Mini-arts that turned out

small red collage with bit of paper and the word "atoms" on it

The host of one of the open figure drawing studio sessions I used to go to (back in the time before COVID when there were such things) would always say that the secret to “art success” is to make a lot of it and not get too hung up on any one piece. This is true, although I think this man did not also have small children! My time for art is after my kid is in bed and it is very finite. And so I totally get hung up on individual pieces, especially if there is a deadline involved – I’m unlikely to get a chance to redo it once I’m committed to an idea. The compromise I came up with recently is to do mini-tests for certain works to see if I want to proceed with my plan or if it’s going to fail miserably. And sometimes I like these mini-arts just as much as the finished product! The “tester” for Atomic Courtesy is above (the scale is about 2 inches by 3 inches).

Another one, testing out how the Thomas Guide maps transfer print:

layered collage with map and a wooden circle and the word "motion"

This tester strategy has been working well for me and so I plan to keep it up! The bonus is that when the tester turns out, it becomes like a bite-sized preview and art in its own right!

If either of these pieces speaks to you, they are up for grabs: let me know in the comments and I’ll be in touch to send it to you. Remember, they are only 2 by 3 inches each, so not going to work over your mantelpiece (unless you have a miniature fireplace).

9 comments

  1. Even later to the party, but I’m enjoying these right here. They would only be swept off my “altar to semi-permanence” by a good gust of wind along with my feathers, dead leaves, origami poem collections, and tarot cards. ^_^

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    1. Hi Sunshine! I’m going to start calling my entire spare room my “altar to semi-permanence” – I love that phrase! And I feel it qualifies because I’ve got feathers, poem collections, and dead leaves (there’s probably tarot cards too in there…somewhere) 🙂 Hope you are well and hanging in there.

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  2. Well! I’m late to the party! Marcy, I think your idea about just staying in the creative mode is spot on. You do fabulous and intuitive work! I hate to be greedy, since I already have some of your art, but I’d love Atoms!!! (If I can be greedy)

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