DUNEDIN —
Hundreds of miniature artists are invading Dunedin for the next three weeks.
Actually, they call themselves miniaturists, and it’s not they but their art that falls under the diminutive realm.
Hailing from Florida, other states and nine other countries, nearly 250 of these artists of small-scale works are here to participate in the 37th International Miniature Art show opening Sunday at the Dunedin Fine Art Center.
Here, size really does matter. to be in the show, a piece must measure no larger than the equivalent of five inches square.
Sponsored by the Miniature Art Society of Florida, the exhibit of 800 paintings, fired porcelain pieces, calligraphy, scrimshaw, sculptures and mixed media works aptly showcases the splendor that can be found in small things.
Imagine a panoramic scene of boats anchored in Tarpon Springs Marina, painted with clarity and depth on a canvas that measures a mere 41/2 by 11/2 inches. Under a magnifying glass — and there’s one placed at each panel of paintings in the exhibit — you can make out the tiny brush strokes on the bushes and leaves behind the boats.
Called “Low Country Fleet at Rest,” the painting is by Tennessee artist Wes Siegrist, who also authored a book in 2010 called “Modern Masters of Miniature Art in America.”
“Most of the artists named in the book are in the Dunedin exhibit,” said Kay Petryszak, vice president of the society, who has two pieces in the exhibit. “These are signature members of the Miniature Artists of America (an elite group of master miniaturists).”
William Mundy is in the book. A master at creating lifelike pocket-sized portraits, he regularly wins awards at the international exhibit, and this year is no different. his painting of a little girl titled “Jade” took first place honors in the portrait division. it measures just three inches by four inches and is so perfectly detailed it’s hard to believe it’s a painting, let alone a miniature. plan on using the magnifying glass for this one.
Though their size is the most striking feature, precision and detail are the guiding strengths of miniature works. That’s why many of the artists create under a magnifying glass. It’s why collectors bring their own magnification tools to the exhibit and why judges also use one in examining entrants and winners.
Guest Judge Linda Rossin, a miniaturist from Oak Ridge, N.J., used a jeweler’s loop when looking for her award winners, Petryszak said.
Her main concern was in spotting “paint-overs.”
“Some people print something on a computer and then paint on top of it,” Rossin said in a telephone interview. “I was looking for a dotted structure under the paint.”
It’s innocently done, she added, usually by people who don’t know the rules.
And she did find one or two of these.
“But the vast majority of work was unbelievably beautiful, technically superior and very difficult to judge,” she added.
Rossin, who specializes in wildlife and landscape miniatures, has five works in the show. they can be found on a separate judges’ panel in the exhibition.
Visitors to the show also can see how it’s done as artists wield tiny brushes on tiny canvases, often under magnification, during ongoing demonstrations throughout the exhibition.
