The Italian Job 01 – Imperia

Imperia in italy 02 - Travel sketch by Miki

Before we arrived in Italy we spent a few days in France, where I sketched a bit. Right now I don’t know where these sketches are, they kind of disappeared into one of the many secret holes of “Boo” (new nickname for our Boomobile… ), but at some point they will probably reappear and land on the conveyor belt of my production line…

For now, let us go to Italy. It was the Second of April 2011. Some distance before the border between France and Italy, on the Cote d’Azur,  we had abandoned the National street for the highway. In Italy our first contact with an Italian person was the woman at the toll station, well equipped with a charming, welcoming body language. Nothing better than entering a new country and getting at once the feeling  to be wanted! We paid the highway fees and that lovely lady opened her mouth to say:

“Grazie!”

Well, as I commented to Kevin,”There was a whole Italian opera told in this one word!”. The way that woman spoke it was beyond what we normally call language, it took her ages to arrive at the final letter, and the accompanying music was of the most surrealistic kind. From that moment I knew I would never be able to speak Italian, never find the patience and motivation to spend so much time and drama to deliver one word. Later on, every time I heard Italians speaking, my first impression was confirmed. Quite a disappointment to me, as I wanted to learn Italian!

After having left the highway, we drove directly to the coast, in search of a place for the night. We eventually stopped in Imperia, a beautiful little town about 40 kilometres North of San Remo. We had a walk though the town, eager to capture the first impression of Italy. What impressed us here, and would never cease to impress us for the rest of the trip, was the size of the buildings: Great, towering, imposing edifices.

I did some ink and watercolour sketches, and thought of staying one day more there as I saw many attractive motifs. But well, we had just started the trip, and I would probably see millions of stuff to sketch. Better learn from the very beginning to let it go…

Imperia in Italy 02 – Travel sketch by Miki

You can see more sketches and paintings from Imperia in my Fine Art America gallery.

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

Hen Love

Not that I love hen so much… I find they don’t have lovely and kind eyes, in fact their eyes are quite hard. And I don’t like the noises they produce, it really does not sound like music to my ears. Well perhaps I ma too hard with them, as I know a wonderful person who cherishes very much her hen, and always makes wonderful paintings of them, the most beautiful chicken paintings I ever seen of . In her paintings you can really see her love for her chicken. I am speaking here of Susan Cornelis.

Well I was working on one more of my new impressions: this time it was 2 chicken which appeared on my painting. I emphasized them, and here they are.

Hen Love - by Miki

The chicken heads were inspired by photos I saw on the net. I am not  familiar enough with these animals to be able to paint them from memory in the accuracy I wanted them here, as a contrast to their bodies which gradually vanish into the background.

I heard Kevin laughing as he read my title. He explained to me that the general name is chicken, and then there are the female chicken, hen, and the males, cocks. So apparently, I have painted a couple of lesbian chicken. Have I really? No idea if my chicken on the painting are hen or cocks or both! I must admit here I have no anatomic chicken knowledge! But I do know their wings taste wonderful on the grill with some special barbecue species!

If you chicken couple, you can buy a print or a greeting card directly online by clicking on the widget below

Souls in Hell

Souls in Hell - by Miki

Acrylics painting

I painted this piece some years ago, starting randomly. By “randomly” I mean  putting some colours on the canvas, red to start with as I often do when I paint this way: red, orange, yellow, pink, these are the colours which seem to fire my fantasy. Anyway the painting turned out quite dramatic, and some people seeing it said it looked like people in hell. I have no idea what my finger and my brushes meant to represent, but when I look at the finished painting, I do see people going through fire, or at least their ghosts, or at the very least their souls.

I often wonder what people think when they see such a picture. Do they think the artist is in pain? A real mess? Going through Hell? Wishing other people to Hell?

