April 16, 2020 / Miki de Goodaboom / 1 Comment

Text by Kev Le Chat and Illustration by Miki de Goodaboom

Hello.

My name’s Harold, the doorman at the famous Harrod’s store in London.

I’m very proud of my job. It’s very important you know. Welcoming all our rich and famous clients into the store, but also everyone else who loves to visit!

I always have a smile on my face, and when they buy a lot, well – I am a big bear who can help them into their taxi with all of the shopping – and some people buy A LOT.

Me? I only buy the honey. Don’t tell anyone but I get a special staff discount!

Unfortunately, I am not in my place at the door in these crazy times.

I am a sensible bear. I am staying at home eating honey, and I suggest you do, too!

(Prints of all sorts are available. Click on the painting to go to Miki de Goodaboom’s shop online)

What Keeps My Heart Awake

April 11, 2020 / Miki de Goodaboom / 1 Comment

Text and Illustration by Miki de Goodaboom

These are difficult times for everybody. But although we have here in Spain one of the toughest lock-downs in the whole world, and although my freedom of movement is to me more important than most goods, I count myself among the luckiest people from all the millions in quarantine.

Because I still can do what I love.

I write.

I read.

And mostly: I paint!

As my French countryman and impressionist master Claude Monet said:

“What keeps my heart awake is colourful silence.”

(Prints of all sorts are available. Click on the painting to go to Miki de Goodaboom’s shop online)

Lifes Too Short For Ironing

April 8, 2020 / Miki de Goodaboom / 1 Comment

Text and Illustration by Miki de Goodaboom

I could not agree more with my beautiful teddy:

“Lifes too short for ironing!”

I have an iron though… but I cannot remember last time I used it!

Except… it was yesterday!

I used it yesterday to iron my newest watercolour painting! When they are painted with lots of water, there is hardly anything you can do against them waving when drying. Clever people advice to wet the paper before, let it dry, and then do the actual painting. Well, it never worked for me! My waters are probably wilder than theirs… or is it my painting style?

The only thing that works a bit is ironing them. The waves don’t really disappear, they just get flatter. But it is a very delicate task, as you can imagine: I have already brunt some of my paintings as I was not well-experienced in that domestic work!

(Prints of all sorts are available. Click on the painting to go to Miki de Goodaboom’s shop online)

If I Only Had A Brain

April 5, 2020April 5, 2020 / Miki de Goodaboom / 1 Comment

By Wizard Of Oz (Song) and Miki de Goodaboom (Illustration)

“I could while away the hours
Conferrin’ with the flowers,
Consulting with the rain;
And my head I’d be a scratchin’
While my thoughts are busy hatchin’
If I only had a brain.

I’d unravel ev’ry riddle for my
Individdle
In trouble or in pain
With the thoughts that you’ll be thinkin’
You could be another Lincoln
If you only had a brain.

Oh, I, could tell you why
The oceans near the shore
I could think of things I’d never
Thunk before,
And then I’d sit down and think some more.

I would not be just a muffin’,
My head all full of stuffin’,
My heart all full of pain;
And perhaps I’d deserve you and be
Even worthy even you
If I only had a brain.”

(Prints of all sorts are available. Click on the painting to go to Miki de Goodaboom’s shop online)

Teddy Corona

April 1, 2020April 1, 2020 / Miki de Goodaboom / 2 Comments

By Teddy Corona (Text) and Miki de Goodaboom (Illustration)

My name is Corona…

No , please, don’t run away, I am not that horrible virus that hurts so many lovely people right now: I am a kind Teddy Bear that would not hurt anybody in the world.
You know, before all that, Corona was a beautiful word, it means “crown” in a very old language. So, you see, that was before that virus was even born, it has just stolen the name!

So yes, my parents decided to call me Corona. They said it was a very tough decision, but they said it was the right thing to do. Many people will think it is heartless to call me that way.

But…

My Dad adopted me in England as he was there last time to do music, and until the last moment, they all thought he could never come back home to Spain, because of the virus. The whole family thought that he and Miki and Truffle and all the other bears, they would never see each other again. They were SO sad. But then he managed taking a last plane, and to come back, and we were all reunited and happy.
At home I was presented to everybody. I had no name yet, and I had no clothes. They all together decided I should be called Corona, to never forget what it means to be together with the people one loves and to never take it for granted.
Then my new brother Truffle gave me his most beautiful shirt. I am smaller than him, so it looks like a dress on me, and all said I look so pretty. He had no crown, but he gave me a head band with a sparkling red heart and put it around my head, a bit like a crown, and all said I look like a queen.
.
My new Mom Miki announced that she was taking me, as a special guest, in her “Inspirational Teddies” Group. I don’t really what that word means, it is long and complicated and sounds important, but I feel it is a big honour. She says all people and bears will look up to me, because I will be inspiration for them, because I have written “SMILE” all over me, and “LOVE” around my head. This is the most important thing ever, she says!

I hope you understand now… and me, I am very proud of my name.

(Prints of all sorts are available. Click on the painting to go to Miki de Goodaboom’s shop online)

Rainbows In The Windows

March 30, 2020March 30, 2020 / Miki de Goodaboom / 2 Comments

By Teddy Truffle McFurry (Text) and Ann La Mar (Photos)

“Rainbows

In The Windows…”

Look, it rhymes! It is my first poem ever, I think I am becoming a poet!

The other day Auntie Ann La Mar told us about all the Teddies in the windows in England, to please the little children who go for a walk, making them hunting them and being so pleased when they find one. This must be such fun to do that. We don’t have that in Spain, we are not even allowed to go for a walk!

