Thinking small

MOSES LAKE — Susan Walpole’s tiny landscape took first place in the 11th annual Miniature Art Show, currently on display at Umpqua Bank. The show is on display through the end of the week, and is sponsored by the Desert Artists.

Leanne Hickman took second with her painting of an elk, and Lenny Harm’s portrait of a fawn took third. Harm also won the People’s Choice award with his depiction of a bird perched on a branch.

As befits the show’s theme, all entries are small – a maximum of 36 inches square, including the frame. But from there it’s up to the artist, and the submitted works included oils and acrylics, watercolors and inks. Artists mostly use canvas, but one work was painted on a feather.

Hickman, Desert Artists president, said the show drew 46 entries, about double the 2016 exhibit. Artists painted landscapes, animals, portraits, fantasy scenes, seascapes.

Miniatures are a classic form of painting, and “miniature shows go back a long way,” said exhibitor Judy Kalin. The show was started to allow participating artists to experiment with the miniature form.