The new exhibit at the Art Gallery Osoyoos, ‘Big, Little, and Just Right’ features the diverse and vibrant work of the Artists on Main Osoyoos group who have been a foundational part of the town’s art scene since the 1950s. The show, which opened on Oct. 7, displays 27 of the 80 artists in the group.
Director of Artists on Main Osoyoos, Carollyne Sinclaire, said the idea for this show came from a former member of the group, Steve Chmilnitsky, who envisioned a show that was exclusively made up of small paintings.
“While the idea is used by many galleries, it’s not one that’s been implemented here,” said Sinclaire.
Chmilnitsky was a local member who recently passed away, and Sinclaire explains that they are happy to honour him after the fact with this show.
“Steve is remembered fondly for his artistic concepts, his leadership in offering a life drawing class last year, and his expertise across many mediums,” she said.
The front room of the gallery is primarily set up with clusters of small paintings, some the size of a child’s hand, some a little bigger.
The subjects in the paintings vary from still life of roses to landscapes of mountains and forests, and birds. The back room has some larger paintings but small paintings are still nuzzled in between.
There’s some nice things about small paintings, Sinclaire said. “They can brighten our lives in a niche or a small corner or be very striking in a cluster. Some of the artists have actually painted in a series so it’s very possible for folks to pick up several in a similar subject and similar hues by the painter.”
She also notes that small paintings are usually well priced and affordable which can be a great entryway for anyone looking to start their own collection of original art.
As for the artists themselves, small paintings can have many benefits too. Things like painting in detail, blending, using grays, and muting backgrounds are all skills that can be honed in on while doing small paintings, said Sinclaire. It can even be useful as a medium for learning composition, particularly for landscape artists, or even doing small portraits.
“A lot of techniques can be learned by painting on a small surface rather than committing to a large surface which will take a lot longer. There’s more money invested in the canvas itself and it may not work out right, especially for beginners,” said Sinclaire.
As an advanced intermediate painter now, Sinclaire herself enjoys small paintings because the subject matter she likes to paint (like roses) lends itself very well to smaller paintings, especially in collections. She has done 22 roses on small paintings.
‘Big, Little, and Just Right’ will be exhibited at the Art Gallery Osoyoos from Thursday, Oct. 7 to Saturday, Oct. 30. The gallery is open Thursday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