She also told us about the rainbows that the children paint and put in their windows too. We all loved the idea. She said:

“I will see if I have an artistic bear in my collection and we will try to paint a rainbow for the window. I’m sure the bears are more capable than me! “

Cousins Edwina and Dylan were her best artistic bears and all three, with Auntie Ann, were busy the whole afternoon with it.

“It was a team effort!”, she said.

Very proud they showed us the rainbow they painted.

Rainbow and Bears Window 01

Then Auntie Ann put Cousins Edwina and Dylan and the rainbow in the window and took an image for us. It looks wonderful!

Rainbow and Bears Window 02

I asked her if they will stay in the window now, she said

“The rainbow will stay but the bears will come and go because of the blind. It’s like living in a fish bowl if you don’t have them down.”
No, we don’t want them living in a fish bowl. Auntie Ann can swim, but my teddy cousins can’t! We teddy bears don’t like so much water!

Bear Hunt Trail For Children

March 28, 2020March 28, 2020 / Miki de Goodaboom / Leave a comment

Seen in CamdenNewJournal, The Independant London Newspaper, 25.03.2020

“Sweet Idea” to lift spirits.

RESIDENTS in West Hampstead are lifting sprits by putting teddy bears in their window for children to spot during their times of permitted exercise during the coronavirus lockdown.

The soft toys can be seen in windows in Gondar Gardens, Agamemnon Road and other nearby streets to create a neighbourhood ‘bear hunt’ during precious outside moments.

“This is something uplifting during this crisis,” said Fortune Green councillor Lorna Russell. “Lots of lovely residents have put teddy bears in their windows to create a bear hunt for children that walk by. What a sweet idea for children…

Miki de Goodaboom:

It reminds me of that beautiful vintage Winnie The Pooh that I saw in a window in Fowey, Cornwall, while I was on a painting trip through Devon & Cornwall, in May 2018. I wonder if he is still sitting there, i so much hope he does!

Please let me know if you spotted him!

Or is you spotted Teddy Bears in a window!

(Prints of all sorts are available. Click on the painting to go to Miki de Goodaboom’s shop online)

Never Trust A Skinny Cook

March 27, 2020March 28, 2020 / Miki de Goodaboom / Leave a comment

By Miki de Goodaboom (Text & Illustration)

in September 2017 I was on a painting trip in Wales, and eagerly looking to adopt some new Teddy Bears. This is when I suddenly met one of these Ted Characters. They are mostly standing bears, usually wearing a large slate around their neck, or some kind of sign, on which is always written something cleverly funny.

I fell in love with that bear, unfortunately he was not free for adoption. But since then, I met some others, and adopted a lot. To find one of them is always a deep joy for me and my beloved teddy Truffle McFurry.

I have decided to paint them all, at least to try. I called the series “Inspirational Teddies”. Simply because they are so inspirational, in many senses, artistically and psychologically to say the least!

I started the series with the last one that entered our home, a lovely cook girl which Kev Le Chat brought me back from Stroud in the UK, for Christmas. When he is over there, he is always on a Teddy bear mission, and he is very good at finding the rare pearls!

PS: if you have one of them, I would be over the moon to receive a photo and to paint him/her.

(Prints of all sorts are available. Click on the painting to go to Miki de Goodaboom’s shop online)

Charlie Bear Sylvia

November 10, 2018November 10, 2018 / Miki de Goodaboom / Leave a comment

By Miki de Goodaboom (Text & Illustration)

My Teddy Truffle McFurry and me have been kindly invited by the international magazine “Teddy Bear Times” to write an article about our visit to the Charlie Bear Museum in Launceston (Cornwall, UK) in May 2018.

It was my birthday as we -Truffle, my partner the English Rocker Kev Moore and me- visited the museum. It couldn’t have been a better thing to do that day!

I had also the chance to be allowed to choose one of the Charlie Bears displayed in the shop there… a birthday gift from Kevin! As it is written on the wall of the museum

“THERE IS ALWAYS ROOM FOR ONE MORE BEAR”

More accurately in this case: “… FOR ONE MOORE BEAR!” 🙂

I chose Sylvia… not a typical Charlie bear, I would say, without the long hair everywhere, but such a beautiful pink bear!

I won’t tell more about that visit for now, as it will be all said in the article, coming up at some point next year. I first need to paint all those amazing bears!

(Prints of all sorts are available. Click on the painting to go to Miki de Goodaboom’s shop online)

Wilfra Cakes For Bua And Truffle McFurry

August 21, 2018 / Miki de Goodaboom / Leave a comment

by Miki de Goodaboom

You saw it probably, Ann La Mar recently baked Wilfra cakes from Ripon and shared them with us here. They looked gorgeous!

Truffle wanted to try them and Ann was so kind to send him some. Under the pretext too of needing help by the quality control.

Truffy invited his cousin Bua to share them with him, as Bua was with us as we visited Ripon during our Tour Of Yorkshire in September 2016. We were delighted to see him again and to share Ann’s cakes and apple with him. Bua looks always a bit sad, but he is not sad. He is originally a German bear, and he tends to think too much, and always gets that expression on his face when he thinks…

You might wonder how we do it… but we, The Urso Majors, have invented another kind of internet, where we can send each other not only words, but also food, drinks, bears, etc… It works fantastically! But it is not a world wide web, it works only between Planet Goodaboom and Planet Boomerann’.