Memphis Nights 01

As is said in my last post, I am back in the USA right now… All that time since we were back in March, I could not really find inspiration to paint America. All I had seen there was so different, a really new world to me, which I did not spontaneously associated to art. Which is one of the reasons why I could not paint or sketch as we were there. Also it was damned cold, and I had no chance to sketch outside, except with gloves, but this I don;t like. And the things I would have liked to draw, the musicians in the bars, i could not because it was too dark!

Anyway, these days I had the idea to make some mini series of paintings, New Orleans Nights, Memphis nights… compositions of things I had seen, putting them together in a way which inspires me.

So here we go with the first one. As we were in Memphis, we were so lucky to be able to  attend the International Blues Festival. Some of the artist we saw were in the Rum Boogie Cafe. We really spent a wonderful time there, as well the place as the music and the food were great! God, i really wished we had such kind of places here!

Elvis Presley’s Pink Cadillac, well, i did not actually saw it life, but I saw many miniatures one and posters in souvenirs shops.

And the girl refreshing her make-up, it was a statue in the Peabody Centre!

I mixed all that, said abracadabra, and here it is, my first Memphis Nights painting. To enjoy with humour, it is not meant to be very serious…

And as usual, this painting is available  as Giclee print, in different sizes and different formats, in my FAA Gallery:

And don’t forget, Kev Moore‘s CD “Blue Odyssey”, 18 track CD over 75 minutes running time, celebrating our trip around the Music Heartland of America in the early part of 2010.

I made the cover design.

To purchase in Miki’s Mart

Back in the USA…

Street Musician in Memphis - by Miki

Well, not really, just in paintings. Motivated by the pleasure of feeding my new website “Painting the Music” with new artwork, I am actually working on some music paintings from the USA, New Orleans the last days, and Memphis today.

We saw that guy in Beale Street in Memphis, in January thus year. It was just a  gorgeous scene, as you can imagine.. and freezing cold! God, when I see this that guy blowing his trumpet, I get so melancholic, missing these music places so much… where we live there is nothing like that, no street, no bar, where one can go and listen to good life music.. or rarely… I wished we had such a Beale Street in Turre.. yes, me, I wish the blues under the sun all the year!

And as usual, this painting is available  as Giclee print, in different sizes and different formats, in my FAA Gallery:

And don’t forget, Kev moore’s CD “Blue Odyssey”, 18 track CD over 75 minutes running time, celebrating Kev’s trip around the Music Heartland of America in the early part of 2010.

I made the cover design.

To purchase in Miki’s Mart

Sunset Symphony

Sunset 14 - by Miki

I don’t know why that title popped up to my brain.. sounds good I find, at least to my French ears.

I am revisiting right now drawers full of paintings from the last 4 years, especially a big series of tiny gouache landscapes paintings, from fantasy in quite minimalist impressionist style, they were thought more as exercises to search for exciting colours combinations. They have never been exhibited or seen by anybody else than me so far. Well rediscovering them was a nice surprise, and I am busy now  with the digitalisation, titulisation and Internetlisation of them. Quite a job, but well, I like them, and as far as I am concerned they are worth to be put on the market! The kind of paintings I imagine on the bedroom walls of big hotel chains…

Most of them will land in my series “Times of The Day”, watercolour and gouache  paintings featuring different times if the day:

dawn, early morning, midday, afternoon, sunset, nightfall…

Today I will present you some of the sunsets.

Sunset 15 - by Miki

Sunset 10 - by Miki

And as usual, this painting is available  as Giclee print, in different sizes and different formats, in my FAA Gallery:

I was once an alpha snake…

About 2 years I moved from Albir, on the Costa Blanca  of Spain, to Turre, Costa Almeria, about 300 kilometres southerly. I have put my house for sale there, well, the worst moment ever as due to the economical crisis, houses in Spain were no more wanted, people having troubles enough to keep their home in their own country.. Needless to say they have no money for a holiday house! 2 years later the situation has not changed much, unfortunately, my house is still unsold!

It has the huge advantage that I can take much time to empty the house, an unpleasant task generally. Always when I go there, i throw away a little bit, or take things with me. Last time, I took with me all the folders containing old paintings and sketches, in the intention to go through and throw away what was not worthy to be kept.

