A New Fantascape: Coup de Foudre

Today I eventually painted a new Fantascape, from this series where trees take human form and start to interact with each other in rather dramatic ways. If you want to know more about the story of the Fantascapes, please go to the Fantascapes Gallery, it is explained there.

But this special Fantascape today has another story. Some months ago I was contacted by Trey Knight, who wrote

“Hello Miki,

I wanted to reach out to you. I recently came across your roller skating paintings and it struct me they are very familiar. Do you know which team you painted? The painting of the one arm trick/flipping the women looks like the final trick in our freedance competition. It was a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers inspired piece dressed in black tux tailcoat and she was in peach crystals and ostrich feathers.

The yellow looks familiar as well because we had a lemon yellow compulsory tux/dress one year as well.

My name is Trey… My partner Kyoko Harada were the world dance champions in roller skating in 1995.

I could be mistaken but they do seem very familiar.

All the best and love all your paintings!!

love life
Trey Knight”

And indeed, it was him and his partner whom I painted on the two roller skating paintings. The painting below is one of them.

I was extremely pleased to meet him, and we had a very pleasant email exchange. At some point he sent me some photos and links to videos presenting his actual work. The best would be to go and have a look by yourself at Stilt World. He said, it might inspire me to some new painting.

And in fact, when I looked at his people on stilts, and especially his Amphibians, it strongly reminded me of my Tree People. And since then I wanted to make some new Fantascape work based on the Amphibians. So, this is the first one. I called it “Coup de Foudre”, as I couldn’t find any appropriate English translation. It French it means that you are struck by a lightning bolt of love. I think the closest thing in English is “love at first sight”, but really it does not convey the supernatural power of the Coup de Foudre. Don’t English people fall in love that way? I do!

The above paintings are currently available as Giclee prints in many dimensions, on paper and canvas, as well as greeting cards. Just click on the paintings above to access our shops online.

The Giclee prints from the above mentioned Online shop are manufactered in the USA and sent directly to the client from there. For personal or financial reasons it might not be appropriate for everybody to order their prints in the USA. Also, you might prefer to purchase my Giclee prints hand-signed. If so, you can alternatively order directly from me. Simply contact me indicating in which size. Go to Goodaboom Boutique to see a guideline of pricing for different dimensions.

We also sell A3 posters (297mm x 420mm) as high quality digital prints on a Heavyweight White 350gsm paper, each packed in cello with card stiffener.

Poster Price: 50 euros.

They are a great alternative to the Giclee prints, to a more affordable price.

(the price does not include packing&shipping)

The New Fantascapes

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Some times ago,  I wrote a post Called “Fantascapes – The Alternate Treeality”, where I explained the origine of  “The Fantascapes” paintings serie and how I have been asked to do some more, or at least to make the old ones available as prints. Well, my clients and fans wishes are very important to me, so I have been busy, and here are the new ones, in the slideshow above.

Now they are all available directly online as Giclee print in many different dimensions, on paper or canvas, and also as greeting cards. Just click on the image below to access my them

“The Fantascapes” FAA Gallery – by Miki

The Fantascapes: Alternate Treeality

Fantascape “Celebration of Life” – by Miki

I have regularly been asked to make more of my Fantascapes artworks available as prints, but in the last few weeks the interest has become so great that it has seen me forced to take some steps in this direction. I am such a Diva, you know, I need to be begged…  But it is not only the Diva factor in play. The process of redoing the Fantascapes is complicated and the success is not always guaranteed. The Fantascapes were the result of some spontaneous experiments mixing classical and digital art, but initially I had not the intention to sell them and worked on very small files, which is why they were not available at the outset.

But well, I cannot resist the demand any more now, and I have decided to try to redo some, in a format and size that make them available as prints.

But first, let me go back to the story of the Fantascapes.

I have a wonderful sister-in-law called Isabelle, She is herself a painter, she lives in Paris and adores to come to Spain to paint our mountains and trees here. We spent many of her holidays in the Spanish fields together, painting among the Olive and almond trees in front of these weird Spanish mountains which seem to stand on old elephant legs…

Last time we painted together it was  in January 2008, on the Costa Blanca, The almond trees were just blossoming, a real feast for the eyes! Day after day we went to the same place at the entrance of a charming village called “Altea La Vieja”, installed our tables and paints and brushes and pads, and started painting trees and mountains. Now, those who know me, know that I can paint trees and mountains with deep pleasure for a while, but not again and again and again! In this point Isabelle and me are totally different characters, she can paint the same subject day after day, and with increasing pleasure and dedication.. It always amazes me, and I often wondered  what that says about our souls… I guess what it says about me is that I am a restless character! And perhaps that Isabelle needs roots?

