Together Old in Italy 02
Together Old in Italy 02 - by Miki
Travel sketch in watercolour and ink
Mt second artwork from the mini series “Togetherness and Loneliness in Italy”… my last post was about an old man/woman couple. Today the Togetherness is more about friendship, two old ladies chatting on a bench in a town park in Lucca, , Tuscany. And obviously they have a very enthusiastic conversation, probably telling each other some dirty secrets judging by the face expressions… 
In this motif I was especially attracted by the contrast between the colours of the background and the black and white colours of the woman clothes. Also by the contrast between the darkness of the clothes and the lightness of the faces…
Well, it was again not easy to make this sketch, I had to be quick, and in the heat of the moment I forgot to take some photograph to refer to it later… but well, I think I could render good enough the impression of the scene. In fact what i wanted to show here is that ageing can still be fun… at least in Italy.. and among women!
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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.
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Like this:
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
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:
Street Life – People from Memphis 02
My guitar hero Big Jerry was a people from Memphis (well, at least I saw him there, no idea if he actually is from Memphis)… now comes somebody I saw in Beale Street, not far away from Big Jerry, but another day. I wished it would have been warmer and I could have sketched directly from life, but the temperatures were under 0… anyway this painting is based on a furtive photo I took of that person. I was fascinated by the colours, of her clothes, on the wall and the window. Just gorgeous!
Street Life in Memphis - by Miki
This painting is directly available as Giclee print from my FAA gallery, in many different sizes and in different supports such as paper or canvas.
Guitar Hero Jennifer Batten
I saw her in a show with Michael Jackson, and although I am generally not very impressed by women on electric guitar or bass, I found her very fascinating . Sorry for the other ladies, but I must be a little bit old-fashioned, as to me, a man on electric guitar looks simply better! Although I don’t like it when they start acting too much “girly”, to me it does not match the instrument and its wildness and passion. But I want to add that I am not speaking here about the quality of their play, haven’t heard enough of them to judge it.. I am speaking only about the look.
Anyway, here is Jennifer, with another guitarist from whom i do not remember who he was… if he sees this painting and recognises himself (won’t be easy I guess!), he is very welcome to contact me !
Read in Wikipedia
“…Armed with a wry sense of humor, an irrepressible spirit, and impeccable chops, Jennifer Batten is an estrogen-powered supernova in the cluttered firmament of modern rock guitarists…”
Jennifer Batten - by Miki
And for those who wish to purchase a print (available in many different sizes and on different supports such as Fine Art Paper or canvas), here you go:
The Men and The Women from Tárbena
Somewhere in Spain, on the Costa Blanca, in the middle of mountain chain at about 600 meters above sea level, there is a little village called Tarbena. I have been there many times, as it is a picturesque place in a spectacular setting – heaven for land and townscape artists – and I have presented some artworks featuring it in my different art sites and blogs. The place was originally an agricultural community, with many olive groves, almond trees and cherry orchards gracing the countryside., but in the meanwhile, with all the tourists passing by, above all attracted by a famous restaurant run by an one-armed communist,I guess it is as much tourist-driven as agricultural!
Anyway, one day as I was there, I came upon some extremely striking scenes. I saw three men sitting on a bench by a monument in the village square – the church or the town hall, I don’t remember- whose facade was made of a structure which looked like bubbles. The men were sitting lazily around, dozing, chatting, sunbathing, in colourful, comfy clothes. Not far from them, in the main street leading to the square, I saw three women together -their wives perhaps?- standing in front of a house entrance with big black bars. The women were totally clothed in black, standing ramrod-straight like soldiers, and looking more dangerous than them, even without the guns!. I was amazed by the difference between these two scenes, wondering if this was in fact a little glimpse inside Spanish society, at least in little retired villages. The men sitting around, doing nothing apart from enjoying a colourful life, and the women living a busy black-and-white life between kitchen, shop and church… The fact is that along my many journeys through Spain, I often saw similar scenes, this one being by far the most striking one!
That day I was in Tarbena just passing by, and no time to paint from a motif, so I just took some photos with the intention of later making some artwork based on them. And indeed I started two paintings, in ink and watercolour, but somehow, I got interrupted in the process of doing them, before they were really finished, and I never touched them again.
I rediscovered these two paintings a short time ago, as I was revisiting art works from the past. I don’t fancy finishing them now (I hate to go back to past paintings), but well, I think they are far enough along to get an impression of what I described in this post!
So here they are, The Men and Women from Tarbena!
The Men from Tarbena
- The Women from Tarbena
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Tara Summers
Tara Summers - pastel on rose paper - 65 x 50 cm
I eventually finished this portrait yesterday, had been on my easel for months now. Tara Summers, English actress, as Catie Lloyd in the American TV show “Boston legal”. I liked her very much in that role, did not know her before.
Boston Legal is anyway one of my favourite shows all time, I already made the portrait of the two male stars, James Spader and William Shatner. They were just divine sitting on their balcony at the end of each episode… God, i missed them as the show was finished!
Today I have started the portrait of Betty White, also having her important part in the show… I hope I won;t need months to finish her!
If you wish to buy a Giclee print of this painting, please click on the widget below. Prints are available in many different sizes and on different supports.
People from Serpa in Portugal
After I had spent 2 or 3 days in Serpa sketching all kind of buildings, I got quite bored, and needed to sketch something else. This is why, on the 7th of July (2009), I sat with kevin at a cafe outside, and made sketches of the people sitting there. I liked the faces I saw, and had quite a nice time doing that. As always my sketches tend to be caricatures, I just can’t help it… but I swear that I have warm and sympathetic feelings towards all these people I sketch, my intention is really not to make them look silly or ridiculous or whatever negative… I am sorry if some recognise themselves (what i doubt in fcat as I am not really searching for a good likeness) and feel offended…
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These are some of the people I sketched that day. if you wnat to see more, go please to my Flickr account
Princess Di
Princess Diana, by Miki - Brown Pencil and White Pastel, 60 x 50 cm, 2009
About
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Contact me at miki@goodaboom.com