From time to time now,  I am going through these old paintings. I don’t like to do it,it is not always easy to make a choice what to keep or what not, and perhaps the best would be to throw everything away without having a look. But Kevin forbids it…

Anyway, the other day I found a drawing from a very long time ago: 1989! Perhaps even 1987, I am not sure what my eyes read there. It must be one of the rare works from that time still existing, or at least still in my possession.I wonder if I will find some more in these foldings… According to my character, I always left everything behind when I move from a place to another, and I moved often in these last 23 years…

So here it is, a Rarity! I call it “Sorrow”.. and indeed it was for me a sorrow time

Sorrow - by Miki

Sketching of an old man in Spain…

Most interesting is the signature, at the bottom left hand side.

Alpha Signature - by Miki

These times I was not called “Miki”, neither as a person nor as an artist. My nickname was “Momo”,  my artist name was “Alpha”. Alpha like in Alpha and Omega. Like The Beginning and The End. I was married with an artist,  “Omega” was his artist name… I put the Greek letter symbol for Alpha, and even drew it in form of a cobra snake. My God, I hate snakes! And I don’t think anything in my character is snaky! What a strange idea it was! Although I must admit that the signature is quite beautiful! 

And as usual, this painting is available  as Giclee print, in different sizes and different formats, in my FAA Gallery:

Painting Africa 01

I want to introduce you today to a new artist who joined my new website “Painting the Music”, totally dedicated to Music and Dance Artworks. His artist name is BARRY, he was born in Rwanda, studied arts there and is now living in Cameroon. Living from tone’s own art is not possible there (like in most of the other places of the world, but there it is of course even more difficult), and he chose to make a career in Book Cover Design. This is by the way how I met him some weeks ago, an exciting project which includes me, more concretely one of my Obama portraits, is taking shape right now.. more details will be published here when the project has come to completion.

Anyway I asked Barry if he had some African music and dance paintings, and indeed he has!. To my delight he agreed to join my World of painting the music, and he has published there already 6 African dance paintings.I would appreciate you all to have a look at his paintings, and if possible, to support him in anyway you can. He has his artwork for the first time in internet, a totally new world has opened to him, and I want him to enjoy it as much as possible! I tell you, that guy has much courage, much talent and much heart! This should be rewarded…

Intore Dance from Rwanda - by BARRY

This painting is available  as original (gouache, 21 x 29 cm) Giclee print, in different sizes and different formats, in Barry’s FAA Gallery:

By the way, if you want to exhibit your music/dance art

in my new site “Painting The Music”,

contact me please.

The Pianist

The Pianist - by Miki

I saw him in a  show from Joe Bonamassa in the Royal Albert Hall in London… I was fascinated by his whole appearance and movement, also by the cute little Buddha sitting 0n the piano next to him. Visually So fascinated that , I must confess, I hardly paid attention to his play! But this bunch of guys were so amazing that I have no doubt the Pianist did a great job!

Anyway, I think I will make a whole series of artworks about my Pianist, Joe Bonamassa and the others guys too.. it was a delightful show, as well for the ears as for the eyes, and I do want to render a big homage to it.. as far as my artistic skills allow it!

So here is my first painting from the Pianist, as often in my music works, a mix technique between classical  and digital work. The others will be gradually posted in my portraits blog as soon as they are finished.

This painting is available  as Giclee print, in different sizes and different formats, in my FAA Gallery:

Another kind of Artwork: Blue Odyssey

If you still don’t know it yet, it simply means that you are badly informed – shame on you! My partner, the English Rocker Kev Moore has written a new album, called “Blue Odyssey”.

It just arrived to us in Spain, fresh from the English press, and it looks great!

Of course, it must look great as an artist did the whole design… guess who?

Oh my God, praising myself? I seem to be in a very funny mood today.. I suppose it is because our football team Derby County, “The Rams”.  is suddenly doing so great… if you don’t know that either, this really means that you are very badly informed, BIG shame on you!

Anyway, as I said I did the design. A tough job, 6 panels, meaning 6 designs plus the disc label. Kevin wanting mostly photos from our trip to the USA on there, I was a little bit restricted in my creativity, but well, there was still room for artistic stuff. The cover had to be mainly blue, because of the title. But I could not help adding some very colourful stuff, and I found the guitar (one of a series displayed around the city) seen in Austin just perfect to this aim. The place names on the sidewalk are the stops on our Blue Odyssey.

