Pinetop Perkins
- Pinetop Perkins – by Miki
Some days ago I thought it was now time to render homage to Pinetop Perkins in form of a painting. I had seen him live , even sat next to him in Austin in march 2010, and was then extremely shocked bu the announcement of his death. I did not dare to paint him. But now I had to…
Here is what Kev Moore, my partner, has to say:
“… Our trip to the States has been full of amazing happenstance – being in the right place at the right time on an amazing number of occasions. (Or in the case of this morning, the wrong place, as a plane crashed into a building here in Austin a few blocks away!!!)
But last night, we wandered into Nuno’s on the famous 6th. street, and found ourselves sitting next to Pinetop Perkins who, at 96 years young, is pretty much the oldest living bona fide Delta bluesman. I introduced myself, and shook his hand. It was akin to touching history. Here was a man who was there at the beginning, played Piano for Muddy Waters, Sonny boy Williamson, BB King, the list is endless. I bought a CD, Pinetop Perkins and friends, recorded with the likes of Eric Clapton, and amnazingly, recorded when Pinetop was 94! – and he kindly signed it for me.
But more amazing than that, he took to the stage last night. That grand old man of the blues, joined the house band and proceeded to take us back in time with half a dozen classics, such as Down in Mississippi, and Pinetop Boogie. I leaned over to Miki and whispered, “We are so privileged to witness this.”
My respect and affection for this man knew no bounds. The term ‘living legend’ is bandied about with vulgar regularity in this shallow era, but here was a man who embodied it.
Who would have thought, when I signed the guitar in Helena at the studios of King Biscuit time, and noticed Pinetop’s signature, that I would meet him some weeks later? Life, as I had often suspected, is amazing….”
By the way: Kev has also doen an artwork featuring Pinetop, as he remembered him at Nuno’s
- Pinetop Perkins – by Kev Moore
These two paintings are available directly online as prints on paper or canvas and in many different sizes. Also as greeting cards. Just click on the widgets below if you are interested
To finish on a deep emotional note, here is a photo of Pinetop as we saw him…
Pinetop Perkins at Nuno's in Austin in March 2010 - Photo by Kev Moore
Golf champion Pablo Larrazabal
Pablo Larrazabal winning the BMW Golf Open in Germany in June 2011 - by Miki
Watercolour painting.
I wanted to try again some golfer portrait, but in watercolour this time. The winner of the BMW open is certainly a good motif..
Together Old in Italy
- Together old in Italy – by Miki
Watercolour and ink travel sketch
I saw this old couple in Montepulciano, Tuscany, Italy in April 2011, while I was on my 2 months painting trip through Tuscany. I found the scene extremely poignant, full of symbolic about life and death and age and love…It was a big challenge to try to capture this moment, I did as good as I could to hide and draw. I added the colours some hours later when we came back to our Boomobile, our tour bus… well, it is not exactly a bus, bit is a big a motorhome, but we use it for my paintings tours, so i guess the name is appropriate… it sound so much cooler than “motorhome”!!! 
Some years ago, I think it was in 2008, I did in Lisbon, Portugal a sketch of an old couple too, walking together in the street after shopping. That painting has received very much recognition since then, being featured in many places around the world, for example as magazine cover related to special themes about ageing , illnesses, etc…
- Old Couple in Portugal – by Miki
I hope that my painting of an Italian couple getting olf together will have the same success.
To purchase a print (available in many different sizes and on paper or canvas) or a greeting card, please click on the widget below
Street Musician in Pietrasanta in Italy
Street Musician in Pietrasanta in Italy - by Miki
One more from my series
“Street Musicians from around The World”
I saw him in Italy some weeks ago, more precisely in the wonderful little town of Pietrasanta not far from the marble town Carrara. I spent 3 days in Pietrasanta, and I saw that guy twice, at different places downtown. Once he had only his guitar and he was reading, in the posture featured on the painting, where I could not see his face. The second time, he was just sitting, looking around, with all that stuff in front of him, apart from the guitar. If I remember well, he had a long grey beard… to be honest, I am not sure if he even played one of these instruments, or is they were there just for “decoration”….in any case a spectacular apparition! I combined both appearances in this one painting. As all my Street Musicians, the painting is done in a mixed technique involving an ink drawing, pastel chalk, gouache and digital art.
If you want a print (on paper or canvas and many different sizes available) just click on the widget below
Rafael Nadal
Spanish Tennis Champion Rafael Nadal - by Miki
Acrylics on canvas – 60 x 80 cm – 2011
A while ago, as a follow-up to some cycling paintings on commission, I decided to start a series of sport paintings in acrylics on canvas. Having often attended the Tour de France in the Pyrenees in my childhood, and enjoying a bike ride myself very much, cycling is to me a very inspiring sport. I love the feeling of natural freedom and peace which one has riding under the sun in the countryside. And of course in the professional races, I love the movement, the fight and the colours!
Anyway, after the commission work, I started my sports series with some more cyclists paintings which you can see in my sports gallery here.
