Citadelle Andalouse

Citadelle Andalouse bis - by Miki

Acrylics on Watercolour Paper

This is in fact a photo-shopped version of my original miniature painting “Citadelle Andalouse”, and it was an accident. For some from me unknown reasons some of the original colours lost their saturation and turned to grey. And I must say: I love the result! I often forget what a great “tool” the colour grey is, when it is juxtaposed to some warm colours like red, yellow, orange… it enhances them in a very elegant way, and give the whole painting a mysterious atmosphere.

The other effects in the painting are just the result of a special personal technique… don’t ask the recipe, it is a secret!

I will only repeat it: when you paint, let fate and nature do their job, they are your best assistants!

Well, if you want a print (available on paper or canvas and in different sizes) or a greeting card of this painting, just click on the widget below

Nuclear Wind

Nuclear Wind - by Miki

Acrylics on grey Fine Art Paper.

Apart from painting the bulls, These days I am revisiting my past, making photos or scans of older works. A big job, as I have hundreds of them, from a time where I was not presenting my work on the net and consequently was not bothered about their digitalisation. It is not easy for an artist to decide, which ones are worth, and which ones not. In fact I never take this decision myself, knowing very well that my judgement about my own work most of the time does not correspond to the public taste. When I paint new stuff, I do publish everything, independently how good or bad I find it. But with previous works, above all when there are so many, it is a dilemma, considering that I do not want to spend the present time totally in the past. The result is a rather a random choice, depending almost uniquely on what comes first under my hand.

Anyway: today is the turn of “Nuclear Wind”… and there was, if I remember well, really some nuclear wind blowing through my life… 

If you want to purchase a print (on paper or canvas, and in different sizes) or a greeting card, please click on the widget below

Stuck in the bullring…

If some of my followers think I am being lazy lately, not presenting new artworks, well, I was not! It’s is just that once again I was stuck in the bullring!

A creation for Curtis Helm,  the owner of the Art Gallery “El Retiro”, in Turre, (Andalusia, Spain) to commemorate my bullfight paintings exhibition on the 28th of January 2011.

El Retiro de Los Toros - by Miki

If you want to read about the background of this painting and see a photo of Curtis and me with the painting, just go to my blog “Amour Toro“.

Also I was busy with a big bullfight painting on commission for an American client. I think it is finished, but well, right now waiting for the client’s approval…

“Seeing Red” – Acrylics on canvas – 185 x 155 cm.

Having said that, I do feel a little bit lazy these days… what I urgently need is a good trip, and it seems that we will be on the road again, soon, in about 4 weeks, direction France and Italy! Can’t wait to make some new travel sketches!

Benidorm

Benidorm - by Miki

An older painting of mines, which I found the other day and finished. As far as I can see -I rarely remember how I did this sort of paintings, they look very complicated and spontaneous- it started with aimlessly putting wild colours on a tinted paper and then letting fate and inspiration and creativity play together. The result was a view of Benidorm, a sea town on the Costa Blanca in Spain. The town where I spent all my holidays with my family since I was a baby, a long long time ago. It did not look like that then, about 55 years ago… it was an idyllic place and I adored to go there. This is the only place in the world where I have some roots left, probably deeply buried under the buildings. but still there. My parents have still a wonderful flat there, and spend half the year there. But I personally nowadays, not too keen of going partying the whole night, I much more prefer little peaceful towns, like Turre, where we live now.

Benidorm is normally a white town, meaning the millions of skyscrapers are white. But when one loves colours as much as I do, no way I could paint a white Benidorm. And of course there is more than one little blue car… in fact Benidorm id a nightmare, there are cars and buses and taxis and bikes and pedestrians everywhere and each one of them thinks that he has priority, wherever he stands! When I go there, I always wonder that there are no more accidents…

Anyway, here it is, the town of my roots.. I wonder if somebody would be able to recognize it!

2011 Valentines Countdown 0: HeARTistically Yours!

HeARTistically Yours! - by Miki

So, here we go, it is Valentine’s Day today! I hope you have all got something nice for your sweetheart. and will spend a loveful day together. As for those who haven’t got a sweetheart, there is certainly somebody in your life, family, friends, pets, cars,celebrity, etc., whom you love and could wish a Happy Valentine.

I have been very lucky this year, winning a Valentine Art Competition and a Dinner for two tonight. No doubt whom I will take with me! One hour ago that guy went down-town, and he might come back with a Valentine surprise for me… I also found a lovely love declaration from him this morning on my keyboard… just wonderful to start the day like that. I know, I am a very lucky girl, and so many people in the world are not that lucky…

I wished I could make red hearts fall from the sky the whole day and all around the world….

HAPPY VALENTINE 2011!

2011 Valentines Countdown 01: I’ll be OK…

I'll be OK... - by Miki

The Valentines Countdown today is dedicated to all people in the world who are actually not with  their sweetheart to celebrate Valentine together, or who haven’t got a sweetheart at all… I know many people in this situation, and I feel immensely sorry fro them, from the bottom of my heart. If I had a magic wand I would change that…

I want to say to these people, especially the ones who haven;t got any love partner, that they should not lose the hope. I met my wonderful partner exactly in a moment when I less expected it, and in fact when I had decided to stop looking for it. Love is there, in each tiniest corner of our space-time, and there is enough of it for anybody. But to get it, I think it is very important to always keep the eyes and especially the mind open for new ideas,  experiences and adventures. And also trust fate, and  let it make its job, as fate is quite good at “planning” the right encounters…. …

HAPPY VALENTINE 2011!

