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Art

Small feats create miniature art

Putting the diminutive pieces on display in Tarpon Springs under a microscope will help you appreciate the artists. But a magnifying glass is easier.

By CAROL BLAIR
Published January 25, 2007

The International Miniature Art Exhibition demands concentration.

All that is visible at first are large display panels that tightly pack groupings of small frames surrounding smaller artworks.

It is a challenge to linger on each and not be distracted by the next just inches away.

The show includes not only a huge number of works (more than 800), but a remarkable range of styles and intents. Though mostly traditional, many show accomplishment in color, inner light, composition and storytelling, not just technical detail.

The rich use of light and color are a recurring theme in the stronger works.

Irina Kouznetsova of Canada won best of show for Cat, Sacred Animal of Egypt, a 2- by 3-inch oil on lacquer work distinguished by layers of vivid golds that contrast with a small black and white cat. Kouznetsova, who also won the "excellence in all entries" category, also contributed standout works in two other categories popular with miniaturists: portraiture and animal painting.

But it is another painting, Sunlit Still Life, at 3 1/2 by 2 1/4 inches, that best exemplifies the gems tucked inside this crowded show: The sophisticated, gentle lighting on two iridescent bowls of fruit is exquisite, the use of warm colors soft and restrained.

The painted still lifes common in the show offer a chance for detail to shine in the form of doilies, tablecloths and painted pottery.

Among the three-dimensional works, New York artist Peter Luber's sculptures of scenes inside vintage glass television vacuum tubes are particularly delightful. About 6 inches high, his Moma shows two floors of people inside the tube looking at art on the walls of what could be a small Museum of Modern Art.

Abstract and pop art works are represented. And Pinellas Park artist Marva Simpson takes on the classic nude in her oil work After the Shower, which, in gentle shades of tan and cream, conveys quiet elegance.

Magnifying glasses dangle conveniently next to displays, but many visitors bring their own.

Artists demonstrate their techniques most days. On Saturday, John Kowarski of Canada painted otters on Masonite, explaining that for the finishing touches, he uses a $1,000 pair of surgical operating glasses to "split the hairs" on his animals. The average miniature painting, he says, takes about 40 hours.

A significant number of the paintings have been sold. Many are priced at less than $200, but can range to thousands. A quartz crystal sculpture by Chu-Alice Chan of Chicago, for example, is $8,800.

For many visitors to the show, studying details and talking to an artist about technique will be the highlights.

For those just looking for striking art in another dimension, the hunt will be rewarded.

If you go

International Miniature Art Exhibition

Through Feb. 4 at Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art, 600 Klosterman Road, St. Petersburg College, Tarpon Springs. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday with extended hours to 9 p.m. Thursdays, and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays. $5 adults; $4 seniors; free for ages 12 and younger, students and members. Sundays are free.

[Last modified January 24, 2007, 12:03:22]