As promised a few days ago, here is the second miniature portrait painted in December. This mare is affectionately known as Monster for a variety of reasons only her owner can describe.

I’ve heard from the owner that she has received the portrait, so it is now safe to announce.

Mini Monster is approximately 3-1/2 inches by 5 inches in size. It is painted in M. Graham Oils on Artfix Impasto style linen canvas. I was surprised to find the surface so receptive to painting small and painting detail, since it is a heavyweight linen designed for large paintings with lots of texture and thick paint.

Mini Monster is also a study for a larger painting idea that has been cycling through my mind since Dad passed away in 2007. I have tried a couple of different compositions so far, but still haven’t found the right combination.

I’m not sure how it would fit into my usual repertoire for paintings, but it was fun to try. I still have a couple of pieces left, one about ACEO size and the other is 8×12, so who knows what may happen?

The list of things to do at the gallery is quickly getting worked through. The last exhibit of 2008 and the 2008 World of Small & Miniature art have both been disassembled. The regular member show has been picked up by the exhibting artists and I am in the final stages of boxing up the miniature show.

Packaging all those tiny paintings has gone very smoothly this year. The artists who arranged for prepaid return shipping through FedEX, UPS or another carrier are greatly appreciated. So are those who sent payment for return shipping with the original package. Thank you! It certainly makes the process go more smoothly and much more quickly. A couple more to package, then it’s off to get the remaining items weighed, get shipping costs and notify the artists. I’m hoping to have that done by Saturday.

The first exhibit of 2009 is on the walls and looks great. I’ll be doing an official announcement soon, but I will say that we’re doing something different. Past and current members of the Newton Fine Arts Association, which owns and operates the gallery, were invited to submit their two favorite pieces. The collection is eclectic and electric! What a great exhibit!

In connection with that, press releases have been sent out, art work scanned or photographed and a new exhibit page to launch. The page is launched and I spent a good part of the day yesterday processing photographs and uploading them. I have a few more to do as I write this post.

The reception is on Saturday, so I’ll be spending some time Friday night or Saturday morning gathering refreshment supplies and getting set up.

Hopefully, by the time the reception is past, I’ll be caught up on everything else, too, and can get back to a normal schedule.

As happens every time I’m gone for an extended period of time, I come back thinking that vacations are nice, but the hassle to get caught up afterward sure makes their value suspect!

Or maybe it’s just taking a week-long vacation at the end of the year…. Who knows?

Anyway, thanks for reading and best wishes!

©Copyright 2008 by Carrie Lewis. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit Carrie Lewis’s website.