Born To Be a Star

Today, working on my new series of impressions (these weird paintings which start with an acrylic  background created in a quite random way, letting Mother Nature play with colours and water and Paper), I had a great idea, connected  to a little boy called Cohen, my partner’s Grandson. He was born just before Christmas 2009.One of the impression paintings was like a wonderful white flower, and I just had the vision of little newborn Cohen in the heart of that flower.

Born To Be A Star - by Miki

Then the title came to my mind, “Born To Be A Star”.

And then I thought: it is really not easy to become a Star nowadays…

Then came this fabulous idea:

All earning raised from sales of prints and greeting cards (for new birth announcements, etc.) of this painting will be put into a savings account for him, which he will receive when he is 18. This should help him in the expensive business of becoming a Star!!!

So people, if you like this painting, and want to help us to raise a star (not that we know if he has any kind of talent yet  , you can buy a Giclee print/Greeting card directly online by clicking on the widget below!

The Art of Cycling 01

Cycling 01 "Yime Lines" - By Miki

Acrylics on Canvas – 80 x 60 cm

Today I want to present to you my last painting on commission. I am not a big fan of paintings on commission, as there is always quite a risk, some kind of stress and above all, it is always connected to some restriction of freedom, which is my worst enemy. But a commission is also a challenge, and when the client is happy, the emotional reward for me is much bigger than by any other sales.

Anyway, just before Christmas, I was contacted by a professional in the Spanish Cycling World, asking me to make some cycling and other sports paintings on commission. Here is the first one, which I just finished.

In this special case I am very happy about the commission, for 2 very important reasons:

Firstly, I love sport, and I love to paint sport. I have always wanted to make some sports paintings, did some in the past but in watercolour and gouache on paper. But I wanted to do some work on canvas, just could not find the time so far, or at least it was not always on top of my priorities.  This commission is a wonderful occasion to start.

Secondly, concerning cycling, I have a special emotional relationship to this sport. As I was a child and we were still living in the French Pyrenees where I was born, we used to go and see the Tour de France when they were passing in the Tourmalet and other mountain passes. And it was always a big party. Painting that guy racing through the canvas really put took me back to that time, and in fact, I felt like going there again…

one more dream on my long list of dreams of places to visit and events to attend!

Epiphany… Epifunny!

Epiphany - by Miki

Today is  “El Dia de Los Reyes Magos”, The Three Kings day. A very important day here in Spain. As far as I am aware even more important than Christmas for the children: it is the day when they get presents and loads of sweeties. But to be totally honest, living quite as a recluse in my art world, I don’t really know what is happening outside there and even less between the Spanish walls… but I am quite sure that today is an important day here in Spain, the shops have been closed since yesterday afternoon, and more important than that, our indoor pool!

Yesterday we heard that they celebrate Kings Day’s Eve in a very special way in a fishing town about 5 kilometres away from where we live. Apparently, after nightfall, about 8PM, the Kings arrive to the town by sea, each one on an individual boat. When they have landed on the beach, they get transferred onto a float, and then roll through the town, throwing sweeties to all the kiddies on the road side. They say it is quite interesting to see.

I was tempted to go there, but then I remembered all these little naughty Spanish kids, who don’t stop screaming under my windows until they get what they want, and have no respect for anybody nor anything,  You will say, it is not their fault, they are badly educated. But still, children are not silly, they know what they do. Even badly educated, this does not mean that they should not have an ounce of good sense and respect inside of them. They do know what they do, one can see it on their faces. So I thought, I don’t fancy seeing these little devils being rewarded for all their naughtinesses, and I boycotted the show!

Now the funny thing is that  I misunderstood the show as they told us about it yesterday. I thought the kings arrive on the boats and take the children away!!!

Like the Pied Piper of Hamelin!

Isn’t it very EPI-FUNNY?!

And if you wish to buy a Giclee print or a greeting card of this painting, please click on the widget below:

Travel Sketch from Scotland – 05 -

Scotland - Watercolour, pastel and Ink - By Miki, Summer 2007

Scotland has always been a dream for me as a painter. And as we finally went there, in the Summer of 2007,  I was incredibly excited and couldn’t wait to see with my own own eyes these incredible landscapes I had seen on photos and films.

