Clearwater Gallery to host 'small works' art show

"Just A Little Bit," a small works art show, will open to the public at Clearwater Gallery on Saturday, June 22. The show will run through July.

The "small works" art form is a growing trend. Awareness of this movement, attention to collectors' desires and offering artists a challenging opportunity was the impetus for the first small works show at Clearwater Gallery in 2006. Each year, the show has grown in quality and popularity, offering the Sisters community a showcase of interesting, high-quality art.

Asked what it was about this show that excited her most, gallery owner Julia Rickards replied, " Oh, watching young collectors buy their first piece of original art. They carry it away with a loving reverence."

This year's 23 participants include familiar award-winning artists from around the Northwest as well as names new to the Sisters art scene. Creative, fresh talent from the greater Portland area, as well as Idaho, California and Texas will be featured.

Clearwater's "Just A Little Bit" challenges artists to create fine art of 120 square inches or less. And to really throw down the "creative gauntlet," a super-challenge is offered to artists called, "Just A Little Bit Less." This demands a maximum of 25 square inches of ingenious fine art!

Local artists Wendy Bachmeier and Lisa May are new to this year's show.

Bachmeier says, " Painting this size takes just as much skill and attention to detail ...without as much room for error!" And one of the challenges, according to May, is deciding on a subject that allows her to zoom in and capture detail within the scope of the smaller size. Award-winning Northwest artist Elizabeth Ganji has been a part of this show at Clearwater from the beginning.

"The beauty of small works is that every stroke is so important," she says. "Small works are attainable little gems, candy for the eye and soul."

The show opens to the public at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 22, at Clearwater Gallery, 303 W. Hood Ave. Community members and visitors to Sisters are invited to the show's opening artists' reception from 5:30 to 7 p.m. that evening. Most artists will be in attendance and available for conversation.

Visit www.theclearwatergallery.comto view the "Just A Little Bit" entries.