I can assure you, none of them is true where I’m concerned. I have a wonderful life with a wonderful man and I wish all people the best. But Art really is a strange thing in this sense. Well, the whole human brain is strange (and therefore so exciting!). The weirdest things can come out when one lets the brain run free. This is really like dreams. My dreams are incredibly weird, and if I did not know better about my conscious state of mind, I would think I am ripe for the asylum…

Anyway, I had forgotten this painting, and  found it again yesterday among older stuff. I put it in my FAA gallery and got instantaneously the following comments, which I just find GREAT!:

“Whether one believes in the concept of hell or not, it is part of everyone’s world view. This is a fantastic rendering of the concept. I love this!”

“What a powerful and insightful expression of the human condition. Outstanding and masterful!”

“just read Dante’s Divine Comedy – you work is very much in the mood. Great painting!”

If you want to buy a print or a greeting card of this painting (which I sincerely doubt, who wants to buy souls in hell? apart perhaps from soul savers?!!!!     ). just click on the widget below

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:

CATch Me if You Can

Inspired by one of my last paintings, “Unravelling”, which I presented in this blog some days ago, I have started a new series of paintings and artworks featuring cats. I call this series

“CATalogue”

Many of them should illustrate some kind of word play on the word “cat”, like the title of the series itself. As far as possible of course… I cannot say that I love cats, I don’t really, although I had a wonderful one when I was a child, whose name was “Caramel” because he loved caramels. But generally, I don’t trust them. This is for me reason enough not to like them.

Having said that, I find them very beautiful, and quite inspiring for paintings. As a result of my “unlove”, they might not have always the best role in my paintings, but well… just one more of my artistic freedoms!

CATch Me if You Can - by Miki

One of my favourite comments so far about this artwork id from my artist friend Pamela Allegretto

“Oh Miki, you totally captured the mood of many a childhood nightmare. Great work!”

You might understand that, like me, she is not a big cats fan… 

And if you want to buy a reproduction of this painting, it is available as greeting card, poster and Giclee print canvas in my FAA Gallery

Memphis Nights 01

As is said in my last post, I am back in the USA right now… All that time since we were back in March, I could not really find inspiration to paint America. All I had seen there was so different, a really new world to me, which I did not spontaneously associated to art. Which is one of the reasons why I could not paint or sketch as we were there. Also it was damned cold, and I had no chance to sketch outside, except with gloves, but this I don;t like. And the things I would have liked to draw, the musicians in the bars, i could not because it was too dark!

Anyway, these days I had the idea to make some mini series of paintings, New Orleans Nights, Memphis nights… compositions of things I had seen, putting them together in a way which inspires me.

So here we go with the first one. As we were in Memphis, we were so lucky to be able to  attend the International Blues Festival. Some of the artist we saw were in the Rum Boogie Cafe. We really spent a wonderful time there, as well the place as the music and the food were great! God, i really wished we had such kind of places here!

Elvis Presley’s Pink Cadillac, well, i did not actually saw it life, but I saw many miniatures one and posters in souvenirs shops.

And the girl refreshing her make-up, it was a statue in the Peabody Centre!

I mixed all that, said abracadabra, and here it is, my first Memphis Nights painting. To enjoy with humour, it is not meant to be very serious…

And as usual, this painting is available  as Giclee print, in different sizes and different formats, in my FAA Gallery:

And don’t forget, Kev Moore‘s CD “Blue Odyssey”, 18 track CD over 75 minutes running time, celebrating our trip around the Music Heartland of America in the early part of 2010.

I made the cover design.

To purchase in Miki’s Mart

Back in the USA…

Street Musician in Memphis - by Miki

Well, not really, just in paintings. Motivated by the pleasure of feeding my new website “Painting the Music” with new artwork, I am actually working on some music paintings from the USA, New Orleans the last days, and Memphis today.

We saw that guy in Beale Street in Memphis, in January thus year. It was just a  gorgeous scene, as you can imagine.. and freezing cold! God, when I see this that guy blowing his trumpet, I get so melancholic, missing these music places so much… where we live there is nothing like that, no street, no bar, where one can go and listen to good life music.. or rarely… I wished we had such a Beale Street in Turre.. yes, me, I wish the blues under the sun all the year!

