Invicta Indie Arts as an art concept since 2010 - Part one

Most of the times, I do enter in a time loop inside myself and I do remember when I started to develop narratives, conducting interviews, writing, organizing/editing and working im several published books worldwide or organizing exhibitions with the best international artists that I know of, also in a worldwide scale (that can be read and visualized in previous posts in this blogue all over 11 years) knowing that myself that nobody ever gave me anything for free (except communication).

I clearly knew that my passion of literature and arts I always had since I was a kid, it grew deeply in the company of my first wife, it calmed a lot with my second and increased with the divorce of my third one.

Below each picture in this post it's a narrative with some dates and encounters with artists that changed my life and helped me see it with through their own eyes.

- My past ain't my future with Elena who I currently love...

Elena Pavlenka

I clearly remember being at Cinanima animation film festival in 2004 and a British chap was asking me for a cigarette, being no other than legendary animation director Phil Mulloy, we chated a bit while there was a break from a movie marathon dedicated to Russian maestro Alexander Petrov. 

Poster of the fascinating animation movie "My Love" by Petrov 

Remember also that I had to catch a train to my home and told Phil that we could talk a bit more on the next day (which we did in the company of fascinating British animator Joanna Quinn while we were all talking about Portuguese myths, Phil's Japanese ancestors and life itself while my second wife Sandra Martins was a bit on the moon there), 

Joanna Quinn with a fascinating movie still from one of her movied

picked a coffee for everybody and bought a DVD personally to Russian animator Ivan Maximov.

Still from "wind along the coast" by Ivan Maximov 

The conversation continued and Phil did love our together chat a lot and drew me during it a personalized original arwork by him and some tips not only on art but on being always what I am.

Later watched Phil's talking to a room full of people while showing his masterpiece TV series "The Christies".

Said goodbye to him and also said that we would meet personally again for sure in the upcoming future.

In early 2008 and after my second divorce was a bit lost in Lisbon observing a fascinating exhibitiom dedicated to Italian director Federico Fellini with his original drawings while wearing a printed t-shirt with David Lynch's "Eraserhead" motion picture poster bought at a great memorabilia store named cinecitta run by my friend and journalist Vasco Menezes while being in love with a woman named Isabel.

During some months of my stay at Lisbon in 2008 being myself completely lost there, decided to check out Lisbon animation festival named Monstra and again saw Phil casually who was astonished while seeing me there personally because on our previous talk in 2004 he actualy remembered that I didn't like Lisbon at all and all that I said to him was that I was in love by a woman named Isabel that was born in Porto, also, that was several years younger than me and that she was also completely lost in there.

While talking with Phil, told him about a fascinating animation movie directed by Portuguese animator Zepe, dedicated to Portuguese bohemian artist Stuart de Carvalhais and that was the pioneer f comics in Portugal in the 20's and who clearly influenced with his work the character Tintin created by Belgium artist Hergé whose movie I've watched in 2006 at Cinanima.

Suddenly as the nice bloke that Phil always was he introduced me to Zepe and I've told him that I had a roject for Stuart also in my mind.

During our talk we also discussed motion movies by my friend and fascinating anmation director Regina Pessoa who lives in Porto.

Didn't knew then that legendary Quay Bros animation directors were there and Phil also introduced me to them and we all had a fabulous personal and private chat about animation as an art form and life itself.

Catalogue of Monstra's festival 2008

Exhibition of Quay Bros at national theater of puppets during its extension at Fimfa 2008 international puppets festival.

Quay Bros talking to an audience 

After this festival thought a bit on Phil's advicss regarding communication and the world of arts and watched a DVD with his movies also personalized with a drawing by him.

Then in 2018 in a tiny city named Valence in France bumped into another artwork by Phil Mulloy but didn't had the time to attend this festival at the time.

Life's a continuously loop of surprises and I didn't knew that Phil Mulloy created a label in 2009 for Portuguese wine brand Niepoort for their fabulous label and with whom I was going to work with inside a multimedia arys festival organized by me at Porto in 2012 along Belgium artist Dominique Goblet, German artists Lars Henkel and Kai Pfeiffer, French artist Olivier Deprez, American artist Melinda Gebbie (that's the wife of worldwide comic book writer Alan Moore) along my friend and Portuguese animation director Regina Pessoa.

- Then, there's me and Elena again by The Fall...

- And João César Monteiro being one of the best movies director in the world with a clear idea of democracy...

- There's also Daria Kovaleva that's a vocals teacher being a woman that I love being Bela...

- There's also in present time Mascara and Ellistesky (that are women that I love) a bit like Tim Burton's characters "Lock, Stock and Barrel" from his masterpiece movie "The Nightmare Before Christmas".

