Bob Marley and The i-Threes
Bob Marley and The i-Threes - by Miki
When I did my series of Bob Marley;s portraits, I wanted to do painting of the i-Threes too, but well, I got stuck somewhere else, probably in some other music!
Well, in some weeks Kev Moore will do a small Reggae concert in The Pasty Shack in our town Turre, in Andalusia, Spain, and this brought back to my memory my debt to the i-Threes. Well here they are, in my usual mixed technique of pastel and digital art.
Wikipedia:
“… The I Threes were a Jamaican reggae singing group made up of 3 women, that was formed in 1974 to support Bob Marley & The Wailers after Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer — the original Wailer backing vocalists — left the band. The 3 members were Marley’s wife Rita Marley, Judy Mowatt and Marcia Griffiths. Their name is intended as a spin on the Rastafarian “I and I” concept of the Godhead within each person…”
I did not know the roots of the name “i-Threes”, quite interesting!
And if you want to purchase a Giclee print of this painting (on paper, on canvas, framed, etc.) or a greeting card please click on the widget below
Gary Moore, an Impression
Has been a while since I haven’t published a new portrait.. well, I was busy with some other art. To do portraits, i need to be in a very special mood, somehow ready to enter the soul of my subject…
Well, yesterday, some hours down the coast from us, Gary Moore died in an hotel . We heard the news as Kevin came back from a gig in the middle of the night… it was about 3 in the morning, the worst time ever to hear this kind of news. Everything around seems to break down and the whole life reduced to a giant black hole.
Kevin writes
“Last night I returned home on cloud nine after gigging down on the Playa in Mojacar. It had been a while since I’d been on stage and I’d missed it. Arriving home, I was in great spirits after getting that ‘fix’ again. A mere four hours down the coast, something had happened that was to hit me like a sucker punch.
On Friday, sitting in our local at lunchtime, I’d met one of Gary Moore’s backstage technicians, taking a short break from touring. We were discussing how Gary achieved his wonderful tone, partly through the heavy gauge strings that he used – incredibly hard to bend, but rich sounding.
Now, as I fired up the Mac upon returning home late Sunday night, I discovered that Gary had passed away in a hotel in Estepona. He was just 58. I was dumbfounded. Gary Moore has always been one of my guitar heroes. He was the real deal, and the complete package, not only a genius guitarist, but a great singer and writer. There were few if any, that could touch him. As if that weren’t enough, he was equally at home playing fusion, blues, jazz and metal….“
I felt the need to make a first portrait of Gary, but really it is only an impression. I just hope this impression is good enough… I could not do more right now, I am still under shock, having his music on continuoius loop in the house…
Gary Moore, an Impression - by Miki
If you wish to purchase a print or a greeting card of this painting, please click on the widget below
The Children from Tahiti 04 – Very Young Maori Warrior
Very Young Maori Warrior from Tahiti - by Miki
Pastel and Colour Pencils
One more beautiful child from Tahiti.
What fascinated me in this face and inspired me to paint it is the combative expression.
So young and such a warrior already!
This painting is available as well as original, but also as Giclee print, in different sizes and different formats, and also as greeting card in my FAA Gallery:
The Children from Tahiti 03 – Little Boy
Little Boy from Tahiti - by Miki
Pastel and Colour Pencils
One more beautiful child from Tahiti.
A result of races mix. If I remember well, this one was a mix between a Chinese man and a Polynesian woman… just wonderful!
This painting is available as well as original, but also as Giclee print, in different sizes and different formats, in my FAA Gallery:
The Children from Tahiti 02 – Little Girl
Little Girl from Tahiti - by Miki
Pastel and Colour Pencils
She looks so upset, even sad perhaps… i just adored that expression on her face…
One more from the Series “The Children from Tahiti”. I explained in my first post about this series of Tahitian children portraits how it all began…
This painting is available as well as original, but also as Giclee print, in different sizes and different formats, in my FAA Gallery:
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
Guitar Hero Joe Bonamassa
Joe Bonamassa and The Pianist - by Miki
I saw his in his concert at the Royal Albert hall in London.. it as just one of the best shows I have ever seen! A feast, as well for the ears as for the eyes! I will do a series of paintings commemorating this big event, and in fact I have already doen 2 portraits of The Pianist and his Little Buddha. I found them both extremely fascinating!
, but well, Noblesse Oblige, I should start here with the Master himself!
“Joe Bonamassa (born May 8, 1977 in Utica, New York) is an American blues rock guitarist, singer….”
This painting is available as poster and Giclee print, in different sizes and different formats, in my FAA Gallery:
The Children from Tahiti 01 – Very Young Maori Warrior
Young Maori Warrior from Polynesia - by Miki
Pastel and Colour Pencils on Grey Fine Art Paper.
My brother lives in Tahiti. He was having a big career in the French army, luckily not at the front, but in the background teaching logistics (in normal words: how to make the most successful wars, highly secrete stuff like that.) to high ranged officers, and also to bosses of big companies, as in fact, the methods to success are not that different, wherever it is.
Anyway he had dreamt all his adult life to buy a sailing boat and to sail around the world for the rest of his life. In my family we take it quite seriously with our dreams, so one day he.bought a boat, gave every thing up, including the wife and sailed away on his love;y one-man boat called “Atalante Fugitive” (“Escaping Atalante”, Atalante being a mythology figure). Well, he happily sailed for a year or so, part of it with me, then arrived in Tahiti and found it so great that he decoded to stay there!
He kept living on his boat for may years, but then he met a woman, and she was sea sick on the boat that they had to sell it, about one year ago.
And what hat that all to do with my portraits painting? Well, many years ago, he told me that the children in Tahiti are incredibly beautiful, most of the time as a result of the many interacting races there: Polynesian, Chinese, White, Black, Blue… so I simply decided to make a series called The Children from Tahiti. I will present some of them in this blog.
One of the first I did was This young Maori Warrior. i was fascinated by the seriousness, determination and combativity on his face.. so young and so ready to fight! Well, to tell the truth, even younger i was fighting like mad with the little and big boys in my street and school!. Must have some Maori blood… 
This painting is available as well as original, but also as Giclee print, in different sizes and different formats, in my FAA Gallery:
Fado Singer Mariza
Fado Singer Mariza - by Miki
I heard some fado the very first time I went to Portugal.
It was on the occasion of The World Exposition in Lisbon in 1998.
It is a long time ago and I haven’t concrete memories, apart that I loved the fado performances I saw there, as well on the Expo ground as in some cabaret in the town.
And well, the other day I saw Mariza on a DVD, and was glad to hear that she brings fado to the Wide World. Also of course her appearance could not fail to inspire me as a portrait artist and I had to paint her. This artwork is a mix of classical art (pasteL0 and digital art (to reach some special effects and vibrancy).
“Mariza (Portuguese pronunciation: [mɐˈɾizɐ]) is the stage name of a popular fado singer.[1][2] She was born Marisa dos Reis Nunes on 16 December 1973 in Lourenço Marques, Mozambique. At the time, Mozambique was known as the Portuguese Overseas Province of Mozambique.
Mariza is the child of a Portuguese father and a mother of partial black African heritage.[3] At age 3, her family moved to Metropolitan Portugal, and she was raised in Lisbon’s, historic quarters of Mouraria and Alfama. While very young she began singing in a wide variety of musical styles, including gospel, soul and jazz. Her father strongly encouraged her to adopt fado; he felt that participating in the traditional music would grant her greater acceptance in the Portuguese community.
She has sold over 1.000.000 records worldwide…”
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
