Thursday, April 25, 2013

Parklane Gallery 21st Annual International Miniature Art Show

My four framed entries in Parklane Gallery's Miniature Art Show

Parklane Gallery's 21st Annual International Miniature Art Show is online for viewing at www.parklanegallery.com. The show opens April 30th and runs through June 2nd.  The Reception and Awards Ceremony is on May 10th from 6 to 8 PM.  That is also the same night of the Kirkland Art Walk.  Parklane Gallery is located at 130 Park Lane in beautiful downtown Kirkland WA.  For more information, phone 425.827.1462.

Smooching © Barbara A. Freeman
Acrylic on Panel 1 3/4" x 2 3/4"

My new acrylic painting, Smooching is number 86 in Parklane's online show.  These two cuties were inspired from a visit we made to the Evergreen State Fair last summer.

On a sad note, I'm sorry to say that I will not be able to attend the Parklane Miniature show this year due to other obligations.  Therefore, we will not be able to photograph the show to post on my blog and other miniature group sites as usual.   This is the first year since I've been participating in this show that I have not attended.  I will miss seeing all these tiny treasures in person and the enthusiastic gallery visitors viewing the show.  I am so glad that at least I can view these many wonderful artworks online.

Undaunted © Barbara A. Freeman  SOLD
Acrylic on Illustration Board 2" x 2"

Undaunted is number 87 on the Parklane Gallery online show.  It's another tiny work inspired from a hike.

Hideaway © Barbara A. Freeman, M.A.A. 
Graphite and Mixed Media on Film 3 1/4" x 3 1/4"

Waiting © Barbara A. Freeman, M.A.A. SOLD
Graphite and Mixed Media on Film 2 5/16" x 4 1/2"

Hideaway, number 88 and Waiting, number 89 are the two works that were part of the Miniature Artists of America's (M.A.A.) submissions that recently traveled as part of the World Federation of Miniature Artists to the 5th Worldwide Conference and Exhibition of Fine Arts in Miniature, held at the Russian Academy of Art in Moscow, Russia,  September, 2012.  At the time I didn't have much information on the show, or if they were even exhibited.  When they were returned, I was glad to find out they were in the exhibit.  They were gone a long time and traveled from here in Washington to Florida to London to Moscow and who knows how many custom stops in-between!  Now they are back home and showing for the first time here at Parklane!

This is a great show, I will miss the excitement and all the miniature art lovers at the reception.  My friend Janie Olsen is in the show with five of her wonderful goat and dog paintings, starting number 195 in the online show.  Be sure to check out Janie's work, it will put a smile on your face!  This is the best miniature show in the Pacific Northwest, so hope you get a chance to see it.  You can check out the show online www.parklanegallery.com for a preview and after May 1st, it will be possible to also put the work in your cart and purchase them online!

As always, thank you for reading about my work.  Hope your spring has arrived and you are enjoying the beauty around you. 

Friday, April 19, 2013

Seaside Art Gallery's 22nd Annual International Miniature Art Show

The 22nd Annual International Miniature Art Show at Seaside Art Gallery is happening online now.  I look forward to this show every year.  It's always exciting to see the wonderful variety of art from artists all across the globe. 


Above are my three works in the show, shown in their frames.  The top two, Dreamer and You Too Shall Have Wings, were done in graphite and mixed media on film and are both from my series, Wood Nymphs and Other Curiosities. Below them is my new work, Ol' Blue Eyes, using colored pencil on a new substrate called TerraSkin.

Dreamer © Barbara A. Freeman
Graphite and Mixed Media on Film 3 1/2" x 3 1/2"

You Too Shall Have Wings © Barbara A. Freeman
Graphite and Mixed Media on Film 3 1/2" x 3 1/2"

Ol' Blue Eyes © Barbara A. Freeman
Colored Pencil  3" x 3"

The miniature, Ol' Blue Eyes was inspired by the beautiful white geese we saw at the Evergreen State Fair last year.  It was the beautiful blue eyes surrounded by the orange lid that did it!  It is an Embden goose which is one of the most common breeds of geese in the United States. Guess I never got close enough to their beautiful eyes to appreciate them.  I used colored pencils with a different substrate, called TerraSkin, which you can find out more about by clicking on the name.  TerraSkin is not paper made from trees, but from stone, using no water!  I wanted to try it because I read that it accepted silverpoint really well, but it works really nicely with all mediums! There may be more use of this in the future!

This great show is a favorite of mine. I love the presentation of the entire show online. Sadly, this year their website was hacked!  They are in the process of creating a new website which will be up in time for the show on May 1st.  When Seaside's site is up, this post will link to their site as well as to my work in their online gallery.  Seaside is a very organized and well run gallery.  Not only will you be able to click on the work to see an enlarged view, but if you click on the details, it tells you the artist's name and where they're from.  There is also a thumbnail of the work in it's frame which you can click on for an enlarged framed view. The clarity of the image is perfect AND you can put it in your cart and buy the artwork online!  Just click on DreamerYou Too Shall Have Wings or Ol' Blue Eyes to see my work on Seaside's online gallery.  *(Links will not work until after Seaside Gallery's website is up.)

Seaside Art Gallery's show is one of the top five national miniature shows that you can see in person and online.  This year the exhibition runs from May 1st through June 1st,  2013. The Open Reception is May 25th from 7 to 9 PM.  The online exhibition starts upon arrival of each artist’s work.  When the artwork arrives in the gallery, it is examined, measured, photographed and posted.  Each year, this nationally acclaimed miniature show exhibits approximately 600 works of art by artists from all around the globe. Some of the world’s most renowned miniature artists participate each year. Miniature art is often referred to as "the little jewels of the art world" and enjoys continued growth in popularity worldwide. I wish I could be there to see it in person! I hope if you are in the area, you will go see this great show!  Seaside Art Gallery, 2716 Virginia Dare Trail South, Nags Head, NC 252.441.5418 or 800.828.2444