- The beginning of all my writings, concepts and ideas inside arts began in 2010 with a clear team work developed by me with international artists with a simple small store named Invicta Indie Arts with help by worldwide known American artist Dame Darcy with whom I've organized a real sucessful European tour while passing us both by several funny and unforgetable moments on it...

- Splaft magazine written by me dedicated to Dame Darcy in Portugal along several international artists for the 6th international comic book festival at Beja in Portugal where we met my friend and animation movie director Regina Pessoa who gaves a free private tour in Niepoort wine cellars...

- Dame Darcy and American artist Tony Millionaire giving autographs...

- In 2012 I've decided to organize an international multimedia arts event in my hometown (without any kind of budget), with more than 30 Portuguese and international artists while exhibiting artists artworks in 5 different places, that were the university of fine arts in Porto, São Bento's metro sation with an exhibition dedicated to the 75th anniversary of Prince Valliant's iconic comic book character created by American genius Hal Foster, Carlos Alberto's square with an exclusive exhibition to Stuart de Carvalhais, Casa Viva's space dedicated to young Portuguese talents, Douro's region in Niepoort's brand wine cellars, in order to create wine labels with some international artists while promoting books, screening exclusive movies such as "Vinzent" by German director Ayassi, short animatiom movies by German animation directors Anja Struck and Lars Henkel (with a live talk by him and me to a vast audience), animation movie "Stuart" directed by Portuguese animation director Zepe, "Tragic Story With An Happy Ending" and "The Night" directed by my friend and Portuguese animation director Regina Pessoa that's the movies director who earned more international awards in prestigious animation festivals worldwide (with a live talk by her and me to a vast audience).

There was also some excluside live talks about American artist Melinda Gebbie's artworks and her artistical career and another one dedicated to Italian artists Fabio Civitelli conducted by me and them to an audience.

I loved organizing this festival that was a huge sucess inside a tiny city such as Porto, being it promoted in Portuguese and newspapers, National Tv, Radio and the worldwide web.

Mab's Poster by German artist Lars Henkel

- With my friend and Portuguese animation director Regina Pessoa.

- Exhibition dedicated to Regina Pessoa.

- Screening of Regina Pessoa's animation movies at Mab...

- Label's created by Regina Pessoa along an adaptation book by her in 2009 for Niepoort wine brand based on British writer Lewis Carrol and his masterpiece "Alice in Wonderland"...

- Regina Pessoa's signing her adaptation book based on "Alice on Wonderland...

- In 2019 and after premiering in the best animation festivals in the world her short animation movie "Uncle Thomas: accounting for the days" inspired on her childhood memories with her uncle Thomas, Regina created another label for Portuguese wine brand Niepoort based on this movie...

- In 2012 and during Mab festival, Regina screened her upcoming animation movie "Kali, The Little Vampire" to me and some friends and created another label based on this masterpiece short animation for Portuguese wine brand Niepoort...

- Me and my friend and extraordinary German artist Lars Henkel go way back since 1999 when we started to be simple pen pals, so it was extraordinaru meeting him in my hometown on an arts festival organized by me in 2012 named Mab...

- Below is an arts study by him for a label created to Niepoort wins brand with the support and the art concept developed by me named Invicta Indie Arts...

- Below is a simple pic of me holding a Niepoort bottle with a wine label created by French artist Olivier Deprez, American artist Melinda Gebbie, Belgium artist Dominique Goblet and Geeman artists Kai Pfeiffer and Lars Henkel during Mab arts festival in 2012 under supervision of my artistical concept named Invicta Indie Arts along original artworks given to me by Lars Henkel and an original artwork by American artist Melinda Gebbie conceived in partnership with her  husband that's worldwide reknown British writer Alan Moore for their masterpiece book "Lost Girls" that was partially published in 1991 by American publisher Kitchen Sink Press and later completed in 2006 inside a deluxe boxset with three tomes by American publisher Topshelf worldwide...

- Then, there's me conducting an interview with Melinda Gebbie to a vast audience inside questions and answers to her about several books and artistical projects being conceived by her and her husband Alan Moore along her own autobiography in U.S.A and U.K...

- There's me and Belgium artist Dominique Goblet in 2012 (that was a co-founder of Belgium indie comic artistical publisher Freon) at Mab's extension in Douro's region in leisure time in the company of German artist Kai Pfeiffer before them together creating a label for Niepoort Portuguese wine brand with support of my artistical concept Invicta Indie Arts...

- There's me and French artist Olivier Deprez in 2012 (that was a co-founder of French indie comic artistical publisher Amok) at Mab's extension in Douro's region in leisure time before him creating a label for Niepoort Portuguese wine brand with support of my artistical concept Invicta Indie Arts...

