Show Preview | Holiday Small Works Show

Who wouldn’t benefit from an extra dose of shimmer and shine as this year comes to a close? The Legacy Gallery’s 21st annual Holiday Small Works Show delivers just that with diminutive artistic jewels sure to put a sparkle in the eyes of western art collectors and enthusiasts. “With the height of the pandemic behind us, we’re hopeful that more guests will be able to make it to the show,” says Haley Delaunais, the gallery’s marketing manager. The highly anticipated exhibition and sale opens with a festive reception at 6 p.m. on Thursday, December 9, and special guest appearances by Santa and carolers.

Also on tap are 84 dazzling western, still-life, wildlife, and landscape paintings and sculptures from 45 talented creators. Top gallery artists participating are John Moyers, Glenn Dean, Morgan Weistling, Kim Wiggins, and Z.S. Liang. First-time participants include a mix of Legacy artists and invited guests such as Stan Davis, Ray Roberts, and Derek Penix. The works, which range in size from 8 by 8 inches to 12 by 16 inches, are sold in a drawing at 7 p.m. “Many of our clients have large collections, so they’re happy to be able to find that one little gem that fits the spot that needs a certain something,” Delaunais says.

Creating those smaller gems is no small feat. Taos, NM, artist Laura Robb, whose dynamic brushwork helps to set the tone in her masterful still lifes, shares her secret for a successful outcome. “With paintings under life size, like ORANGE POPPIES, it’s especially important that key elements remain strong enough to support the image as a whole,” she says. “While I’m always concerned with having a solid design, in a smaller painting, I have to be able to envision the finished piece without some of the more minute forms and detail that might help carry a larger composition.”

Terri Kelly Moyers concurs, noting that working small helps her edit more efficiently. “For a smaller work to stand out, it needs a dynamic composition,” the California-based painter says. DECEMBER SUN “benefits from the use of color and light” to draw the viewer’s eye, while the subject’s sideways stance and off-canvas gaze also pique interest. “I enjoy painting large works, but every now and then, a smaller, quicker piece can be a joy,” she adds.

California portrait and figurative painter Z.S. Liang finds that a small format can be challenging, yet exciting. “I have to pay more attention in smaller-scale paintings,” he says. “It’s like looking at the big picture through a tiny keyhole.” Liang takes a softer-edged, more nuanced approach than usual in THUNDER MOON, which depicts a Plains Indian war party member under the full, or “thunder,” moon that is said to deliver spiritual power.

Although challenging, modest dimensions can offer a big payoff for both artist and viewer. “A small-format painting invites the viewer to come up and see it from arm’s length, which is the perspective of the artist while they were working,” Robb says. “The language of the strokes then becomes more like a one-on-one conversation.” —Beth Williams

contact information480.945.1113www.legacygallery.com

This story appeared in the December 2021/January 2022 issue of Southwest Art magazine.

The post Show Preview | Holiday Small Works Show appeared first on Southwest Art Magazine.