A Baby in a Rose

www.goodaboom.com


Planet Goodaboom, Tuesday 6th March 2007


I told you it was a successful day 2 days ago in the Street Gallery...but how successful, I didn´t even know myself at that moment! One of the clients who already bought a painting from me came today to my Gallery and bought a further three and a CD from Kevin (see his entry in his diary). It was wonderful to see how they hardly could decide which one they should buy, they loved so many... what a nice compliment for me! Above all because these people were the same who bought my miniature painting 2 weeks ago, saying that they have no place on their walls. They haven´t indeed, but they have children who still have space... I hope they will like the paintings their parents bought for them today!

I wanted above all to tell you about the old Spanish lady who bought a painting from me on Sunday. She is one of these women living in the countryside, and who normally never leave their villages in their lifetime. But some travel companies here organise cheap week-end trips to the coast for these old Spanish people and for most it is their first trip away. They accomodate them in some of the nice hotels by the beach –one of them, Kactus Hotel, is right at the corner of the Street Gallery- and organise there on the Sunday afternoon big sales of things like oriental carpets or modern kitchen appliances. These poor people get the trip cheap, but they then spend such a fortune buying all these extras! Anyway.. my old lady looked at the paintings and came to me, asking:
„Are these paintings signed by any well-known painter?“
I didn´t really understand what she meant. So I said:
„well, yes, they are all signed... the paintings are from me!“
„Yes, I can see they are signed! But I know exactly what I want!“
She sounded a little bit stressed... but whatever she wanted, and however she expressed it, I kept smiling and told her, that I am famous in the area. She was quite happy with that answer and asked me for the price.
„Which one?“
I asked.
She didn´t know. She just wanted a painting from a famous painter, I guess. As I told her the price of various ones, she looked very sad.
„Look, I have already spent too much money on the carpets... I have almost nothing left... and my husband loves paintings so much! It is for him...“
Finally she found a painting which she really loved. It was inspired by a photo from Anne Geddes, featuring a baby in a rose. In fact it was not for sale, it was just to give people ideas for personalised paintings.
But my old lady insisted so much that I gave her a price. Of course it was much too expensive, and normally I don´t let people negociate with me. But I felt some kind of sympathy for this woman. I never had that before but, after 4 rounds, and her leaving and returning each time, finally even showing me the bill for the carpets she had just bought, she succeeded in getting the painting from me for less than half of the price I had first said!
I wonder if her husband will really appreciate it, when she comes back home after having spent so much money. But she was very happy, and wanted me to make a photo of her, me and the baby in the Rose!

Slave to the Rhythm - 1. La Folie des Grandeurs

www.goodaboom.com

Art Studio, Wednesday 3rd January 2007


First of all:
„Happy New Year to everybody reading these lines! And let me pass on to you the words of my friend Graham –currently springing from wall to wall in Australia...-:
„KEEP THE KULTURE!“

I spent the whole month of December painting on commission and working on the creation of www.goodaboom.com. I loved doing all these things, but it was hard work and I really missed my artistic freedom. I missed sitting in front of a blank sheet of white paper with a brush in hand and lots of beautiful colours on the palette, without any idea of what would come out, just following some unconscious inspiration. So I promised myself to start painting for ME right from day one of the new year, whatever happens
I had painted in 2006 new works in gouache, kind of abstract, and many people who saw them loved them. I was asked several times if I had paintings in that style in acrylics or oil, and above all on big canvas. The last time was on Sunday in the Street Gallery, an english man with a minimalist flat and a fear of frames. He was after bold colours and big frameless canvasses to avoid the possibility of clashes when redecorating. And no, as yet, I haven´t such big paintings..

As a result of these people insisting, my agent Kev Moore (looks more like a secret agent, doesn´t he? ) made pressure on me. I refused.
„Why?“
he asked, obviously determined not to let go of the bone.
„Well... I don´t feel like that... it is so dirty!“
I must tell you, that the way I paint, everything on and around me is full of colour, even if I am painting a miniature... so imagine when it´s a big one!
„But Miki, it´s normal... what do you expect, it´s painting!“
Quite funny to explain me what painting is ...
„We will see....“
I was thinking of my freedom, and I exactly knew I had lost it even before I´d recovered it.
He smiled, aware he´d won the skirmish.
„What will it be about?
„Don´t know... must be yellow!“
„Why yellow?“
„Well, I feel like yellow... and a Spanish woman told me that my colours, especially my yellows, make people happy!“
„This is indeed a good reason!“
Yesterday morning, first thing, I took the biggest canvas I had at home and started painting. I spent hours at it and at the end it seemed that the art work was everywhere except on the canvas: my atelier, my clothes, my german boots and my laces (see ) were covered with acrylics!
„Can I see it?“
asked Kevin, quite excited and impatient as he saw how artistic I looked myself..
„NO!!!!!“
If looks could kill... He didn´t insist. I think he mentioned it in his diary today...


I dont dare to show you the whole work, but this detail view to the left is quite nice, I guess.... unfortunately it represents about 1% of the whole surface! If I could only apply the mathematical laws of fractals to it!

I often notice that tiny parts of paintings – and not only mine! – are much more beautiful that the whole paintings, a quite interesting but frustrating observation, believe me!
I must ask:
„Why the hell paint the rest?“
but I already know the answer... La Folie des Grandeurs!