Let’s talk about small paintings. I mean around 5″ x 7″. Just a little bit bigger than a postcard.
First, I’ll tell you why I like to make them. Then we’ll see why you might like to have one or two.
Experimentation
Sometimes I have an idea for a different style or a new technique. I’ll try my idea on one of these small canvases to see how it works.
For example, the painting at right, entitled “Moon Quarry”. Large chunks of granite had been quarried from this hillside, leaving a jagged cliff face, adorned with a sweeping stand of hardwoods.
I’ve been a palette knife painter since 2012. I was ready to try something different: a brush.
When I look into a shadow on a hill, or a rock face, or a forest floor, or whatever, I notice the way the reflective light creates subtle colors within the shadow.
So I made rich, deep, translucent colored shadows. I used the shadows to sculpt the shape of the hills, the sweep of the landscape, and the steep angle of the cliffs.
Then I took up a familiar tool, my painting knife, and illuminated the scene with bold spots of fall color and jagged rock faces.
Another experiment was the painting below called “Jemez Rock Abstract”
This was inspired by a red rock mountain in the Jemez Mountains in New Mexico. The setting sun cast cool zigzag shadows over the side of the rock. I thought it looked like lightning. I simplified the scene, and put some electric blue in the shadow, as if the sky itself was traveling down the mountain.
In this painting of the Mackinac bridge, I was simple playing with new colors, and trying out a brighter sky.
Look at that glowing orange sky!
Plein Air, chasing the elusive light, another reason to use a small canvas
When I paint outside, I want to capture a scene quickly. I want to record the fleeting light without being sloppy.
So I use small canvases.
These little guys are often sketches for bigger paintings, like the pieces below: “Late Summer, Michigan”, on the left, was a plein air piece that inspired “Passing Summer Storm” on the right.
The painting to the right was mostly painted on the Lake Superior shoreline, but finished in the studio. I wanted to get the rocks just right, but it got cold!
Although I call them ‘sketches’, these little plein air paintings can stand up for themselves! They are finished pieces all their own.
Why Would You Want One?
There are lots of reasons that a collector might want one of these.
If you’re new to collecting art, like I am, you may want to start small. This past year my wife and I bought several pieces of art, most of them were small!
Small paintings are budget friendly, and they’re also small-space friendly. I recently finished a commission of three little paintings. My client in this case wanted an art piece that would fit on her desk, and two others that she could gift to a family member and a friend. She’ll get three original paintings for a very good price.
So if you’re new to the art world, or if you don’t have much wall space, or if you don’t want it on a wall, or if you’re watching a budget, these little paintings are right for you!
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