"Passed" Art Form of the Day~*Little Treasures*~

"If you don't know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else."
~Lawrence J. Peter

During the Christmas break I had great intentions of painting a large painting. I usually paint on canvas that measures 9 X12, and have painted a few that are 11 X 14 and some 16 X20. However, smaller size (9X12) fits easily into my scanner and a scanned photo usually shows more detail. But, I've had a few requests for larger/ "over the fireplace mantel size" paintings, so I thought I'd paint one over the break.......

.......well, that was the plan anyway! I still would like to do that, but I got a little sidetracked while I was shopping for a frame for the larger painting. Instead, I found several small frames and decided to paint miniatures, (yes, the complete opposite of my intended plans!)

I love researching and learning about art and artists of the 18th/19th centuries and this was fun and interesting to research before I started painting. Here is a little history on miniatures:

(the oval miniature is attributed to artist William Naish (1766/7-1800)

Miniatures date back before the 18th century....but were popular in the 18th and 19th centuries due to their size and "portability". A person could have their likeness painted on a 1 or 2 inch piece of ivory, or card and give it to a loved one to carry with them, much like we carry photos of loved ones in our wallets. Miniatures were also made into jewelry, such as lockets with a braid of hair encased within, or even painted onto small snuff boxes. Something personal for the bearer of the miniature to cherish.
Over the years, miniatures became a little larger and framed, so people could display and decorate with them in their homes.

I also found a wonderful and very interesting blog while researching. I could and did spend hours reading through his many links....Don seems to be quite knowledgeable about Miniatures and an avid collector as well: Artists and Ancestors


After I found my small frames, trying to decide what surface to paint on was my next step... Of course ivory wasn't an option, and I wasn't sure what the 18th century composition of "card" might be. So I cut fiber board to size and applied clay to that surface. After it dried and was sanded and primed...it made a very nice and smooth painting surface. And when it was finished, I thought it gave the painting a nice smooth and matte look to it, yet still looked "old" and vintage-y.

I've painted Polly, who wears a light mauve dress and holds her doll in her lap. She measures 5 x 5 without her frame and 6 x 6 with it.

Have a great weekend and stay warm!