The Art of Small Painting

Call them miniatures, thumbnails or petits peintures, the name denotes an elegance and intricacy. This type of art draws the viewer in, creating an intimate experience due to its small size and detailed execution. The viewer is drawn in for close inspection rather than demanding they stand at a distance. The small size requires the artist to achieve a high level of detail and precision, often using specialized tools and brushes with only a few hairs. Getting the scale just right requires experienced artistic skill and study. These precise works are inclusive of portraits, landscapes, abstract pieces or simple objects. They can be created on various surfaces like paper, panel or even wood. Their small size makes them easy to transport and historically small paintings are popular for gifts and keepsakes.

Perhaps the queen of the art of small painting is gallery artist Crista Pisano, known to many through her plein air creations-never more than five inches either direction. Pisano has achieved national recognition for the ability to completely capture the intrinsic quality of a scene in a small and often panoramic format. Her acute observation of nature is present in every painting. Rather than limiting her vision by using standard-sized panels, she chooses from a multitude of panels of unusual dimensions that she gessoes and cuts herself, freeing her to focus on many of the longer views that she loves. The remarkable thing, typical of Pisano, is how so much information is conveyed in such a small format without resorting to unnecessary detail.

Additional gallery artists featured will be Mary Veiga, Jill Basham, Stephen Haynes, Elise Phillips, Leonard Mizerek, Paula Waterman and Nancy Tankersley. Mary Veiga’s small paintings radiate wonderful use of light and are all evocative of the eastern shore landscape. The small art of Jill Basham wows the viewer with bold brushstrokes and dramatic skies. Elise Phillips presents a wide variety of small pieces from a simple sailboat to trees in snow. Leonard Mizerek is also a master of small art in his ability to draw the viewer in with precise details. Stephen Haynes is drawn to depicting ordinary objects in his small art be it a simple mason jar of summer flowers or a pair of pliers. Known to all for her exquisite bird portraits, Paul Waterman is attentive to exact details in each feather. Rounding out the exhibition will be the portraiture of local waterman by Nancy Tankersley. Even in small scale, she conveys the art and life of a working waterman.