Then, having such great tennis players in Spain, I thought I should pay homage to that sport, which I personally practiced too in the past with much pleasure. In fact I learned to play tennis in Africa, in Congo! My parents were living there at that time, and when I visited them there, they gave me tennis classes as a gift, which I took with a fantastic black teacher. It was just a basic course, but I learned and enjoyed much. Later on I went on practicing, first in Germany, then in Spain. Some years ago, I had some classes by a Spanish teacher, trying to learn how to make a proper service… Well, I still can’t!
I found in the net a wonderful photo of Rafael Nadal, from which I strongly inspired myself for that first tennis painting. I would have loved to ask for permission to use the photo, but I had no chance to contact the photographer. It is really a wonderful photo, great colors and great composition, I could really not resist to reproduce it!
The original painting 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
By the way, if the author of the photo reads this post, and does not want me to use this painting commercially, please contact me.
Bo Diddley
Bo Diddley - by Miki
I saw him for the first time the other night on English TV, on “Later, with Jools Holland”, and I enjoyed it very much. Loved especially this position and, of course, his red rectangular guitar!
“…Ellas Otha Bates (December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter (usually as Elias McDaniel), and inventor. He was also known as “The Originator” because of his key role in the transition from the blues to rock & roll, influencing a host of acts including Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, The Velvet Underground, The Clash, The Yardbirds, and Eric Clapton.[1] He introduced more insistent, driving rhythms and a hard-edged guitar sound on a wide-ranging catalog of songs. Accordingly, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and received Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation[2][3] and a Grammy Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. He was known in particular for his technical innovations, including his trademark rectangular guitar….”
“…
If you want to purchase a print (on paper or canvas, and in different sizes) or a Greeting card, please click on the widget below
Leonard Cohen 02
After the minimalist profile drawing of Leonard Cohen as he was a young man, I could not help painting him nowadays, with his 74 years, still a young man, perhaps even younger than ever! a great musician, a great guy! he has my total admiration, and i wished I could see him one day life on stage with his amazing band and back vocalists. Leonard, please, come back to Spain soon, if possible in Andalusia!
Leonard Cohen 02 - by Miki
This painting is available as poster and Giclee print, in different sizes and different formats, in my FAA Gallery
PS: I hope Leonard Cohen does not mind me selling prints of this portrait I did of him. I would be mortified if it is the case I would ask him personally, but how?
So, please, if somebody knows that Leonard would not lie it, please contact me, and I will of course retract the painting from sale.
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen - by Miki
I saw yesterday evening a documentary about Leonard Cohen on English TV! Leonard Cohen was the first LP I had ever had in my life! I was about 17 years old, Mother Christmas had just brought me a record player built into an a wonderful white design table. God I loved that piece it! I had driven my mother crazy to get it, it was expensive, but I had fallen in love with it and could not get and give peace until I got it. It had no sense to say “NO” to me in such cases… Anyway, a short time after, my beloved brother came home for a weekend and brought me Leonard Cohen’s Album, he knew how much I loved him… I was over the moon, and I will never forget that instant, and all these hours spent listening to this first album.
What a joy to see him yesterday evening.. first in the documentary about a 1972 European Tour, and then in his World Tour of 2008/2009.
1972, it was the year i got his album! How emotional it was! And to see him now, as an older guy, but in fact still the same, even better than ever and with a fantastic band of musicians and singers backing him. Really, tat showi was immense! I had never seen Leonard Cohen life or in a show or interview before, it was a revelation to me to see him moving and hear him speaking, and I found him extremely sympathetic, and also incredibly humble, and full of respect toward his musicians. I adored the way he took his hat off every time one of his musicians (guitar, keyboard, saxophone…) was doing a solo…
Here is a first portrait of him, just the shining outlines in the dark… does one need to say or see more?
Well, I guess I won’t be able to resist and will do some more portrait of him, from now!
This painting is available as poster and Giclee print, in different sizes and different formats, in my FAA Gallery
PS: I hope Leonard Cohen does not mind me selling prints of thsi portrait I did of him. I would be mortified if it is the case I would ask him personally, but how?
So, please, if somebody knows that Leonard would not lie it, please contact me, and I will of course retract the painting from sale.
The Pianist 04
- The Pianist 04 – by MIki
Pastel, Ink and Digital Art
In my last posts I presented my first artworks featuring Joe Bonamassa and his pianist at their live concert in the Royal Albert Hall in London in 2009. As I said, I have been fascinated by the show, as well acoustically as visually, and I feel the need to paint a whole series of the musicians acting in that show that day. And especially of The Pianist and His Little Buddha.
This painting is available as poster and Giclee print, in different sizes and different formats, in my FAA Gallery
The Pianist 01
The Pianist 01 - by Miki
I mentioned them in my last post, and there you could see them in the back ground.: The Pianist and his Little Buddha. Here is the first painting I did of them some days ago. I was so fascinated by them, such a wonderful couple, I guess they will haunt most of my paintings about that show Joe Bonamassa did in the Royal Albert hall in London.
I still don;t know what is his name, was too lazy or too busy so far to google it. But i will. In the meanwhile, if somebody out there knows his name, he/she is welcome to leave a comment. And if this divine pianist one day finds his way to my blog, and read this post, I want to thank him personally for this wonderful artistic inspiration he is to me. I think I could paint him millions of times and not getting bored!
This painting is available as poster and Giclee print, in different sizes and different formats, in my FAA Gallery:
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Contact me at miki@goodaboom.com
