100 tiny paintings

This year’s entry to the Brooklyn Art Library’s sketchbook project is a little different.

During the COVID lockdowns one thing I’ve really missed is visiting art exhibitions and galleries, soaking up the inspiration, being surrounded by likeminded people.

So to mark this very strange part of history I’ve used painted papers and screen prints from my studio to create a tiny gallery of tiny paintings in the pages of this book.

I began by cutting small pieces from the papers I chose and developing the shapes and colours I had as a starting point to make each individual tiny painting.

They range in size between less than an inch to maybe 3 inches at the largest.

Naturally, the journey from start to finish took a few diversions on the way.

I considered stitching them into patchworked pages.

I like the effect of doing this, but went back to the ‘gallery’ idea. I’ll circle around to this idea another time.

Then my thoughts wandered to mandalas.

Could I make 100 tiny mandalas? …yes I could, but the deadline was looming so this is another idea on hold for another time. Meanwhile the ones I made are finding a home in my sketchbook for now.

Eventually I settled back on the original idea, and I just got it all done in time to mail it off to Brooklyn.

It will be part of the permanent collection after it’s arrived and been scanned, so you’ll be able to view it in real life or in their digitized library soon.

Meanwhile, if you’d like to watch a flip through with close ups of these weeny little pictures, be sure to catch my newsletter later this week.