Happy New Year!!

Fire works at the Binnenhof in The Hague

Happy New Year

Gelukkig Nieuwjaar
Buon Anno Nuovo
Feliz Año Nuevo
Bonne Année
feliz Ano Novo
С Новым Годом
明けましておめでとうございます
З Новим Роком
新年快乐
Glückliches Neues Jahr
Selamat Tahun Baru
नया साल मुबारक हो

Sretna Nova godina
Среќна Нова Година

Ευτυχισμένο το Νέο Έτος

Bon Fire in Scheveningen, The Netherlands 2014/2015
officially the largest one ever !!

Wherever you are, whatever you do, whatever you dream, whomever you love, whatever you create: Have a Great 2015!!

Little Super Heroes

I have been working hard and I am pretty pleased with the result. 

First good news: I did 3 collaborations (each piece with another artist) and 2 have been chosen to be shown at Spectrum with "Art is Life" during Art Basel.... do I will not show you these yet.. come to Miami in December. Also the Girl with the Robot Dog was selected, so imagine the enormous smile on my face when I heard this.

After finishing the above collaboration, I did a collaboration with a local artist called Registered Artist for his solo show "With a little help of my friends". All the pieces in the show are - yes you guessed it - collaborations between him and another artist. We made a piece titled "Little Big Batman".

Little Big Batman
20" x 20"
Mixed Media

Then I was invited to participate in a pop-up show (yes, the one you set-up, show and break-down in one day) in Downtown Miami and liking my little batman as much as I did, I decided to make two more super heroes.

Little Captain America
14" x 18"
Acrylics on Boxed Birch Wood

Little Super Girl
18" x 14"
Acrylics on Boxed Birch Wood

Finally I also painted a little piece for that same pop-up which was sold within hours after hanging... and let me tell you it is a great feeling to see someone look at your work and falling in love with it.

The Little Girl with the Curly Hair
9" x 12"
Acrylics on 300 Lbs Cold Pressed Water Color Paper

And I a back in the studio.. working on new pieces... perhaps more super heroes... soon you will know.

One left the studio and a new one is finished.

The Girl with the Big Pearl Ear Ring (detail)

With mixed feelings I saw "The Girl with the Big Pearl Ear Ring" leave the studio to go to her new home. Mixed feelings because - even though I know she is at a very good place now - I will miss her on the wall in my studio.

And life goes on... and I finished my rendition of Leonardo da Vinci's "Lady with the Ermine" which I named "The Girl with the Robot Dog". 
And I started a new rendition but this time one of Goya's masterpieces, but all that lace... so beautiful... and also so much work...
 

The Girl with the Robot Dog (2014)
30" x 40"
Acrylics on Canvas

At the same time I am working on multiple collaborations with several different artists, including a street artist, a I-photographer (yes, with the I-phone), a fine artist, and a poet. These collaborations places my work outside my usual scope and it is refreshing to see how each one of us is able to make a magic combination. I m loving this!
I cannot show you anything yet, as we keep our pieces hidden until it is shown. 

Little M 24
(aka "Uhm... it is not working...")
6" x 8"
Acrylics on Birch Wood

I also made another Little M. A little Rambo this time and this one is in show at the Trespass Gallery in Clarksville, Tennessee. I also started sketching a new Little M and that is a commission for a little girl.

So, all and all, there is no such thing as a quiet summer at my studio... because the summer is to get ready for the Miami Downtown Art Days in September and Art Basel in December.

The Art Walk

Every first Friday of the month we have something called the Downtown Miami Art Walk, where almost all the artists in the downtown area have their studios open for everybody and all. For me personally that means that I need to "nice up" up my studio and turn it partially into a gallery so I can present my work in a professional way. 

Once every so many months I even fill the holes and repaint the walls, so everything looks fresh and nice again. Of course I only do this in a month when I do not have many obligations and deadlines. Then we (me and the 2 other artists) prepare the rest of the floor: besides 3 studio spaces, there are 2 gallery spaces, the bar, the hallway and the bathrooms.... and you probably guess it, no more time to work on a painting. 

We made it a rule on our floor that if we do not have an opening, we do not serve alcohol. The Art Walk for us artists means that we work. We present our art, we talk art with the visitors, and of course we hope that we will be able to sell work or at least have a potential buyer come back on another day.

Last Friday was a very nice Art Walk for me as I talked to a lot of new people who showed real interest in my work and I sold 3 pieces of art. 

And when a buyer is so happy to have bought your work that he wants to show that to the world, that makes it even better!!