Transition 48 x 60 “
I have always made art, painted, but just over thirty years ago I shifted into a more intense artistic focus. I studied with master painters, read books, took classes and put in my ten thousand hours (plus!)
You would think the size of the paintings would correlate with the size of my working space. Maybe a LITTLE BIT, but mostly they correlate with the size of my life. The space for making art now is actually smaller than it was back 20 years ago, but my life has grown exponentially.
Spring Thaw 60 x 40″I have six children, five have spouses or significant others, a boxer/ridgeback rescue, two cats, two horse brothers, and a husband. Chaos and complicated is the status quo. 
As family and connections have grown so has the size of my art. Three-foot square feels petite these days. It is not unusual for a painting to take 40 to 80 hours to complete. And that doesn’t count the research that so often accompanies a work of art. I am not complaining, I love what I do. Sometimes I wonder if there is a faster, simpler way to get the same result. So often there are layers and hours of work that in the end are hidden. Was that time wasted? I hope not. I think of it like the layers of our personal lives. So much happens. So much transpires that is never seen on the outside, but those are the things that form the structures, the framework of our lives. (GREAT! I am hearing the theme song for my Grammie Hannan’s favorite soap opera, Days of Our Lives. I did not know I knew the theme song until I type those last few words!)
Migration 6 x 4′
So, you may wonder, what? I think humongo-sized paintings are awesome and work in quite small spaces, but not everyone wants a humongo-sized painting in their space.
A friend shared about a small works sale she did last year after Thanksgiving. I wondered if I was even capable of working small.
I AM CAPABLE OF WORKING SMALL! 
Yesterday 6.5 x 7″
I started the late in the summer and finished up last night just shy of midnight. Working small is like a bag of potato chips, “you can’t eat just one.” I devoured several proverbial bags of chips and I finished over 80 small paintings. My husband cut the matboards for the paintings and as of just shy of midnight Saturday, November 17, 2018 I have three left. David informed me that he will not be cutting any more mats for a while. (If you wonder why the watercolor paintings are not matted, this is why and we will never speak of it again.) Thank you, David, for making these little gems possible.
Hidden in the Shadows 3 x 3″
I wanted to make paintings that would fit into intimate spaces. Paintings that could hold a space for dreams and memories. Maybe a conversation starter. Possibly a respite from a weary world. A harbinger of more. There is so much duplication in the universe. Part of the magic of original art is that it is original. Unique. One of a kind.
Each one of these paintings was loving brought into the world. The decisions per square inch ratio of a small work of art is stunningly more intense than working large. I learned a great deal creating them. My hope was that they would carry that forward with them into the world, the ability to teach.
I have beautiful small things all through my home and studio. Maybe too many small things, but they give me a place to pause and collect my thoughts. I have a collection of glass paperweights. I had one and when Jubilee was little she took an interest and started collecting them.
She lost interest and the collection has made it’s way to my studio windowsill. I love the variety. I love the liquidity of something solid. I love the colors. I love that someone’s breath, someone’s hand, someone’s training, someone’s creativity, someone’s moment in time has traveled through time and space to rest upon my desk and inspire joy.
For me these objects of beauty offer a space for my mind to quiet and my heart to settle and for my spirit to heal and hear.
My goal in creating these small paintings is to hold out the possibility of rest and comfort to be discovered in a small bit of beauty.
For your consideration, The 2018 Holiday Small Works Sale.
Sincerely, Gwen
PS Please sign up for emal blog while you are there. If you do you will be entered for a free small painting giveaway and you will receive a digital access to a painting that is perfect for holiday cards and correspondence.
