CATch Me if You Can

Inspired by one of my last paintings, “Unravelling”, which I presented in this blog some days ago, I have started a new series of paintings and artworks featuring cats. I call this series

“CATalogue”

Many of them should illustrate some kind of word play on the word “cat”, like the title of the series itself. As far as possible of course… I cannot say that I love cats, I don’t really, although I had a wonderful one when I was a child, whose name was “Caramel” because he loved caramels. But generally, I don’t trust them. This is for me reason enough not to like them.

Having said that, I find them very beautiful, and quite inspiring for paintings. As a result of my “unlove”, they might not have always the best role in my paintings, but well… just one more of my artistic freedoms!

CATch Me if You Can - by Miki

One of my favourite comments so far about this artwork id from my artist friend Pamela Allegretto

“Oh Miki, you totally captured the mood of many a childhood nightmare. Great work!”

You might understand that, like me, she is not a big cats fan… 

And if you want to buy a reproduction of this painting, it is available as greeting card, poster and Giclee print canvas in my FAA Gallery

For The Shear Joy Of It….

Christmas painting by Miki

Merry Christmas everybody!

Unravelling…

Unravelling - by Miki

Some words about the creation process of this piece.

It was originally a gouache painting of Nightfall, one from my watercolour/gouache series “Times of The Day” which have never been exhibited, neither in the real world nor on the net. I liked it a lot as it was, but somehow I had worked on so many similar ones these last few weeks, that I wanted to do something more out of it.

Who knows what inspired me to add the silhouette of the black cat behind the foreground field line!

It was certainly the result of an association in my brain, which is, according to my experience, the way how my creativity works. I won’t enter into deep considerations about how the brain works, but I think I have found out that my own is very quick at creating association chains, and going from the first link of the chain to the last with lightning speed. Personally, I think that the basis of creativity is the ability to build these chains and to consciously use them.

Anyway, after the cat had arrived, I missed something in the foreground. Considering the expression of the cat’s eyes, I thought it needed to be something which teases him, and stops him going across the landscape. I thought of course of a mouse, Too simple. Then of a bird. Too simple. And anyway, both too cruel.  Kev Moore had the idea of the wool ball, and I loved it at once! This is the great thing when you live with another creative person, it always helps when you are stuck somewhere. Kevin inspired me on so many occasions already…

The title of the painting, “Unravelling”, is from Kevin too!

I posted that painting 2 days ago in my different galleries online. Here are, so far, my favourite comments about this painting:

“Miki I do always see a story within your art works, labyrinth, looking for string to go back to safety, curious eyes wanting to see behind the obvious…

Nice story telling art.”

“Looks 3 D. Love the ball of yarn!”

“A really nice painting. I like the light effects and all the subtle things going on in the purples”

And if you want to buy a reproduction of this painting, it is available as greeting card, poster and Giclee print canvas in my FAA Gallery

Austin Nights 04 – Nutz McGee

One night in February 2010 in Austin Kev Moore – the greatest musician of all time… you don’t know him” Shame on you! – climbed up a tree with his guitar and had coffee and cookie with his favourite friend

Nutz McGee

one of these Austin cute squirrels!

Austin Nights 04 – by Miki

Now Kev Moore did a wonderful close-up portrait of Nutz Mcgee

Nutz Mc Gee - By Kev Moore

And here are his words about him:

“Nutz McGee is one of a dying breed of rare blue squirrel, found in the Mississippi Delta and parts of Texas. Nutz has made the blues harp his instrument of choice, and following a long stint in the Betty Ford clinic, has managed to resist stuffing the money he makes busking into his cheeks and collects it in a plate instead. He doesn’t eat much, but likes to take Coffee and Cinnamon swirls in trees with other musicians when the occasion presents itself.
Now I know it’s a bit mental, a squirrel taking up the blues harp, but well, he’s Nutz isn’t he?”

And if you are interested in buying a Giclee print of these paintings, they are available in many different sizes and on different supports – Papers, canvasses, etc.) in our FAA Gallery. Just click on the widgets please, and here you are, ready to spend money! 