Now Isabelle had arrived specifically from Paris to paint the blossoming almond trees, and I couldn’t let her down. I had to find a way to curb my restlessness. One evening I spoke with an artist friend in the USA about that problem, and she advised me to try to see it differently and make something else out of the scenery. Next morning as I sat in front of the trees, I searched for an alternative reality switch in my brain… and I found it! Suddenly the trees started to look different, on the way to humanisation…

Yes, suddenly the trees started to look like people… most of the time though like people in despair, or at least in a dramatic situation…

and I was so confused and also excited by all these weird people inhabiting the fields that I even forgot to paint their blossoms! I guess they would look less dramatic without them!

Anyway, these days were the start of an immense artistic adventure. For a while my brain was totally switched, I couldn’t look at a tree in nature without seeing people, and soon even all other nature elements started to look human, the rocks, the flowers… well, I started at some point that series called “The Fantascapes”, technical variations of the initial watercolour and pastel sketches of people-trees which was the start of many new series, which, I must say, brought me a lot of success and good money, not to be sniffed at! I often think how that adventure began, through boredom in fact, and I am so glad that my restless character, always in search of “the new”, does not allow me to stop too long… in fact, I was never one to take roots somewhere, this might be the deeper reason!

So here I am 4 years later, ready to go into that “Alternate Treeality” again.. Last week I already started to rework the Fantascapes. Some will be a kind of remake of the old ones, some others will be rather new.

Fantascape “Expulsion” – by Miki

Also, inspired by the price that the painting “The Scream” has reached lately, I have done a modern version of it. Well, to be honest, it was not really my intention, that tree suddenly appeared on the painting screaming like hell! But let’s see now if I can get 100 million  for it  before I die!

Fantascape “The Scream 02″ – by Miki

If you are interested in following me through this new Treeality, just check from time to time my FAA Fantascapes FAA Gallery

“Celebration of Life” and the new Fantascapes “Expulsion” and “The Scream” – and some others too – are already 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

The Biblescapes

This post is to announce a new series of paintings called “The Biblescapes”.

As the name says, these will be paintings in style of my Fantascapes, but featuring parables and stories from the Bible. Believe me, I am the first to be amazed at me painting religious themes! Not that I despise religion… I was even raised as a practising Catholic, meaning I was baptised,  I had lots of religious classes, I went to Mass every Sunday , I went regularly to confession and I had my two communions…

I will tell you a personal secret though… a real secret, By that I mean hardly anybody in this world who knows me knows about it. Well, I can risk it, as most of the people who would be horrified to know this secret don’t really understand English.

So, here we go… I was about 12 years old, and my 4 years older brother and me were sent to church every Sunday. My parents seemed to think that they didn’t need  to attend the Mass themselves, what a strange way in fact to give a good example.. anyway, my brother and me – two truly enfants terribles-  collected the Mass money from my mother’s hand, with an angelic smile on our faces and the promise to give it to the priest in the church.  But instead of going to church, we spent every Sunday wandering around in the beautiful town of Carcassonne, where we lived at that time, spending the church money buying ice cream, sweets, cookies… oh, it was such a wonderful time, so much more exciting than to sit in one of these dark and severe Catholic churches! My Mother always wondered, when I went with her to the town for shopping, how well I knew each corner of the town, much better than her. She never found out why, until some decades later, when I suddenly told her! My Mother has got a lot of humour and tolerance, even with her 85 years, but believe me, she was shocked, and forbade me to tell it to my Father!

This wonderful story ended dramatically for me though… after one year we moved from Carcassonne to a little town in the centre of France, and some months later to Clermont Ferrand. My parents considered then that my brother was old enough to miss the Mass, but I still had to do my second communion and I still was sent to church every Sunday. The hell I would! I didn’t want to wander  through the city of Clermont Ferrand, I hated it, and anyway alone it was no fun. Instead, I spent 9 months hiding every Sunday in the darkest corner of our garage… a terrifying experience, but apparently less terrifying than going to church! Today I wonder what I did with the church money at that time… I can’t remember!

