Cycloscape 01: The Lonely Rider

Cycloscape 01 - by Miki

Some days ago I posted here “Blues United”, my latest acrylics cycling painting, and announced some new works in my “scapes” technique, that mix between classical and digital art. A technique I quite love because it is faster (and I am an impatient artist…), but also because it allows to add some structure and colour effects, more difficult to reach with traditional pens or brushes.

Concerning the results, some people prefer a full classical technique, because it looks more real, has  more physical substance. Truth is that a paints structure on a canvas is something very beautiful, sensual even. For the eyes, and also for the fingers when one is allowed to touch the painting… which I allowed myself… and my closest friends perhaps! 

On the other side that mixed  technique allows more vibrancy. The artworks look often quite surreal, like from a dream world, or a parallel world to our normal reality.. in fact exactly like something from the cyberspace, what it is, somehow! And some people love everything cyber… personally I love all techniques, and which one I prefer depends only on my daily mood and my actual connection to the real world, which I sometimes like to lose…  

If you want to purchase a print of my lonely rider (on paper or canvas and many different sizes available) just click on the widget below

This is terrible… Pinetop is gone!

Kevin (Kev Moore for the ignorant who still don’t know to whom my heart belongs     ), just coming back from a professional meeting, was looking at his emails as I suddenly heard him saying

“Oh no…”

I looked at him. He was quite pale, and one tear was (really…) rolling down his cheek… Knowing my guy, I asked

“Who died?”

In a very low and sweet voice he answered

“Pinetop…”

This was a terrible moment for us. We met Pinetop Perkins in Austin in February 2010, by accident, he was just sitting next to us at Nuno’s on 6th Street, ready to go on stage. We had no idea that Pinetop was living in Austin, and even less that he was performing at Nuno’s sometimes. How lucky we have been!!!! But you’d better go to Kevin’s site and read about it, he can tell all these things much better than me. He wrote a song in his honour, “96 on 6th”…, and even made an artwork featuring Pinetop Perkins… all this to see and listen to on Moore:Music.

Some months ago I even did an artwork commemorating our music nights in the USA, and on one of them, one can even see Pinetop. A fun painting though, featuring him, Barack Obama and Jerry Lee Lewis gigging together on the 3 pianos of the entrance hall of the Gibson factory in Memphis

Memphis Nights 04 - by Miki

Pinetop is, of course, the one on the left side wearing the orange trousers and the white shirt…

I just received an email from a French friend, to whom we brought the last Pinetop CD last year, signed by hand.He says

“… S’il existe effectivement un autre monde, j’espère qu’il y a un piano qui l’attend.”

“… if another world does exist, I hope there is a piano there waiting for him…”

Wonderfully said!

Pinetop Perkins ' last CD, handsigned by him in Austin in February 2010

Bye Bye Pinetop, we love you so much!

Blues United

Blues United - by Miki

Acrylics on canvas – 75 x 150 cm – 2011

The title of that cycling painting probably sounds more like football, but well, I love it, and no other words, I think, could better describe that painting.

Of course, in French, I would call it

“Allez Les Bleus!”

I have decided to make a sport paintings series in acrylics on canvas, cycling is just the beginning. I am done with cycling now, the next sport theme  will be tennis. But, as I did it with bullfight, I won’t only paint sports in acrylics on canvas, i will also do some “Sportscapes”, in this personal technique I used the first time for my Fantascapes series, a mix technique between classical art (pastel, watercolour, gouache, ink, colour pens, etc…) and digital art . I will present soon here in this blog my first “Cycloscape”.

The original “Blues United” is currently for sale. If you are interested, contact me.

And if you want a print (on paper or canvas and many different sizes available) just click on the widget below

Hermann The German

Herman The German, Kev Moore and Miki in El Retiro in Turre, Andalusia

We went today to our local Art Gallery, El Retiro, to attend the weekly exhibition -congratulations, by the way, to the exhibiting artist Eileen Ward  -, and I had the pleasure to meet “Hermann The German”, a  Banjo player and singer who lives around here. Apart from enjoying listening to him, I was also quite happy to speak to a German guy again, as I spent most of my adult life in Germany. Unfortunately I did not dare to speak German, although it is a language I had mastered perfectly not a long time ago. But since I met Kevin, I speak and listen to English 88% of the time, and my active German is totally fading away. Such a pity for me, as I loved the German language.

