It takes big creativity to create the tiniest works of art.
The C Gallery’s latest challenge was to encourage artists to submit works no larger than 6-by-6 inches. More than 30 artists—ranging in age from 7 to 80—submitted work into the show.
Pieces range from paintings, wax creations, animation caricatures, sculptures, and wood carvings to needlepoint, rug hooking, and hoops of linen with buttons and embroidery.
C Gallery owner Connie Rohde was inspired by an encaustic (paint and wax) collection of miniatures by young artist Alissa Massey.
“When she sent me her collection of miniature abstract wax portraits, I was taken with the idea, and wanted to feature her work,” Rohde said.
For this show, Rohde received some interesting images, such as duck paintings from the 2009 Ducks Unlimited International Artist of the Year, Peter Mathios. Another unusual entry came from San Francisco: China Blue Nest, a delicate sculpture made of felted wool and found objects.
Though submissions came from as far north as Oregon and as far south as Long Beach, many also came from locals.
Mother and daughter artists Teddi and Julie Steyer both took on the challenge of reigning in their large canvas of creativity and containing it in a little space.
Julie Steyer submitted a series of three images representing a growth cycle. The first one consists of seeds in the ground, the second is the seeds sprouting, and the third reveals roots to branches. The images represent a big concept simplified.
[image-2] Known for her nature mandalas, Julie wanted to create something graphic in which she could play with color and texture. In Growth Cycle, she was mainly trying to explore having fun with texture in the
background.
“It’s a simplified tree of life, which is about growth and abundance and the process of growing,” Julie explained.
“I like to use nature as a way to express emotions.”
Julie’s mother Teddi decided to do something three-dimensional with her entry.
Teddi’s work consists of three separate pieces, each panel featuring a seashell. She used variegated leaf applied to a hard background. The shells are painted using oils with encaustic or a pallet knife.
Steyer was inspired by the Fibonacci Theory in the piece she refers to as The Divine Proportion/The Golden Ratio. Fibonacci’s name is on a special bit of geometry that describes when a line is divided into two unequal lengths, and the ratio of the longer segment to the shorter segment is the same as the ratio of the whole line to the longer segment.
The underlying principle is that a harmony exists in nature. The ratio is visible in a nautilus shell’s spirals. It also appears in manmade constructs, such as the Pyramids and work by many famous
artists, some of whom might not have even intended to use it.
“When we had these miniatures to do, I thought, ‘Oh, let’s see—what are some of my favorite objects?’” Teddi said. “I wanted to do something totally ornamental for the miniature show.”
[image-3] She’s done pieces with shells before, but this marks the first time she used the Fibonacci Theory in a piece, especially one so small.
“This is an exciting thing to me,” she explained. “I have a math background, so it speaks to me.”
Teddi often works to convey an idea or a story in an impressionist setting. Her hope is to lead the viewer into contemplation, a new awareness, and an experience.
Teddi is a member of the Society of Layerists in Multi Media national guild and has had one of her works published on a full page in their book, The Art of Layering: Making Connections.
The miniatures show will be on display at the C Gallery through November. Take a little time to view the little things on display.
Arts Editor Shelly Cone has big ideas. Contact her at scone@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Oct 29 – Nov 4, 2009.