Austin Nights 01

After Memphis and Nashville nights, I have now started the series of Austin Nights, commemorating that wonderful time we spent in the USA in January/February 2010. This series is a little bit weird, almost surrealistic, bringing elements together I had seen in the towns. Most of the time they will feature musicians playing some instrument somewhere, and most of the time, on roofs, traffic lights, trees,  etc… I always loved Marc Chagall’s Fiddler on a roof, this might be an unconscious reminiscence of it….

Austin Nights 01 - By Miki

As in many other American towns, I was fascinated by some skyscrapers. Before America, I never thought I could ever be aesthetically attracted by these kind of buildings! Well, this one in Austin was gorgeous, especially by night. And it will haunt some of my Austin paintings, this is for sure! On the traffic light holding his guitar is Stevie Ray Vaughn, Austin’s legendary guitarist. I had seen his statue in the town park, the painting of him is based on it.

And if you are interested in buying a Giclee print of this portrait, it is available in many different sizes and on different supports – Papers, canvasses, etc.) in my FAA Gallery.

We have in the family another product resulting from that trip: Kev Moore’s CD “Blue Odyseey”

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.

Cover Design by lil ol’ me!

Blue Odyssey - By Kev Moore

Available online in Miki’s Mart

Robbie Savage Makes the Statistics

When you start exhibiting your art on the net, and want to be successful all around the world, you have to work hard everyday. Publishing new paintings, writing new blogs posts, twitting, facebooking, etc. Unless of course you are already famous and already have millions of followers, which is not my case. Anyway, I don’t like fame, at least not when it becomes too obvious and followers become stalkers, kind of… following and being followed is in fact  one of the many social jails I always tried to escape in my life.

Anyway, in the past, one of my active places on the net was Flickr. But caught on other platforms, I had stopped to publish for a long while. Yesterday, who knows why, after receiving one of these Flick mails from a new fan, I went there and checked the statistics, expecting to see the amount of daily visits  reduced to null. But it was the contrary! What a strange thing the internet is! I have often noticed it, by sites and blogs, they always say that the search engines want you to publish new material all the time, but strangely enough, exactly in the time when I work much, the stats numbers go dramatically down! And when I do nothing, the numbers go up! This must be the result of some “Gravity”.

Well, this morning I checked the stars again, a little bit closer this time, and found out to my big surprise that half of my views in Flickr since the 29th of November, are focussed on ONE painting.

My portrait of Robbie Savage!!!!

Instead of an average of 1 view per day, it jumped to 250 views per day! Now, for the ignorant who still don’t know Robbie Savage, let me say that: he is one of the players of our Football  Team “Derby County”

Robbie Savage - By MIki

Like always my little brain was very curious to understand this sudden phenomena. So with these facts and numbers I went to Kev Moore, my partner and another ‘celebrity’ of Derby County and always aware of everything going on there. He explained to me what is going on with Robbie in the UK right now, and here it is, Kev Moore personally, telling you about Robbie Savage:

“Robbie’s star is rising right now as a result of a cumulation of many things, he has just passed his 600 league game milestone, he has been a high profile player for many years, via Man Utd, Leicester, Blackburn and Birmingham, and now of course Derby, where under Nigel Clough, he found himself resurrected in the twilight of his career. Enjoying the notoriety of being ‘the pantomime villain’ he was always the perfect candidate to have an autobiography ghostwritten, and this was recently released. Add to this Robbie’s dovetailing of his new media career with his impending retirement from the game proper, including appearances on BBC Radio and Television, and you see his profile spilling over into the non-football public. The icing on the cake is the huge following Robbie has garnered on Twitter. Simply put, he’s reaching more people than ever before and more people are talking about him, and searching for him on the net.”

And if you are interested in buying a Giclee print of this portrait, it is available in many different sizes and on different supports – Papers, canvasses, etc.) in my FAA Gallery. I am not sure though that I am allowed to sell these prints without Robbie’s permission, and if it is the case, I am sorry and will retract the painting from sale. I guess his agents will let me know. Anyway, this portrait is, I guess, much too romantic for most of the fans… which makes me want to make another one, depicting the wild savage…

Another great product featuring Robbie Savage has been created in the family:  “Fan Fayre for The Commons People”.

