Germany: Boris Becker, Art by Miki de Goodaboom
About the Painting:
Miki de Goodaboom writes:“In Germany I followed Boris Becker’s career from the very beginning, with as much enthusiasm as all of the German people. It was of course a must to make his portrait!”
About the Artist:
Born in the French Pyrenees, Miki de Goodaboom moved to Goettingen, Germany at age 19 to study mathematics and physics. After graduating, she worked for many years in German industry as a mathematician and consultant until she moved to Spain, Andalucia, where she lives now. A self-taught artist, Miki kept creating more and more art until it finally became her full-time profession. She most enjoys painting sport themes since she loves movement and the challenge of reducing it to 2 dimensions on paper or canvas. If you check out her countless “Sport Art” paintings and posters on her website, you will see almost 300 images from the entire world of sport. But as you can see from her website, she loves to paint almost anything she encounters in the world.
Three French S(heroes): Noah/Mauresmo/Lenglen, Art by Tom Humberstone
Artist Bio: Tom Humberstone is an award-winning comic artist and illustrator based in Edinburgh. His debut graphic novel – Suzanne: The Jazz Age Goddess of Tennis – was published by Avery Hill in September 2022. He writes and draws non-fiction comics for the Ignatz award-winning The Nib, as well as the New Statesman, Vox, Buzzfeed and others. He is the editor and publisher of the critically acclaimed UK comics anthology Solipsistic Pop and co-editor of Over The Line: An Introduction to Poetry Comics. You can learn more about Tom Humberstone and his work on his website.
Italy: Sara Errani, Two Dinners, Art by Achille Chiarello
Artist Bio (from website): Achille Chiarello was born in Arzignano (Vicenza)(Italy) on 26/10/65. He started artistic activity as a goldsmith after attending the art school in Vicenza. After 13 years of creating designs of jewelry for other companies, he left the goldsmith’s business and began to paint on canvas. Later he resumed some of his goldsmith’s techniques, experimenting with wood and new synthetic materials: resins and plastics. Today he paints with different techniques and sculpts on polyurethane, fiberglass, resin, bronze, and alternative materials. To see more of his fascinating artwork, you can visit his website.
The Many Gifts of Manolo Santana, Art by Victor Jerez
Artist bio for Victor Jerez (taken from his website)
For years I have worked in the Port of Algeciras as a stevedore, but it was not those hours of sunshine that illuminated my work; the light bulbs in my garage, late at night they saw me practice my passion: painting movie posters.
Shortly after, I decided to paint live. At the beginning it was in small parties and local events (in Algeciras, Sotogrande…). Then bigger events came and, without realizing it, I saw myself painting George Clooney , Keith Richards or Carlos Jean .
Sporting event painting came later to stay. Since then I have had the privilege and responsibility of immortalizing, live, figures such as Rafa Nadal , Sergio Garcia and Novak Djokovic . Now I am “The Painter of Athletes.” The future? Keep working on my passion.
You can learn more about Victor Jerez and his great sports art from his website or check out his instagram.
Li Na, China, Art by Debra Di Blasi
On Painting Li Na:
Some comments below taken from Debra Di Blasi’s emails to me:
“It’s a bit socialist-art style, which I kind of like. (We have quite a bit of Vietnam and China socialist-style posters, prints and statues, so it was not a big leap.)”
“The paper, by the way, is unbleached mulberry, which I love. Slightly thicker and tougher than Yuanshu bamboo paper, with wood particles visible.”
“The ‘chops’ (carved jade stamps with Xiling Red Seal Ink Paste] are: (smaller) “debra di blasi” carved vertically, and (larger) a phonetic translation of “debra di blasi” into Chinese characters, which was a gift from my husband purchased during one of his trips to China. I had a Hong Kong chop-maker create the small one for me when we lived there.”
“I slept on the request for relevant text and here’s what I dreamed: ‘Amid the thick bamboo hides a butterfly with strong wings.’ I’m going with my subconscious.” Debra and I both thought these words might be a good title for the work.
About the Artist: Known for her innovative prose, Debra Di Blasi has received numerous awards and is the author of eight books. Her recent work, Selling the Farm, won the 2019 Nonfiction Award (C&R Press). In the world of the visual arts, Debra Di Blasi took a BFA in painting and later worked as an art critic and contributing writer for The Pitch, SOMA San Francisco arts magazine, and The New Art Examiner. Her visual and multimedia art has been exhibited at museums and galleries in the U.S. and online. Nostos Journal of Poetry, Fiction and Art published a portfolio of her Chinese brush painting in Volume III 2019, including cover art. You can learn more about Debra Di Blasi and her wide-ranging work on her website.