Blue Odyssey - The Cover

One of my favourite designs on the album is “The Fence”. This is the Panel where he gives all the credits to everybody. By the way, I act not only as CD designer, but also as “Productive Executor”…

The third panel represents a fence, a photo taken by Kevin if I remember well. As I saw the photo it reminded me of the the skylines in the USA, so I added very discreetly a representative building of Nashville and one from Austin on 2 bars of the fence. I just adore it (sorry for the self compliments!)

Blue Odussey - The credits

And also I like the disc label. Mister Kev Moore in the form of the Statue of Liberty holding a microphone instead of a flame torch.

Blue Odyssey - The Disc Label

And if you want to know what is under the disc (and of course within the disc, meaning the music), you will have to buy the album! You get it on-line from Miki’s Mart

or by contacting me.

An 18 track CD over 75 minutes running time, celebrating Kev’s trip around the Music Heartland of America in the early part of 2010.

It is presented in a full-colour 6-panel Digipak with original artwork & photos.

Featuring guest musicians from America and Europe.

And if you want to buy a print of The Fence, just go to my FAA Gallery

Another tango with me… but not the last!

Tangoscape 5 - by Miki

Well, still working on my Tangoscapes series…

in search of movement and colour and passion and dramatic…

By the way, if you want to exhibit your music/dance art

in my new site “Painting The Music”,

contact me please.

And if anybody here wants to buy a print of my Tangoscape (or others), it is available in different sizes and on different supports (papers, canvas), in my FAA Gallery here:

Tango Time

Motivated by my brand new website

“Painting The Music”

dedicated to music and dance artworks, I have started a new series “The Tangoscapes”. I was often asked to make some tango art works, but I always refused. Somehow I am not so keen of the dance itself, it seems too sophisticated to me. Perhaps too sexual too. Or is it a modern evolution? I have noticed that they do it with flamenco too, flamenco has million of aficionados, many women all around the world learn it, more or less professionally. But for my taste they add too much sexuality to the dance itself, and I don’t believe that it was originally meant as such. Concerning tango, I don’t know enough about it, I can’t judge.

Anyway until now tango was not inspiring me.

Because of my new website, I had a thought. Thinking I might try to paint it in another way as one normally does. Less sexual, putting weight in the atmosphere. Or  adding a background story, kind of. Of course , knowing myself very few about tango, I might totally miss the point! But to be honest,  it dies not matter to me, as long as I like the result, and have fun doing it!

Tangoscape 02 - by Miki

(inspired by the man character, whom I saw in a video)

By the way, if you want to exhibit your music/dance art

in the new site,

contact me please.

f anybody here wants to buy a print of my Tangoscape (or others), it is available in different sizes and on different supports (papers, canvas), in my FAA Gallery here:

Painting The Music

I have created a new site. I hear many people saying:

“another one?!”

and indeed I have already so many sites, galleries, blogs, artists communities!

But well, if I get an idea, there is no way my brain will come to rest until I have realised it. So better do it at once than suffering under the permanent assaults of my frustrated grey cells.

Well, a certain time ago I stated making music paintings, and  I grew into it. In fact it started really with my Michael Jackson series, but also before as I painted BCSweet, Kev Moore‘s band. And now I have a pretty good collection of these wonderful music heroes, and I intend to paint many more.

Also Kevin has rediscovered his artist soul and started to create artworks too, in a very personal style. Some of them feature musicians, of  course, like this one

C-Lo Pink, by Kev Moore.

(click on the image if you want to buy a print online)

And also I have a wonderful artist friend in the USA. Pamela Allegretto-Franz, whose musicians are now gigging all the time in our home here in Spain. Here are the first ones who flew to us, “The Cool Jazz trio”

"Cool Jazz Trio", by Pamela Allegretto-Franz

(click on the image if you want to buy a print online)

This is why I thought I thought of a website entirely dedicated to music and dance0 paintings. It was complicated as I needed a multi-user possibility, so that people can upload their own stuff, and also, considering the amount on money I already spend on maintaining all my sites, I could not spend much more. So the site is a compromise, but well, it does the job. And we three love the name

PAINTING THE MUSIC

If any artist is interested in participating and exhibiting their music and dance art there, please leave a comment here or contact me per email.