All across the country, the end of the year is the season of the small works and miniature group show. This is not coincidental. One of the key selling points of small-scale works is that they tend to be more affordable than their large-format counterparts—so what better time to shine a spotlight on the genre than the holidays? But that’s not the only reason: It’s also a chance for galleries to show off their stable of talented artists and host an inclusive group exhibition to celebrate them.Kate Samworth, Found Gloves, scratchboard, 8 x 8"In that same spirit, RJD Gallery is presenting BIG ART, Small Canvas, featuring works by their top-tier artists that will prove that bigger isn’t always better. 

Working in small format is Jantina Peperkamp’s specialty. Her largest painting in the past 10 years measured just under 12 by 12 inches. She enjoys the technical challenges of working within the size contraints and how small pieces draw the viewer in. “I love the intimacy they exude,” she says. “To perceive everything properly, you have to look at a small work of art very closely, creating a very intense moment between artwork and viewer.”Salvatore Alessi, Topography of a Face II, oil with gold leaf, copper leaf, and oxidized silver leaf on linen canvas, 11 4/5 x 7 4/5"

The two oil paintings in BIG ART, Small Canvas are from Peperkamp’s series Ode to My Models and deftly captures the essence of these young women on a canvas a hair over 6 by 6 inches. 

Creating works on a small surface in watercolor comes with its own unique challenges but that doesn’t deter artist Daniela Werneck, even if it means employing a magnifying glass to achieve the miniscule detail she wants. For Werneck, the composition typically determines what size the piece should be. “I go for small ones when the composition is more intimate or when the subject is the only focus in the painting,” she says. Her show piece Sweet Dreams, measuring 8 by 8 inches, is a perfect example. Rich with detail and delicacy, it was inspired by spending time with her adolescent niece. “It represent memories of these dreams and fears of ours when we were young, this blossoming of our character into adulthood,” she says. Jantina Peperkamp, Lore, oil on wood panel, 6 1/3 x 6 1/3"

Daniela Werneck, Sweet Dreams, watercolor on panel, 8 x 8”

Salvatore Alessi usually paints a small-scale study before starting a larger work, but does not see small works as inferior to larger works and recognizes their value. “The small format creates a greater intimacy with the artist and changes the brushstroke and density and everything becomes more precious as a result.” His presidential oil portraits in BIG ART, Small Canvas utilize gold, copper and oxidized silver leaf, to achieve a neo-Baroque aesthetic. 

Kate Samworth is interested in storytelling and creates small, intimate drawings roughly the size of book illustrations. She creates series in which she places her characters in different settings to explore the narrative possibilities. “I’m interested in the minor events of their lives, of the atmosphere created by dramatic lighting, in studying their actions and reactions and the stories that emerge when the images are arranged in different order,” she explains. “I see my drawings and paintings as film stills and each viewer as a director who is able to guide the story according to their own experience and desire.”Jantina Peperkamp, Fenna, oil on wood panel, 6 1/3 x 6 1/3"

The pieces in her new series, on display at RJD Gallery, follow the daily existence of a young woman who lives at the edge of the woods, where she keeps company with bears, deer, and raccoons and seeks shelter in various abandoned homes.Salvatore Alessi, Topography of a Face I, oil with gold leaf, copper leaf, and oxidized silver leaf on linen canvas, 11 4/5 x 7 4/5”

Frank Oriti regularly paints small-scale works no bigger than 20 inches. For Oriti, “the main challenge [is that] it’s easier to get locked in to an image when you’re working so close to a surface,” he says. “Even though it is a small piece I still have to remind myself, as with larger works, the importance of stepping back from the work and making sure the painting is going in the direction I want it to.” The aspect he enjoys most is the interactions viewers have with smaller pieces. “You have to get very close to take in the details and [get a] better sense of what the artist was seeing and intending in creating it.”Frank Oriti, AF1 Low Cactus Jack, oil on canvas, 20 x 16”A notable figurative artist, Oriti also depicts ordinary objects, like the sneakers in AF1 Low Cactus Jack, which is part of a series documenting rare, iconic and visually interesting pairs of sneakers. In painting them small, he says, “they become a believably sized pair of sneakers to hang on one’s wall—a pair of sneakers you don’t have to worry about scuffing and messing up your whole night.”   Kate Samworth, Seasonal Change, scratchboard, 8 x 7”

If you need yet another reason to believe that good things do indeed come in small packages, RJD Gallery is offering free shipping in the continental United States throughout November for all small artworks in the exhibition. —

RJD Gallery 227 N. Main Street • Romeo, MI 48065 • (586) 281-3613 • www.rjdgallery.com 

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