Kev Moore’s 12 track CD in homage to his club  Derby County,

Featuring Commons People, Can’t let Savage go, The Derby Ram, Steve Bloomer’s (still) watching, We’ll always be the Derby, Nothinghamshire, and many more!

Fanfayre for The Commons People - CD by Kev Moore

You can purchase it in Miki’s Mart online

African Odes and Songs in Homage To Barack Obama

I have the pleasure to announce today that one of my Obama portraits, “Yes We Can”, has been chosen as a book cover. And what a book!

A book called

Odes et Chansons Africaines

en Hommage a Barack Obama

(African Odes and songs, in homage to Barack Obama)

A book written by Marcelline Sibylle Ngono Bene, Doctor in Literature and African Civilisations, Master of Conferences at The University of Yaoundé and General Inspector of Academic Matters at the Ministry of Higher Education.

I adore the fact that my portrait serves this aim, and it will be a very emotional moment for me when I receive my dedicated copy…

I hope I will be able then to translate some of them in English. In fact, I am waiting to get it to see if a translation from French to English of the whole book could be possible. I am quite sure that a lot of people in the world would be interested in the content…

My special thanks to Emmanuel Baliyanga -a great artist himself by the way, check here- in charge of the book design and who found and chose my portrait.

Obama’s portrait painting is available as Giclee print, in different sizes and different formats, in my FAA Gallery:

Nashville Nights

Nashville Nights 01 - by Miki

After The Memphis and New Orleans Nights,  I’m now starting a new series about the Nashville Nights. All of these paintings are kind of artistic collages, putting together different elements I have seen in each of these towns during my 2 month USA trip through the Southern States in January/February 2010.
Most of them are done in a mixed technique starting with a first level in a classical technique (pastel, acrylics, gouache) and finished with digital art to reach some special effects and vibrancy.
The first Nashville nights paintings can be seen here in my FAA Gallery. Mainly  featuring the Hard Rock Cafe and that wonderful emblematic building of the AT&T. I had never thought before that a skyscraper could be so beautiful, it really was a revelation.

My partner the English rock musician (lead singer, bass player and song writer) Kev Moore has written a whole album, “Blue Odyssey”, 18 track CD, celebrating that trip. Please check his website if you are interested in more info and purchasing the CD.

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

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

in my new site “Painting The Music”,

contact me please.

Painting Africa 02

Central Africa fauna - By Emmanuel Baliyanga, alias "Barry"

Gouache Painting.

Please click on the image if you are interested in buying the original artwork or a Giclee Print.

Some time ago, in a post called “Painting Africa 01″, I presented a new artist to you , Emmanuel Baliyanga, alias “Barry”, originally from Rwanda but living in Cameroon now, for the sad reasons one can imagine…

We are  in contact everyday, and I must say that Emmanuel amazes me more and more. He is such an accomplished artist, there is so much potential in him. I love the way he paints Africa, much sensitivity, love, sincerity and even humour are always present in his paintings.

We now have a very special relationship. I am his artistic “Godmother”, he is my “Godson”, and it is a wonderful feeling to be able to help such a great artist to promote his art around the world. I am also deeply touched by his humility and his thankfulness.. It is something which, I find, has become very rare, above all on the net…

Good luck, my dear Emmanuel, go on painting and showing your wonderful and fascinating Africa to the world.

Miki and The Sentinella

Miki and The Sentinella

Just a short post to inform you that I have been featured in “The Sentinella”, a local magazine here in the Mojacar and Turre area. The magazine is available as well online as on paper.

For the cover the publishers have chosen my last Flamencoscape. And there is inside an article about me and my art.

Miki in The Sentinella

The whole magazine can be seen online here.

A special thanks to Jo & Pete for the featuring and for the great job they are doing here, revving this magazine!

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