Well, as we crossed the border between England and Scotland the sun was shining a little bit, and life was wonderful. But then it started raining, and it never stopped again until we left the UK! I must say that I ‘d never in my life seen so much water falling from the sky, rolling down the mountains, and flooding the fields and the roads. That was really impressive!

But well, the problem arose that I hardly could spend an hour sketching outside, and anyway most of the time everything was grey on grey and one couldn’t distinguish any lines or forms! I especially remember how frustrated I was as we arrived at the famous Loch Lomond and I couldn’t see anything!

But well, I still  managed to do some sketches of many of the places where we had been. What I couldn’t see, I simply invented… as I often do anyway!

Yesterday I started working on these sketches, adding colours… as you can see, the colours are invented too!

Perhaps you want to know where this one was… if I remember well, it was in North Uist.

Like a Bull in an Artshop

I have added today some bullfight paintings and other stuff to my new online shop Miki’s Mart.

It is not easy to make a choice, what to put for sale, and what not. Tastes are so different! And I have had the experience in my life that my taste often does not correspond to the clients’ taste. or at least there is a time difference… what I most like today my clients will like most in about 2 years!

I have often wondered about this phenomena, as I have heard the same from other artists.

I was asking myself if the artist is always  ahead of his clients’ time…

Anyway, among all my bullfight paintings, and as a contradiction to the theory I just presented and the aim that a shop which should be to sell what what people want to buy,  I chose to put for sale this one above, which is my most favourite bullfight painting of all time!

Colours of Hope

The winner of my last competition “Give Me a Title”, which ended on the 31st of January 2009, is

Carmen, from Australia, with the title

“Colours of Hope”

A Giclee print of the painting has been sent to her to Australia. As she received it she sent me the following mail:

“Hi Miki!

J’ai recu “Colours of Hope” est trop belle!!! Merci beaucoup!!!!

You are truly amazingly talented!!! I love it.

I showed some of my family and they love it too!”

NEXT COMPETITION COMING SOON!

Travel Sketch form The North (of France!)

The North, France - Watercolour and Ink - By Miki, Summer 2007

I’m posting this sketch of the North of France in honour of my two wonderful friends living in France: “Pomme” and “Joel”. The first one, Pomme,  is presently living there, somewhere, and the other, Joel, was actually born there.

I am sorry, but I can’t remember where exactly I did that sketch. I can’t even remember if it was on the big 10 week trip to Scotland, or of it was months before, as we flew to the Bretagne to pick up the the Boomobile (our motor home), which we had just bought through the internet…. but I found the sketch in a book among others from the big trips, so I guess it must be from that time. I even suspect that it was done on the north Coast of France, not too far from the War Museum “Batterie Todt”.

But perhaps my French friends are able to tell me where it really was? Unfortunately I always let myself be carried away by my imagination beyond what I see around me, when I sketch, so I doubt that they will be able to recognise anything! But who knows, they might at least recognise the people walking on the paths?  

Travel Sketch from the Peak District (U.K.)

The Peal District, UK - Watercolour and Ink - By Miki, Summer 2007

One more example of the work I am doing right now on the travel sketches from our trip to Scotland in Summer 2007. This was on the way up. I remember how fascinated I was by the red tree in the foreground… such “details” are what makes me want to sketch a scenery generally. I always need something which specially attracts my eyes. And then I take the rest with me,

“rearrange things, edit, fill in the gaps, recreate… there is no reality, only sifted and reformed images…”

as a painter from Italy wrote the other day in one of my comment threads…

yes, this is fun!

Travel sketch from The Dordogne (France)

The Dordogne, France - By Miki, Summer 2007

This is the place in the Perigord where we doing some canoe… on the river Dordogne.

And although it was the first time for us, the coordination worked quite well and we didn’t miss the gaps under the bridge!

And more generally you can see all the stuff I paint by going to my gallery “Miki’s Enchanted World”

Travel Sketch from the Perigord (France)

The Perigord, France - By Miki, Summer 2007

Another from the travel sketches series of the 2007 Summer trip, on which i am working right now…

Theis paintings is available directly online as Giclee prints in many different dimensions, on paper or canvas, and also as greeting cards. Juts click on the widgets below to access my FAA store

And more generally you can see all this stuff I paint by going to my gallery “Miki’s Enchanted World”