Finally I did my communion and then I was officially allowed to miss the Mass too. Needless to say that before I did the big step of the communion, I  never confessed my secret.. what a farce it was really!

To end the story of my Catholic life, I will say here that I officially left the Catholic church many years later, when I was living in Germany. One day I might tell why…

Anyway… back to the Biblescapes!

When I was I the States earlier this year, I was contacted by wobbywilliams from the Lake District/UK, writing to me following words:

“… Also we have a large Christian convention in Keswick for 3 weeks in July and Keswick is deluged with people. So, I wonder if you could paint some pictures in your unique style similar to Celebration of Life which will link in to the themes at the convention. ..”

I first thought, hum, how should I paint religious themes? But with time passing by and after throwing a new look to my Fanatscapes, I thought, well, some of them have a religious atmosphere, kind of, and could be slightly altered in a way to convey some bible-ish story As I came back from the States, I re-contacted wobbywilliams, and see, we have now started this project together. He is a great person to work with and to speak to, and I enjoy this project a lot.

To start the series and honour the coming Easter festivities, I simply altered an already exciting Fantascape, previously called “Dead Leaves”, and called it “Jesus from Cross”. I have done some more works in the meanwhile, even some totally new ones,  I might present them here in the future. But more probably  they will make their miraculous apparition somewhere in the net where and when you and me least expect them…

I want here to thank wobbywilliams for this brilliant idea and his input.

The artwork above, called “Jesus From Cross”,  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

Moonbathing

As I said in my previous netry, I have been very busy lately in the real world…

One thing I simply forgot to mention is that I have been working for 2 or 3 weeks  together with an Australian poet, providing him with some paintings/images for a new poem book. It has started with 2 or 3 paintings , but has become a quite ambitious project in the meanwhile, and most of his poems should be illustrated with my artwork.

I am quite happy about it, above all because I love his poetry. I  feel deeply connected to it,  and many of my paintings seem to have been painted for them!

And, last but not least, I enjoy very much to work with him: the communication is very clear and straight forward, our brains seem to work the same way!Really not an insignificant detail when one thinks that we are both on one side of the earth and have to do everything per mail.

This is a piece I created for one of his poems called “The Tree”, but I don’t belive that it will be featured in his book, as it does not really match…

this work was created more or less per accident, and I like the result! This is why it is “relegated” to my blog  

Greetings, from Me!

In my last post about The Labyrinth in my new gallery I told you about the  wonderful fine art greeting cards The Bay Attic created from my Bullfight paintings. You could even have a glance of them on one wall.

The Bay Attic has also created many different greeting cards from my Portugal sketches and from my Fantascapes.

All of them on high quality card, in square format, 15 x 15 cm, single-folded, blank inside for personal messages, and individually wrapped with matching envelope in cellophane.

In short: a great product!

The Bay Attic will present them in their programme at The Scottish Trade Fair in January 2009. I must say that I feel very excited about it!

As for me I will try to marketing them in Portugal, Spain and France…

wish me good luck!

PS: If there is anybody outside there who knows how I can find the right people to contact, please drop me a line.

Please visit my new website:

T O R O : Bull and Bullfightart

Fantascape #17 : Fire and Ice

A more realistic fantascape, almost still life…

it might have been before the trees started to take human form and invade our world

at a time when ice and fire

were not parted by physical laws…

Fantascape #16 : Bird of Hope

And when all seems lost and dark in your life

just look up to the sky

and a bird of hope

might appear

illuminating your world

with rainbow colours

*****

Please follow too Susan Cornelis’ Fantascapes Series

Fantascape #15 : Love in The Mountains

For me the world definitely stopped to look “real” the day Susan Cornelis and me decided to see it through the magic glasses of our fantasy…

lines and shapes and colours and shadows and lights

eternally embraced

in my French romanticism…

Escape into Susan’s Fantascape # 8

Fantascape #14 : Queen’s Call

About 2 months ago , Susan Cornelis and me started the series Fantascapes. The idea came as I was painting blossoming almond trees here, in Spain, because the almond trees, sometimes, look so much like figures.

A little later, while Kevin and me were travelling to El Cabo de Gata (Spain, Provincia de Almeria) I had the idea to extend the Fantascapes to the sea, calling them Fantaseas… by the way, a wonderful wordplay on the word Fantasy, don’t you think so?…

There I looked at the sea, at the rock formations, and here is what came out… as you can see, not only the trees look like figures, if you have enough free fantasea…