Little Painting, Big Painting!

Hey folks. We’re supposed to “think big,” right? Well, I’m all for that. In fact, when it comes to art, I’ve always been a fan of big, not only to look at, but to work big too. Big projects excite me, and large scale art projects really get my blood pumping. That’s why I’ve been working on 2″x 3″ paintings lately …Huh?

Yep, that’s right. The above painting is only 3″ tall and 2″ wide. It’s just one in a small series of paintings (in every sense) recently created on tiny sample canvases sent to me by art supply companies. Fact is, all this was leading up to a big art commission I recently started, a 30″ x 40″ canvas panel. This canvas had to be just right for for the project, so I spent time researching materials. A couple of excellent companies sent me samples to try out, which helped me make my choice. In the process, I had fun turning out a bunch of little “gems” on these freebies. A couple of them have already been exhibited, and now the large-scale “real” painting is underway.

The “real” painting will be of dogs, but the miniatures are all wildlife pieces, including the Cooper’s hawk pictured above. This bird was a juvenile perched on the branch of an old birch tree. I observed and photographed him (or her) from a window, and he stayed there quite contented for perhaps the better part of an hour, just looking around. He was one of a small family of Coopers living nearby, of whom the parents and chicks were spotted regularly. The hawks were beautiful and fascinating, but posed a serious threat to smaller local yardbirds at the time. The resident crows were no fans of theirs either.

Perhaps this foray into the world of tiny could be called my “short period.” Though I’m happy to be thinking big again, this period of working small was a fulfilling creative outlet in itself. It provided a chance to paint loosely with small strokes, experiment with a familiar medium, and engender ideas that can come into play on a much larger scale later on.