Anyway, it was great to speak and to listen to Herman The German, under our wonderful Spanish sun… coming originally from the North of Germany,somewhere between Hamburg and Lubeck, he also knew the Meyer Werft, the big ship-building company from Papenburg, Emsland, where I used to live for a long time. A place I did love. I went quite emotional as he mentioned the Meyer Werft!

So here he is, Herman the German, our local Banjo player! No way I would not try to paint him as soon as possible, such a wonderful character!

Herman The German - By Miki

And if you want a print (on paper or canvas and many different sizes available) just click on the widget below

We are going to Italy

Yes we do!

We will leave Turre, Andalusia on the 28th of March in our Boomobile, pick up my parents in Benidorm, Costa Blanca, and take them to their flat in Tarbes in the French Pyrenees.

On the 31st of March, we will take the road in the direction of Italy. We plan to visit Genova, Portofino, Cinque Terre, Carrara, Pisa, Firenze, Fiesole and many other places in Tuscany.

My wonderful friend and artist Pamela Allegretto-Franz, currently living in the USA, but with a long-lasting Italian experience, helped me to plan the trip. Her being an artist I couldn’t be better advised, as my main aim there is to sketch. I have no doubt that there will be hundreds of motifs for me.. my biggest fear being that there are too many and that I get an overflow… all these towns and villages, they all look so immensely attractive to my artist’s eyes… well, I will do what I can, and try not to stress about what I can’t.

All together we plan to stay 6 0r 7 weeks away, probably coming back from Italy via ferry, from Livorno to Valencia in Spain.

Some days ago I received from Pamela an envelope containing four pens and a wonderful little bag from Hawaii, where Pamela used to live some years ago. These pens are exactly the ones I use for my travel sketches, and I had none left. So, of course, they will be the ones I will use there. And the bag goes with us too. For fun, out of the 4 pens and the bag, I made this little ‘animal’  travelling upon the European Map from Spain to Italy. It is so cute, isn’t it?

The Art of Cycling 03 – Yellow Triumph

The Art of Cycling 03 - by Miki

Acrylics on canvas – 100 x 100 cm – 2011

The second of the cycling paintings in my “new” impressionist style.

The first, “Breaking Away”,  is to be seen here.

The original is currently for sale. If you are interested, contact me.

And if you want a print (on paper or canvas and many different sizes available) just click on the widget below

The Art of Cycling 02 : Breaking Away

Cycling 02: Breaking Away - by Miki

Acrylics on canvas – 100 x 100 cm – 2011

After the painting “Time Lines” painted on commission for a Spanish client, a professional from the Spanish Cycling World, I have decided to paint 2 or 3 more cycling themes. Cycling, and especially the “Tour de France”. has been an important part of my childhood.

I painted this one in pure impressionist style. I thought that this would render best what I wanted to express: the speed, the movement, but also the essence of cycling from the point of view of a spectator. No interest in details, and especially not in the technical details of a bicycle!

Also, being French, I thought it was time to give my contribution to the wonderful world of impressionism. It is indeed my very first painting in this style. Considering the fun I had doing it, it won’t be the last one. Also it is a challenge, and I love challenges: the challenge being not to step over the line, the line beyond which the impressionism starts to become realism.

My next cycling painting will be mainly in this style.. coming soon!

The original is currently for sale. If you are interested, contact me. And if you want a print (on paper or canvas and many different sizes available) just click on the widget below

Moore and Moore…

Gary Moore - by Miki

Just some weeks ago, on February the 6th 2011, the famous Irish blues rock guitarist and singer Gary Moore died of a suspected heart attack in his hotel room while on holiday in Estepona, Spain. Only some hundred kilometres down the coast from us. We were both very shocked and spent the next few days listening to his music and getting the blues…

The day after he passed away, I made a portrait of Gary Moore, not meant to be a very realistic one, just a basic but heart-felt impression of him. A portrait which, I think, says it all about his total dedication to music.

This month, our beloved local magazine. “The Sentinella” (with the cute slogan “The little mag which fits in your bag”) published an article written by Kev Moore in honour of Gary Moore and illustrated by my painting.

This is only a screen shot of the on-line edition, but if you want to see and read the article in its context, just go there please:

The Semtinella – Mojacar edition online

to page 14. You can also take time to browse, there is loads of interesting stuff in that little mag!