And as usual, this painting is available  as Giclee print, in different sizes and different formats, in my FAA Gallery:

And don’t forget, Kev moore’s CD “Blue Odyssey”, 18 track CD over 75 minutes running time, celebrating Kev’s trip around the Music Heartland of America in the early part of 2010.

I made the cover design.

To purchase in Miki’s Mart

I was once an alpha snake…

About 2 years I moved from Albir, on the Costa Blanca  of Spain, to Turre, Costa Almeria, about 300 kilometres southerly. I have put my house for sale there, well, the worst moment ever as due to the economical crisis, houses in Spain were no more wanted, people having troubles enough to keep their home in their own country.. Needless to say they have no money for a holiday house! 2 years later the situation has not changed much, unfortunately, my house is still unsold!

It has the huge advantage that I can take much time to empty the house, an unpleasant task generally. Always when I go there, i throw away a little bit, or take things with me. Last time, I took with me all the folders containing old paintings and sketches, in the intention to go through and throw away what was not worthy to be kept.

From time to time now,  I am going through these old paintings. I don’t like to do it,it is not always easy to make a choice what to keep or what not, and perhaps the best would be to throw everything away without having a look. But Kevin forbids it…

Anyway, the other day I found a drawing from a very long time ago: 1989! Perhaps even 1987, I am not sure what my eyes read there. It must be one of the rare works from that time still existing, or at least still in my possession.I wonder if I will find some more in these foldings… According to my character, I always left everything behind when I move from a place to another, and I moved often in these last 23 years…

So here it is, a Rarity! I call it “Sorrow”.. and indeed it was for me a sorrow time

Sorrow - by Miki

Sketching of an old man in Spain…

Most interesting is the signature, at the bottom left hand side.

Alpha Signature - by Miki

These times I was not called “Miki”, neither as a person nor as an artist. My nickname was “Momo”,  my artist name was “Alpha”. Alpha like in Alpha and Omega. Like The Beginning and The End. I was married with an artist,  “Omega” was his artist name… I put the Greek letter symbol for Alpha, and even drew it in form of a cobra snake. My God, I hate snakes! And I don’t think anything in my character is snaky! What a strange idea it was! Although I must admit that the signature is quite beautiful! 

And as usual, this painting is available  as Giclee print, in different sizes and different formats, in my FAA Gallery:

Another tango with me… but not the last!

Tangoscape 5 - by Miki

Well, still working on my Tangoscapes series…

in search of movement and colour and passion and dramatic…

By the way, if you want to exhibit your music/dance art

in my new site “Painting The Music”,

contact me please.

And if anybody here wants to buy a print of my Tangoscape (or others), it is available in different sizes and on different supports (papers, canvas), in my FAA Gallery here:

Tango Time

Motivated by my brand new website

“Painting The Music”

dedicated to music and dance artworks, I have started a new series “The Tangoscapes”. I was often asked to make some tango art works, but I always refused. Somehow I am not so keen of the dance itself, it seems too sophisticated to me. Perhaps too sexual too. Or is it a modern evolution? I have noticed that they do it with flamenco too, flamenco has million of aficionados, many women all around the world learn it, more or less professionally. But for my taste they add too much sexuality to the dance itself, and I don’t believe that it was originally meant as such. Concerning tango, I don’t know enough about it, I can’t judge.

Anyway until now tango was not inspiring me.

Because of my new website, I had a thought. Thinking I might try to paint it in another way as one normally does. Less sexual, putting weight in the atmosphere. Or  adding a background story, kind of. Of course , knowing myself very few about tango, I might totally miss the point! But to be honest,  it dies not matter to me, as long as I like the result, and have fun doing it!

Tangoscape 02 - by Miki

(inspired by the man character, whom I saw in a video)

By the way, if you want to exhibit your music/dance art

in the new site,

contact me please.

f anybody here wants to buy a print of my Tangoscape (or others), it is available in different sizes and on different supports (papers, canvas), in my FAA Gallery here: