Le Tour de France in Art

So, Le Tour has started again, and I hope to be able to follow it from the beginning to the end this year. Last year I saw the first 10 stages, and then we went away to the Czech Republic. But before I left I had had time to start an artwork series called “Le Tour de France” -very original, isn’t it?  – . which I partly presented in this blog in different posts. This series has been so far extremely popular, the most  among them having been

Le Tour de France 03 – by Miki

Here is one more from the series, more abstract perhaps, but full of recognisable cycling movement!

Le Tour de France 10 – by Miki

I have recently sold in the USA following original painting in acrylics, “Breaking Away”, but if you are interested prints are still available

Breaking away – by Miki

And also I though that a detail of that painting might very interesting standing for itself. I personally like it a lot.

Breaking away 02 – by Miki

Anyway, all my Tour de France paintings are  available directly online as Giclee print in many different dimensions, on paper or canvas, and also as greeting cards. Just click on the widgets below to access my FAA Gallery

The Tour de France 01

Tour de France 01 – by Miki

In homage to the Tour de France I started a new series of cycling paintings. As often in the last years, they will be done in a mixed technique including classical art (watercolour, pastel, ink) and digital art. The digital part being to increase the vibrancy of the colours and sometimes to create special effects of movement which I find especially adequate in sports art.

Le Tour de France 02 – by Miki

But these paintings won’t all be exactly in the same style, I want to try different stuff, different ways of abstractions and drawings.

In the painting below for example I tried to minimalise the drawing. Juts some principal lines, and then loads of bold colours as a contrast to the thick black lines.

Le Tour de France 03 – by Miki

The last one is an impression of the third stage of the race yesterday. In the TV coverage they were often showing that church and town from the air. That gave me the idea of that composition. Not quite easy to realise, but great fun! And I like the result, makes me want to do some more in that style!

Le Tour de France 04 – by Miki

And if you like them too, you can purchase a print (on paper or canvas) in many different sizes, or a greeting card, in my online gallery. Just click on the widget below

2011 Valentines Countdown 06: CATching Love

CATching Love - by Miki

(A painting from my series “CATalogue”, all featuring CATs.)

I remember when I posted this painting in one of my websites, a woman commented:

“This cat looks pretty scared…”

and I answered

“Well, I guess he knows that love can be pretty scary!”

I never belonged to these kind of people who try to protect themselves against love, after having been hurt, or even  heartbroken. To consciously decide not to ever again have a love relationship, I can understand that, even if I don’t approve of it. How could I approve: LOVE to me is the most amazing, exciting and beautiful thing in the world! But to enter a love relationship and to put your foot on the brake every time one feels one is getting too emotionally engaged, risking to fall really in love, this to me does not make sense. It is certainly the quicker way to fail in the relationship and to end one’s days in bitter loneliness.

I much more prefer people who know how painful love can be, but who cannot resist to fall in love, again and again, until they find the right one. The fear is bigger every time, but at least they do it. Like that totally panicked cat who is trying to catch as many hearts as possible!

HAPPY VALENTINE 2011!

And if you want to purchase a print or a greeting card of this artwork, just click on the widget below

Bunny on The Cross

Today we crucified our Choco Bunny…

Oh God, I will have again the Animals Protection Leagues shouting at me, I guess…

The Dogs Parade in New Orleans

It was this year in February in New Orleans, some days before Mardi-Gras. We were attending our first Parade, on Canal Street, and  had a great time, watching at all the floats and the marching bands, and trying to catch the beads the guys and girls from the floats were throwing into the crowd. On one occasion,  Kevin was even almost knocked down, getting a great bunch of them smack in the side of his head! – but well, my Kevin has a hard head, and he survived… but he was really pale after that! A woman close to us also got a lot of beads in her face, and was sporting a black eye soon after… Mardi-Gras in New Orleans is really dangerous, although, when I think about it, I wonder that there were not more accidents during these days, above all after the victory of their Saints in the Super Bowl… this tells me again that as crazy they are, the people in New Orleans kind of care for each other, and pay attention not to hurt people or destroy things, even in the middle of their wildest emotions… not like our football Hooligans in Europe!

Anyway, heading back to the French quarter, in search for a place where we could watch the Super Bowl final between the Saints  and The Colts from IHaveForgottenwhere (who cares!    ), we bumped  into another Mardi-Gras Parade… a dogs parade! It was incredibly funny, people had dressed their dogs in the most bizarre ways and were proudly parading them around. In fact a wonderful thing to see… I guess animals protectors wouldn’t agree with me, but really, they should relax a little bit… dogs are not THAT different from us and really seemed to enjoy to be the centre of attention!

So, this above is my painting of that day. Crazy and chaotic as everything seemed to be in New Orleans during that time…

Halloween drives me crazy!

Here are some of my latest cards creations for the 123 Greetings Studio, for which I was working quite intensively these week, having started there a new project with the team. Many of my actual works are based on my golf paintings, because part of the pnew project is to create a collection of golf greeting cards, and I want to concentrate on it right now.

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

There are muhc more cards in my 123 Studio, so, if you want to see them, and send some today for Halloween, feel free to visit my cards gallery here.

When you are there, please browse the pages around, the Halloween cards might be at the end, as they are the most recent ones.

By the way, if you want me to create some personal cards, or if you have some ideas of cards for all the important events, and would like me to create them and publish them in the Studio, just email me…

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYBODY!

Highdays and Holidays

Some months ago you might remember, I had started working for an ecard company, Studio 123 – and enjoyed creating e cards for all kinds of events which nobody knows about,  like turtle day, ice-cream day, hug me day, internet flirting and suchlike. The challenge for me was to create paintings and designs etc. to illustrate these events, and I don’t care really what then happens with them, if many people look at them, or even send them as e cards. Anyway, my activity with the Studio was then reduced to nil, as we went on holiday, and I had so much work to do as we came back, both professionally and personally. Last week, I was thinking that I should start again creating e cards after finishing my series of Portugal sketches, but before I could act, I received a mail from a manager there, telling me off, how I had been a lazy girl  after the initial fireworks of creations  

This was of course a good occasion to start again. A glance at the events calendar made me realise that it is Halloween soon, and All Saints day. Here are some of the cards I have created over the last few days for these events:

I know, this card is quite naughty, and I am not sure they will publish it, but I couldn’t resist…

One of my older paintings, from the series ‘Impressions”….

Another Impression… the original painting was called “La Dame en Noir” and it’s sold somewhere in France…

You see, I can be a lovely girl too…

Digital painting based on a photo from a cemetery in England, at St. Giles’ Church in Matlock, Derbyshire, where Kevins grandparents are buried…

Golf Love

Last week, searching for a way to be able to watch our Football Team Derby County live via the internet, I stumbled upon a site which promised, after paying a very low fee,  to be able to watch live the big golf events of this world, especially to follow The European PGA Tour. I spoke about it at some different points in this blog, I have been a golf fanatic, playing golf myself, but also often travelling to the European PGA games to see my heroes live. And also, to be able to see great golf swings, as the golf swings one generally sees on golf courses are not exactly from the kind one aspires to have oneself…

Due to important changes in my life, my golf activity has much diminished over the last few years, but always, when I have a glance at a golf course, on the screen or in the real world, I feel a deep yearning inside.  This always makes me understand how much I, probably unconsciously, miss golf.

Anyway, I have paid the fee, and on Thursday, I waited with big impatience to see if I would really be able to follow the actual  PGA golf tournament, this time in Cran-sur-Sierre, a wonderful golf course in the Swiss Alps. I have been there myself, right at the beginning of my own golf career, and this is where I saw for the first time the big names of the golf world, such as Sam Torrance, Colin Montgomery, etc…

The people on the golf channel fulfilled their promise and I was indeed able to follow the whole tournament, from Thursday to Sunday. a great coverage, with on top of it, good and humorous comments, I just loved it! I know, I spent perhaps too many hours in front of the screen, omitting to make my work, but well, I have  to deal with heavy problems in the family at the moment, problems which in fact break my heart, and this was certainly the best way to relax and take my mind off it.  I could not resist to make some sketches and inspired by one of them, I simply made this digital painting this morning. A lot of people, used to my fantasy and wild stuff, will probably be amazed to see this kind of work from me, but the fact is that I love golf, and more generally any kind of sport. One shouldn’t wonder that sport is an art motif for me, and always has been . By the way I gave an interview about this theme some time ago, look here if you are interested.  You will also see there a water colour self portrait of me golfing.

Fancy an Ice Cream with me?

Your last chance… today is Ice Cream Day!

Please be tender!

An artwork dedicated to my French friend Joel, who, I have the feeling, can’t wait that the Ice Cream Day arrives! 

PS: Joel, au cas ou tu ne le saurais pas:

“We know when we are licked”

est un jeu de mots. En Anglais cela signifie aussi

:Nous savons quand nous sommes battus”

{battus dans le sens de ‘vaincus”)

C’est Kevin qui a choisi ce titre…