I’d like to give a big thank you to Susan Schaefer of the Island Arts Magazine for the feature about miniature painting in the upcoming winter issue. This is a terrific magazine focused on the arts in the Vancouver Island area with many great reads and information inside. You can find more info about the Island Arts Magazine on FB and at the website: http://www.islandartsmag.ca Thank you!
Here is the last miniature painting of my summer series featuring some of the beautiful beaches on the west coast of Vancouver Island. This is a view of the lovely Wickaninnish beach area, titled: “A Day on the Coast” (measuring a tiny 2.25 x 3.5 inches in size).
This miniature painting was done with acrylic on art-board and took approximately fifteen hours to complete.
Here is another little piece from my summer series, titled: “When the Tide Rolls In” (1.75 x 4.25 inches small). This is a view from along the Wickaninnish beach area on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Another miniature painting from the northwest coastal area on Vancouver Island, titled “Summer Shore” (1.75 x 4.25 inches small). One of the things I love best about the west coast is how in the course of one day, the water can change from steel gray to sky blue, and everything in between.
This little painting titled “Shack Island” (a tiny 2 x 4.5 inches) is a scene from the Pipers Lagoon area in Nanaimo BC. It’s a lovely spot with walking trails, a large lagoon and beach area. When the tide is out, you can sometimes walk out to Shack Island and see the old cabins there.
For those in the Vancouver area who may be interested, I will be giving a demonstration of miniature painting on Wednesday, April 24 at The Outlet, at Leigh Square Community Arts Village, in Port Coquitlam.
A big thank you to the Art Focus Artists Association for hosting the event, which is free to the public and runs from 7pm – 9pm. See you there!
These tiny, circular miniature paintings are some of the smallest acrylic paintings I create. The size and format is a nice change from the slightly larger rectangles I usually paint. Size here, being relative of course!
These little paintings will be on display and available for purchase at the upcoming 10th Anniversary show at Gallery 8 on Salt Spring Island. The show opens April 19th!
Several years ago I began to itch for something new creatively, and it seemed an impossible itch to scratch. I tried medium after medium, technique after technique, idea after idea. Nothing stuck, nothing scratched. Mornings greeted me with an abundance of creativity only to fade into evenings of deflated optimism. Yet I could never stop trying to find the *something* that would satisfy a persistent need for creative growth and escape from boredom in the studio.
Miniature painting is, rather ironically, a very large part of my artistic identity. But it is not the whole of it, and I needed a space to discover and define the other parts. So I created another studio, one simply for the purpose of making something Different. And what have I discovered? Primarily that creative habits are as difficult to break as regular habits are! Working in a studio has always been a comfort, but now I had to be harsh task master, gentle counselor and creative ass-kicker all in one. Things nearly came to a boiling point when I had to ban myself from paint brushes altogether. What happened then? I grabbed a palette knife and never looked back. Sometimes you have to Force yourself out of a comfort zone in order to discover a new one. And then you must do it all over again, and again.
So here is a sample of work that best defines the artist herself as a “work in progress”. Some of these pieces will be on display, for the very first time, at Gallery 8 during their summer exhibition “Four”. The show opens tomorrow evening, Friday June 15th, from 5-8pm.
Below is the piece titled “Second Nature” along with a few close-ups to see the texture I’m working with. This style is a lot of fun to do and inspired by a love of pottery.
And here are a few more pieces which will be in the show:
If you are interested in any of these pieces, please contact Gallery 8 at (250)-537-8822 or click on the link: Gallery 8
Here are two new minis of the mid island area: Nanaimo River and the train tracks near Transfer beach in Ladysmith, both dressed in autumn colours. I was fortunate to be on Vancouver Island on a gorgeous fall day and visited these beautiful places with camera on hand and leaves still on the trees! It’s great to paint these little guys with all that lovely colour.
This miniature painting is of the beautiful estuary near Parksville BC, where the Englishman River meets the sea. Many birds, creatures and a variety of grasses and plants thrive here. A wonderful place to walk through.