Painting available as print on paper and canvas, or as a greeting card. Just click on the widget below

2011 Valentines Countdown 02: Black and White Love

Black and White Love - by Miki

Today I want to dedicate the Valentine Countdown to all the inter-racial, inter-cultural and inter inter-everything love relationships of the world. It is difficult enough to have a happy and successful love relationship, but when people from different skin colours, different cultures , different social background, different sexes, etc. fall in love with each other, this is often connected with even more problems. One often needs to show more understanding and more tolerance for the partner, and also the society is not always showing tolerance towards the couple. There is always some kind of a fight, and fighting is, I think, not the best recipe for a successful love….

I have personally witnessed many inter-cultural relationships, and even in such a “small” place as Europe, the differences can be huge between the countries. The habits are different, the expectations are different, the expression of feelings are different, the reactions are different. So different, that they often lead to misunderstandings and misinterpretations, which repeated, again and again, lead to an unhappy end..

Often though, when love and lovers are strong enough, it is sufficient to be aware of the problems to be able to solve them, As I said in one of my previous Valentine posts, “Love Always Wins”…  a very optimistic statement, I know  But yesterday evening I heard the same phrase from Morrie’s mouth in the wonderful film

“Tuesdays with Morrie”

with Jack Lemmon and Hank Azaria.

(by the way perhaps one of the most beautiful and poignant love films I have ever seen!)

When Morrie says it, it must be true!!!!

HAPPY VALENTINE 2011!

Painting available as print on paper and canvas, or as a greeting card. Just click on the widget below

My Love Wins!

This afternoon I had a wonderful surprise, really something I had not expected at all.

Curtis Helm, the owner of the Art Gallery “El Retiro” in Turre, where the Valentine Art Show competition took place this morning, came personally to our house and handled me an envelope.

Inside was this lovely Valentine Card. I thought, well this is a thank-you for my participation.

But when I opened it, I read the following declaration:

I could not believe my eyes! I was so immensely happy, deeply touched  and so thankful to everybody, especially to Curtis who has organised this show and created this wonderful Art Gallery, gradually giving our town a whole new dimension of togetherness, creativity and fun.

It is a wonderful feeling to win with my art a Valentine dinner with my amazing partner Kev Moore, without whom most of the artwors of the last 5 years would not exist.

So, we will have that dinner on Monday the 14th of February, about 20h30, in this wonderful restaurant:

MESA Bar & Restaurant, Mojacar Playa, Almeria - SPAIN

In Turre Love Takes Many Forms

The impatiently expected and worldwide announced Valentine Art Show took place this morning in Turre, Andalucia, in the new gallery “El Retiro”. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, everybody was in a great mood: todo perfecto to celebrate that divine institution which is LOVE!

El Retiro in Love

The Boss of The Valentine Competition

The ‘boss’ being the one with the red votes book and the hat. In the foreground, Kev Moore in his Rocker outfit, unfortunately not well captured by the camera(much to his dismay!).

My Valentine artwork is called “Love Wave”, on the top right hand side of the photo below. Our friend Emmanuel Baliyanga from Rwanda exhibited “Birds in Love”, top left hand-side. And Rocker Kev Moore presented his Valentine Duval with the heart-shaped guitar, obscured by me.(also much to his dismay!)

Miki in El Retiro, in front of “Birds in Love”, “Love Wave” and “Valentine Duval”

Kev Moore and Valentine Duval in El Retiro

My friend Pamela Allegretto from Connecticut, USA was also present with her lovely painting”Island Love”, on the top right hand side on the photo below. Next to it on the left, a brilliant piece called “The Heart of The Cabrera Mountain”, which is the one Kevin voted for. The Cabrera mountain is in front of our windows!

Miki in El Retiro in front of “Island Love” and “The Heart of The Cabrera Mountain”

The owners of “El Retiro” Barbara and Curtis, Miki and Kev Moore

Not being allowed to vote for my friends -which of course I would have done 1000 times if the judge Curtis were not taking care of cheaters- neither for myself – I am generally not that small-minded, but there is a prize of a Valentine dinner for two at stake, so ones morals are tough to keep under control!- I voted for Number 3. But it was really difficult to make a choice, there were so many other pieces I love, Especially the heart-shaped Quiche Lorraine prepared by the owner of my favourite local restaurant “The Pasty Shack”.

Les Coeurs du Retiro

2011 Valentines Countdown 03: Valentine Duval and his Love Wave

Here is the artwork with which Kev Moore will enter the Valentine’s art competition in our local Gallery “El Retiro” in Turre. With such a name and his heart-shaped guitar, that cute musician will surely be very welcome in the show and break many hearts!

Valentine Duval - by Kev Moore

By the way: it will be the first time that Kevin exhibits publicly one of his art works. This will be followed by a solo exhibition on the 11th of March, where he will present about 25 of his recent character paintings, all striking by their vibrant colours, the love of details and the humour.I wish him good luck for this new artist career.

As for myself, I will exhibit one of my Lovescapes, called “Love Wave”.

This painting is meant to show how I feel every time I think of Valentine Duval’s Father! 

Love Wave - by Miki

HAPPY VALENTINE 2011!

Both paintings are available as prints and greeting cards in Fine Art America. Just click on the widgets below