I’ve written recently about the upcoming Little Gems show at the West End Gallery in Corning, a show that has a lot of meaning for me as far as being the jumping off point for my career. I also really enjoy this show, just to see other artists’ work. It’s always interesting to see how artists who more often work in larger formats handle the challenge of working on a smaller scale.
Here’s a great example from Marty Poole. It’s a beautiful little 6″ by 8″ painting, a wonderful example of his great ability with color and light. The face of this child just glows on the panel. Marty is well known nationally for his large landscapes with broad, evocative skies as well as for his figurative work. His handling of paint is remarkable in any genre. He very seldom works so small so this show presents a great opportunity for collectors to pick up more affordable pieces from an artist whose work is widely sought.
Another aspect of Little Gems is allowing artists who normally work in a smaller format to show their work on equal footing, as far as size, with artists who works’ normal sizes would dominate the gallery walls. It allows their normal work to really shine. Here’s a great example called Last Bell from Mark Reep, whose meticulous black and white small works are always filled with ponderous atmosphere that belies their size. Just beautiful work.
Then there are artists who take this opportunity for small works to show a different side of their talent. Such is the case with Wilson Ong who is perhaps best known for his sublime portraiture. His small pieces are whimsical tiny (in the 2″ by 3″ range) paintings of animals in unlikely situations. Here are two of my favorites:
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As I said, this is always a great show to see really talented artists working on a small scales. Stop in and see these gems.
Redtree Times 