This section of my website is
devoted to Miniatures. I began painting in miniature in
late 2007 and I absolutely love it. All of my miniature paintings are in
watercolour on archival hot pressed paper or rag board. I am a signature member
of The Hilliard Society and an associate member of The Royal Miniature Society,
exhibiting regularly in the UK and USA where I am a member of both the Miniature
Painters, Sculptors and Gravers Society (MPSGS) and The Miniature Art Society of
Florida (MASF). To enquire about purchasing one of my miniature paintings or
forthcoming exhibitions please get in touch.
Please click on a picture below to see the miniature paintings or scroll down
to read more about fine art in miniature.
Click on the
wren (left) to 'zoom in' for a magnified view of some of my
miniature paintings.
You can also watch
a video of me painting a miniature of a rose by clicking on
the picture below:
What is Miniature Art?
I am still learning myself but the following
information and resources may prove helpful if you would like to find out
more.
The National Gallery
(text written by Katherine Coombs*) describes
a miniaturist as "an artist who works in great detail on a very small
scale" - which sums it up perfectly!
Detailed brushwork that can withstand considerable
magnification.
25" or less for total surface area. (The Royal Miniature Society states
that a miniature should not exceed 4.5" x 6" including the frame).
Subject small in scale compared to life size.
All three factors are equally
important to create contemporary fine art in miniature, helping to set this
specialised field apart and maintain a crucial link to it's
traditions.
Just because a painting is small does not
make it a miniature. Likewise fine detail alone is not enough. A true
miniature, whether classical or contemporary, is painstakingly executed on a
minute scale using very fine brushstrokes. They are not curiosities, but
rather fine art on a small scale. To assist modern artists and
ensure the continuation of miniature painting in the west, some Societies
established a helpful 1/6th guideline for scale, others
that a portrait head or principle object cannot be more than 2" (with
naturally tiny subjects there is some flexibility). One of the
descriptions often used is that the painting is 'portable' and a
miniature can fit in the palm of your hand.
Historically this kind of painting was known as limning
in Britain
and referred simply to watercolour paintings on vellum. These were
originally stuck to a playing cards for support and grew out of the
techniques used to illustrate hand-written books, often practiced by the
same artists. (A wonderful example
from the 16th century
is
'The Golf Book' by Simon Bening,
shown above, which measures 4" x 3.5"). You can also watch
the process used to create a portrait miniature on vellum in a video from
the V & A museum
here.
Over the centuries Miniature Art has evolved
to encompass changing
trends and ideas; today many different mediums and surfaces are
used for a wide variety of subject matter by artists all over the world. The
word 'miniature' has passed into common usage, as a result of these early paintings, to describe something
scaled down but 'perfectly formed'.
Anyone keen to learn more from
contemporary artists will find this book excellent: Techniques of Painting Miniatures
by Sue Burton, a founding member of the Hilliard Society in the UK.
(Clicking on the title will allow you to see a preview).
Thanks to the efforts of some very
experienced miniature artists over the past few years, the following links
to societies and individual artists will give you an insight into the
fascinating world of 'painting in the little'. Best of all, visit an
exhibition of miniature art if you possibly can!
Katherine Coombs is the curator
of the miniature collection at the V&A and explains the history in
fascinating detail in her papers and book,
The Portrait Miniature in England.
If you are interested in purchasing one of my miniatures please get in
touch or visit the Llewellyn Alexander Gallery in central London.
by Sue Burton, a founding member of the Hilliard Society in the UK.
(Clicking on the title will allow you to see a preview).
.