- There's me in 2012 at Mab with incredible British artist David Hine that was the creator of masterpiece graphic novels "Strange Embrace" and "Bulletproof coffin" with artworks by British artist Shaky Kane and that loved Porto's atmosphere and portwine bottles from Niepoort that I've given him...

- There's me and fascinating Italian artist Fabio Civitelli in 2012 at Mab that created an exclusive artwork for it based on comic book character Tex Wyller on a duel with his own shadow at Ribeira - Porto...

- In 2014, I've thought on curating an exhibition to Italian maestro Guido Crepax, so I contacted her daughter Caterina Crepax who was delighted with my ideas and I've  organized a mulgimedia arts event with help from more than 30 artists in Beja's city at the 10th edition of the city's comic book festival where me, her and her oldest brother Antonio talked to a vast audience about their father's legacy and later I've tpld them both that I could create one of the best book collections ever published with their father's artworks with support of my artistical concept Invicta Indie Arts...

Poster 

Me, Caterina and Antonio at Beja

- In 2015, started to develop this book collection in my mind by comparing them to other book collections published worldwidd and later pitched it to an American comic book publisher who started creating it with my ideas, biographical details of Guido Crepax and introduction for each book and essays written for it by me, Britiah comics erotica expert Tim Pilcher, Brazilian comics connoisseur Marco Aurelio Lucchetti and Spanish connoisseur Alvaro Pons among other writers that I coordinated, thinking on its translation, design, graphic and text contents, format, size and even its paper texture inside my artistical concept Invicta Indie Arts, needless to say that it was tons of work from my part being the first book of this collection published in 2016 and it was an immediate sucess because the book collection was praised all over the world and are currently out of stock.

Below are some pics of it and my work on them in process... 

- Knowing in 2015 that I could also develop with my work tributes to Guido Crepax main character Valentina (with help by more than 150 international artists) and who physically ressembled his wife Luisa Mandelli (who died on the 3rd November 2020) and whose character name came from the love that Guido Crepax had for his niece. I started to organize and curate exhibitions with all of them in countries such as Portugal, Spain, Finland, Sweden and U.S.A and later organized and compiled them into limited edition booklets as companion for Guido Crepax's collection along comic strips written by me with artworks by Spanish artists Sandra Hernandez, Daniel Esteve, Ivila, Fidel Martinez Nadal, Toni Benages Gallard, Felipe Navarro and Pedro Espinosa, Argentine artist Mr Ed, Brazilian artist Eder, Japanese artist John Kurokawa, Polish artist Magdalena Minko and Portuguese artist Paulo Pinto being the stories set in Madrid and Barcelona at Spain, Santiago do Chile, Kyoto at Japan, London at England, Le Mans at France, Berlin in Germany, Milan in Italy and in Porto - Portugal, being them inspired in movies or books that I love, singular events of my personal life while I was listening to Swiss band The Young Gods and while sending an email to Franz Treichler to the vocals and leader of the band asking for a preface to the stories, he did wrote it and promoted my work in the band's European gigs.

Below are pics of the published limited booklets that were also worldwide distributed and that currently are also out of stock...

- From 2014 till present time always give an helping hand to my friend and astonishing Portuguese artist Paulo Pinto either in his art exhibitions or by writing to several of his published books or anthologies while being with my Bela (after my third divorce im 2016 that almost destroyed me) in a tiny village named "Sonhos" that translated into english means "Dreams", just because our love always transcended everything since 1994...

Below are pics to illustrate this fact...

- In 2018,  I had the privilege to invite one of my favorite artists ever that's Swedish artist Max Andersson to a comic book festival in the South of Portugal. Organized and curated an exhibition by him. Wrote about him everywhere, helped him organizing and pitching all his short  stories to an American publisher while he created several personalized artworks to me that I used on personalized t-shirts and even created one of his carboy's characters inspired in myself. 

Life is real fun several times...

Article written about Max Andersson's artworks and books in Portuguese newspaper "Público" 

Max Andersson 

Max Andersson's Beja exhibition in 2018 

Cover catalogue of Max Andersson's stay in Beja with a written text by me based on his artworks and books

- Then, there's Lu who appeared on my life in 2012 and left it in 2016...

- Then, there're examples of artists who only want to profit from hard work from others like Brazilian artist Sama and Portuguese artist Tiago Araújo.

Nevertheless I played their mischievous games by helping them on some exhibitions  and wrote to several fanzines drawn by them.

Of course that they quit my life in 2016 just because I hate people with delusions of grandeur.

Below are some pics of me and them along their fanzine artsy books...

- And then, there's the prettiest city in the world...

To be continued ...