaces will go
back to being children's favourite places to be.  And the sounds
of laughter and fun will fill the street.

Have a loving your life day!

The loss of my sweet cousin

Woman with her cats

Acrylic on canvas with gold leaf

36 x 24 inches

Barbara Muir © 

It's a very sad day because the beautiful woman in
this portrait died Sunday.  She was my cousin, and she
commissioned me to do her portrait.

I am for sure a portrait painter, plus I also love
painting landscapes, still life, and scenes with people,
but I started with portraits, and they are still a
major love of mine. This painting reminds me 
why portraits matter.  

I vividly remember working on this painting. 
My cousin was in the most beautiful blouse,
with her cats sitting behind her shoulders,
and on her lap. I took many photos with the cats
in the pose, then my cousin came and posed for
me in my studio, and we used pillows to pose
instead of the cats.

The cats were big beauties, and I really wanted
to get them right. My cousin who was incredibly kind 
loaned the painting to me for my solo show at the 
Heliconian Hall last year, and when I took it back she
was quite ill. But she said looking at her cats who were both
gone, made her happy. I miss her so much!

Have a loving the ones you love day!

The power of positive thought

Here's a photo from the taping of the Oprah Winfrey show

back in 2009. The woman with her head down

drawing beside the Skype symbol is me.
I am trying to capture Oprah when she looks
in my direction.  I've never been quite as excited and
scared at the same time.

I was reading a journal from the days when I taught Positive Psych at
Seneca College.  I'd forgotten that one of our exercises was the Whoop
exercise.  I'd ask my students to put their hands in the air, envision 
something wonderful that they wanted to happen and then yell
whoop in joyous enthusiasm.  They actually loved doing it, and 
miraculously no other teachers ever knocked on my classroom
door telling us to quiet down.

I would often say after we did the whooping --"you watch me -- I'm
going to be on the Oprah Winfrey show." They took that with a grain
of salt until the thing actually happened.  And the students from 
the semester before it happened found out, and then they were 
blown away.  "Miss! Miss!, Miss!" one student yelled -- "This
is unbelievable."  "Yes!" I said, "but it's true.  It happened."

Try the whoop exercise in your car if you have no private place.
Imagine something you'd love to happen (positive -- not 
negative), raise your arms in the air, whoop and say you won't
believe what happened!" Awesome.

Have a loving your life day!

Stop the car!

Témiscouata-sur-le-Lac from the road
(in Quebec)

Acrylic on canvas

24 x 36 inches

Barbara Muir © 2025

We (Steven was the driver) just drove across Canada from
Toronto to Nova Scotia, and back putting 5500 km on the
new car. The car is actually a 2013 car that we
got at the wonderful garage I go to. And it was a super drive.

I took probably thousands of photos as the entire route is
knockout. One scene after another, fills the view and makes
me want to get out of the car to take better photos.
Which is why I’m showing you this painting today because
this was one place. I actually asked Steven to pull over so I
could take pictures to work on changing the work. Tonight
I looked at the photos and thought -- 'hmmm -- the painting's 
pretty right on!'

Tomorrow the holiday is over and painting, and drawing will
be my life again.

Have a loving in your life day!

What we see and love

Summer love

Acrylic in and pencil

on watercolour paper

5 x 7 inches

Barbara Muir © 

Today we're getting ready to celebrate a family member's

birthday, thinking about a friend's birthday, and reconnecting
with Toronto.  This image gives you the impression of scenes

we see so often in the 5500 kilometres (3,417 miles) we 
travel going towards Nova Scotia and on our drive back.

So at first the city seems extreme. But today we went to the
super farmer's market at the Brick Works, and saw the people
we love there, and saw people we enjoy everywhere as we
shopped to get the groceries we need for our non-holiday
life.

Tonight is movie night. An as always we will watch (we 
hope) a funny and engaging film. 

Have a loving your life day! 

Home again

 

View from the highway

Acrylic on canvas

18 x 24 inches

Barbara Muir © 

I have three minutes to write this before I have to go to bed,
but please forgive me.  For the past two weeks we've had
barely any internet because we've been on the road -- a lot.
Those country drives happened to take us to Ottawa, Chelsea
Quebec, Quebec City, Fredericton, New Brunswick, and 
Nova Scotia.  More anon as my university English Literature
teacher used to say.

So now we are home -- absolutely full of ideas and inspiration.
And No AI didn't write this.  I don't use Chat gbt, and if that
explains everything okay.  It was wonderful to be away, and
it's sweet to be home.

Expect art. Lots of it. (Maybe not tomorrow.  I need to recover
from 5,000 kilometres of driving.) (As a passenger).

Have a loving your life day!

Happy Monthaversary of our wedding day

Irises celebrate
Photo
Barbara Muir © 

It's our Monthaversary of our wedding day -- something
we celebrate every month. It was an incredibly beautiful day
 -- ideal temperature -- gorgeous. We did what we've been
doing for most of our vacation -- took drives down beautiful
country roads, singing to the radio.  

It was a perfect day for celebrating -- a super road side lunch,
then dinner with family.

Meanwhile as we drove through gorgeous landscapes I took
so many photos for reference for paintings that I hope will
spring to life when this holiday is over.

Have a loving your life day!