The day after I published the painting in my blog about my portraits artwork, I was contacted by a woman from the USA, writing me following words:

“…My father raised me on the greats; jeff beck, gary moore, kim simmons. When he told me of his passing I could hear the crack in his voice. His birthday is February 13 and I would really love to purchase a print for him. Please let me know as soon as possible how much I can buy one for and where to get it! I would love to contact you directly so that I can get quicker shipping and get it to him soon!! He would love this to complete his extensive collection and to honor a great! Bravo!…”

She purchased the print for her father through my Fine Art America gallery, the very first one I sold. I sent them a certificate verifying

that it was the first print, and some days ago I received the following wonderful photo of her Dad with the print and the certificate on the wall. A very touching moment for me!

Keith Coleman. - Oregon, USA

My special thanks go here to Veronica, for choosing my painting as a birthday gift for her Dad, and to Angela, her Mom, for sending me the birthday photos. And also to her Dad, Keith for having such a great  taste in music ! 

The Art of Survival

I am immensely proud to announce that my African Godson and wonderful artist Emmanuel Baliyanga is making the cover of our local English spoken magazine “The Sentinella” with one of his marvellous paintings “Senegalese Woman” of an African woman carrying a baby

The Sentinella – March 2011 Edition

But not only that. The Sentinella was so kind to publish an article I wrote, “A Modern Way of Humanitarian Help: The Art of Survival”, telling the story of my encounter with Emmanuel. It is indeed an interesting and exciting story, as Emmanuel is originally from Rwanda, and had to flee the Genocide after all 10 members of his family were killed.  Actually working occasionally for a book publishing company in Cameroon, he contacted me for the first time some months ago to ask my permission to use one of my Obama portrait paintings for the cover of a book in homage to Obama.

Here is a screen shot of the article in The Sentinella

Emmanuel Baliyanga and Miki in The Sentinella

But to be able to read it more comfortably, and anyway to browse through the whole magazine (do it, it is packed with exciting articles!), go please to the Edition online.

Even better:  if you live in our area (Turre, Provincia de Almeria, Andalusia, Spain” pick up a printed edition at your local bar, cafe or supermarket. And don’t forget to tell The Sentinella what you think about it, they love to get feedback!

The Sower is A Woman

The Parable of The Sower

About one year ago, I presented in this blog my new series called “Biblescapes”, inspired by stories and parables from the Bible, and painted in the style of my Fantascapes. It was originally an idea from a church man from the Lake district in the UK, who contacted me asking if I could so such a work. As an example, he gave me “The Parable of The Sower”.

As you can in my first post about the Biblescapes, I did not start with this parable, but eventually, leaded like always by fate and associations chains, I came to  paint The Parable of The Sower. Really, that man knew what he was speaking about, as that painting has become a big hit. Many prints have been purchased already, and the painting has often been shown at several occasions in different parts of the world.  The most relevant to me so far being perhaps  the one purchased by a church congregation in the USA,  as a farewell gift  to one of their retiring female pastors, Here is a photo of teh Farewell ceremony, with my painting standing on the easel.

The Parable of The Sower... a Farewell gift

For some reason, this painting seem to speak wonderful words to people. 2 days ago I was again contacted by a woman, who sent me a wonderful email

“Dear Miki,
Your painting on the parable of the sower is exquisite in its movement and color.  I am a teacher of the parables and your image depicts the extravagance of the sower so beautifully.  I plan to show this image to my students and would love to include some of your own thoughts on the painting.  Would you be willing to write back to me and share some of your ideas about the work?
Thank you and be well,”

I must say that I am very pleased that my painting will be used for educational purposes. I answered

“…  I thought that in my painting, the Sower should be a woman… I don’t know exactly why.. perhaps because The Sower is always depicted as a man, and I cannot see why. Perhaps also because I feel that sowing the right seeds in the right place and in the right moment is a deeply feminine ability… but as I said, I did not think very much about it.
As to the movement in the painting, well, you will find it in all of my paintings: For me life IS movement.. everything I paint moves, even houses or coffee mugs!
As to the colours, also all my paintings are rich in colours… I just need them!, they are for me THE LIGHT OF LIFE… “

By the way, for those who know the place: the background of the painting is based on a stylised sketch of Turre (Provincia de Almeria, Spain)!

This artwork is available directly online as Giclee print in many different dimensions, on paper or canvas, and also as greeting cards. Just click on the widget below to access my FAA Gallery