Miggie (1988) - Fighter girl

The Girl with the Pearl and Mike Tyson’s Tattoo: ‘Fighter girl’. One luxurious mash-up artwork that connects pop art with classical art!

Mixed technique: oil paint, graphic design on canvas and high-quality acrylic

Ready to hang, with certificate
80x60x4 cm

My name is Miguel, but among friends and now also in the art world I’m mainly known as Miggie. That’s my artist name and also my nickname. I was born in 1988 in the Netherlands and I live in Maastricht, a Burgundian city in the south of the Netherlands, right near the Belgian and German borders. The international environment in which I live provides an important source of inspiration for my work. Daily I encounter different cultures, styles, people and stories. That versatility fits well with the way I view art: curious, free and without fixed boundaries.

Art has been an important part of my life for as long as I can remember. From a young age, drawing and painting came naturally to me as a way to express myself. When words sometimes fail, an image can tell a lot. As a child I drew portraits, cartoon characters and endless doodles.

Later I discovered graffiti and street art. That discovery had a major influence on how I look at art. The energy, freedom and direct visual language of graffiti spoke to me strongly. Art didn’t have to hang only in a museum or gallery for me; it could also arise on the street, in the middle of society, among buildings, people and daily life. The combination of large forms, bold colors, typography, spontaneity and multiple layers continued to fascinate me.

My interest in art developed further and eventually I deepened my passion at the Maastricht Academy of Fine Arts. There I had the opportunity to develop my skills further while also experimenting with different techniques, materials, and ways of working. The program helped me become not only technically stronger but also to think more about my own visual language and what I want to tell as an artist.

My style

My current work is a combination of street art, pop culture and contemporary visual art. I draw inspiration from art history, popular culture, societal developments and especially from the world around me. Sometimes it’s a recognizable image, a person or an object that catches my attention. At other times an idea arises precisely from a color, a shape, a text or a casual combination of images.

Artists such as Dillon Boy, Banksy, Jeff Koons and Marcel Duchamp have inspired me in different ways. Yet I try to walk my own path above all. I don’t believe art has to fit into one style or one technique. It’s the combination of different influences that makes my work interesting. I enjoy pushing existing boundaries and letting different techniques and materials work together.

My paintings are colorful, expressive and often built up in multiple layers. In a single work different images, patterns, texts, textures and details can come together. Sometimes you immediately see what you’re looking at, while with other works you have to look longer to discover all the elements. I find that interesting: a artwork doesn’t have to reveal everything at once.

My inspiration largely comes from the visual culture in which we live daily. We are constantly surrounded by advertising, television, social media, brands, music, films, comics and other forms of popular culture. These images influence how we see the world. I use elements from that visual language and then give them a new context within my own work.

Materials and techniques

I use different materials and techniques and combine them into mixed-media artworks. I work with oil paint, Molotow acrylic paint, high-quality acrylic paint, markers, wall paint and graphic designs.

I also use graphic elements and canvas prints when they add something to the image. By combining painting techniques with graphic shapes, prints, texts and other layers, a dynamic whole emerges. No material has a fixed function for me. It’s all about what the work needs.

Unique artworks

Each painting I make is unique. I believe it’s important that a artwork is not just a decorative object, but also contains part of my personality, energy and way of looking at things.

My works are executed on canvas and are ready to hang directly. Each painting thus gains its own character and appearance.

I hope people feel something from my work. It could be admiration, recognition, curiosity or simply a smile. An artwork doesn’t always need to carry a complicated message for me. Sometimes it may just be vibrant, energetic and positive. At the same time I like it when a piece makes someone think or invites them to look longer.

Shipping

Each canvas is carefully protected with multiple layers of bubble wrap and then provided with a sturdy, custom-sized outer box. This way the artwork is protected as well as possible during transport to its new destination.

My goal as an artist

For me, art is ultimately a way to make ideas, energy and emotion visible. It’s a continuous search in which I keep experimenting, learning and discovering new things. My inspiration comes from the past, contemporary culture and especially daily life.

I don’t want to limit myself to one style, one technique or one subject. It is precisely the freedom to bring together different influences that makes it interesting for me to keep creating.

My hope is that my art adds something to the space it occupies. That it brings color, sparks curiosity, starts a conversation or simply gives someone a good feeling.

Thank you for your interest in my work. I hope my art inspires you, moves you, arouses your curiosity or simply puts a smile on your face.