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Why Small Paintings Now?

Just a sample of what I hope to have for sale for the 2020 RAAC Art Expo beginning on November 14 at 5 pm.

I'm not sure how to put this because it's an odd question, but I want to know how and why you choose to paint small paintings. Is it sometimes a response to a specific exhibit? Often just because you want to? More economical and easier to sell? Does today's virtual environment have anything to do with it? See, I told you it's an odd question.

  Sidney Oliver

Sid, I've often stated that I began my painting career painting using a small format and so painting small is akin to coming home for me. Once the pandemic was thrust upon us, I thought this might be a good time to paint quite a few smaller paintings, so I painted several and then was waylaid by other endeavors such as Nest Burst and the scarf for the Blue Ridge Wildlife Center.

Once those were completed, I settled back to the little ones, but with an emphasis on painting water and, in particular, the canals in England.

It was around that time that I received an email informing me that the 2020 RAAC Fall Art Tour physical presence was going to be going virtual and billed as an "art expo." I had less than a month to turn in images of 12 paintings. Yikes. 12 paintings in less than a month? Unlike most painters, I don't procrastinate, but still...that was a major hurdle. Sure, I could have included paintings I had already painted, but I like challenges, so I worked hard to produce new work. I didn't want to produce just 12. I wanted a choice, but I wanted a choice of quality rather than quantity work.

Working on a 6"X8" for RAAC's 2020 Art Expo.

Note: The expo begins on November 14 at 5pm, so why the rush to have images before the end of August? It probably takes all of 2 months to arrange the online exhibition and whip the artists in line.

Because I tend to wear down as a painting deadline nears, I have learned to plan accordingly. I'm a perfectionist and often I will work for a week or two on one single 6X8" painting. It is possible to finish one in a few hours, but it's not unusual for me to labor over a 6X8." Often, like many painters, I will go back in and fiddle with a painting I thought was finished only a few days earlier. 

A Head of Garlic, 6X8," Oil on Panel

Submitted for RAAC's 2020 Art Expo

I met the deadline in August, but I am continuing to paint smaller pieces. I suppose I will continue until I run out of steam. I tend to go with the flow and I never know what to expect, which keeps me interested in doing what I do.

Other than the urge to paint small what are the practical benefits of doing so?

• Pricing. Usually, I take size into consideration when pricing, but the painting size is not the overall consideration. With these small paintings, I'm keeping the price related solely to the size. That's not completely fair to me, but it makes it easier for the client/patron.
• Ease of shipping. Since this is a virtual exhibition, the buyer will not be present to take home a purchased painting. These small paintings are unframed, which helps with mailing. I will charge a fee of $10 for shipping and handling and pop the 6"X8" paintings in a priority mail packet and send them on their way.
• Listing prices. As anyone who visits my website can tell, I do not list the prices of paintings for a variety of reasons. I tend to be turned off by seeing prices, however I'm forced to overcome my unease during the Expo. I'm compromising by listing the prices  of  only the smaller paintings. Via this website I can be contacted and, if someone is interested in a larger painting not priced, they can click on the Contact the Artist link.
• Experimentation. This gives me a chance to see how well the smaller ones sell in this venue. It offers me a way I can sell them at a reasonable price without having to pay a gallery a commission. Selling smaller paintings in a gallery setting is not cost effective for the gallery or for the painter. Perhaps I will have a larger number of these available when the Fall Art Tour is a physical presence again. I'm experimenting here. 

Note about hanging small paintings during an exhibition with sales in mind:

Resist the temptation to hang similar paintings together.

I learned this the hard way. Grouping similar paintings looks nice in a domestic setting, but it's detrimental for selling.

Once I broke up this grouping, the hay paintings sold.

When setting up for the physical Fall Art Tour, I strive to keep these paintings far apart.

People seem to be loathe to break up groupings when they look so pleasant hanging together. They can't afford all of them. They become confused over which painting they prefer and they opt out. Spacing them far apart eradicates the confusion and the sense of breaking up a happy home.

The image above gives you an idea as to the size of the small paintings I have been working on. The large nest painting measures 36"X48."

The small painting on the left measures 6"X8." The painting on the right is a 5"X7."

If you don't visit the website before, plan on visiting during the 2 week RAAC Art Expo from November 14-28 where you can see more of these small paintings as well as some mid-sized and larger paintings.

Realize that the key to all of this is to:

Enjoy the Process!

  Ruthie Windsor-Mann

This post is part of a series of Q & As between Ruthie Windsor-Mann and Sidney Oliver. 

We invite the reader to join in with other questions in the comments section. This needs to be interactive in order to work.

All photographs are by Ruthie Windsor-Mann unless otherwise credited.

Copyright 2020 Ruthie Windsor-Mann All Rights Reserved