Once again a dazzling journey for the eyes! Mark your calendar because you won’t want to miss the Miniature Art Society of Florida exhibit at the Dunedin Fine Art Center, Dunedin, Florida, from January 18 through February 8th, 2009. There you will be treated to a spectacular display of miniatures – not only paintings but scrimshaw, fired porcelain, and sculpture – including works created by some of the world’s finest miniature artists. With few exceptions, all of the art is for sale.
Approximately 850 works of art will be shown, in addition to the society’s permanent collection of more than 100 miniatures. The artwork is well lighted and magnifying glasses are available for the complete enjoyment of the small treasures. Most of the artists create under magnification, using a variety of mediums and methods and the tiniest of brushes for paintings. Entries from 34 states and 12 countries provide a wonderful diversity of subject matter and framing techniques. Of the approximate 1100 works of art submitted for entry in the show, a jury of award-winning miniaturists has carefully selected only the very finest for display.
Have you ever wondered how the artists make these treasures? Visitors, starting from Monday, January 19, through the end of the show, may talk to and observe artists at work. These artists are willing to demonstrate their techniques, whether oil painting or scrimshaw, pencil drawings or fired porcelain. Demonstrators this year will be from England, Canada, many US states and local Florida artists. You will watch in amazement.
Awards and a slide show of the award winners will be presented at an Awards Brunch on January 18 with local officials, gallery and museum directors in attendance. The distinguished judge, Lois Salmon Toole, is a consistent award winning miniature artist in international miniature shows and her work is featured in 10 publications including “Best of Watercolor I and III”. While viewing the works, Lois said, “I knew ahead of time that there would be a quantity of high quality work and it would be an awesome task with a limited time to judge. It was a smorgasbord – a gourmet feast for the eyes.”
Top and special awards selected by Lois Salmon Toole are:
Best of Show – Jane Mihalik, Taneytown, MD, “Red Pears and Basket”
Judge’s Second Choice – Judith E. Johnson, Riverview, FL, “Frutta E Verdure Fresche”
Excellence in All Entries – Richard William Haynes, Fairfield, NJ, “Ain’t Misbehavin’ ”
Best Work By A Young Artist – Rebecca Latham, Hastings, MN, “Wacipi Legacy”
Best Work By A First Time Entrant – David Drummond, Albuquerque, NM,
“Rock Creek Bay”
Best Traditional Portrait Miniature – Rachelle Siegrist, Townsend, TN, “Sarah”
Works selected for the MASF Permanent Collection
Dana Lee Thompson, Midland, VA, “Foxhound Portrait”
Tracy Hall, Orkney, UK, “The Summer Brood”
America’s “golden age” of the portrait miniature (about 1740-1850) came to an abrupt halt with the advent of photography in the mid 1800s. But the love of creating art ‘in little’ did not die. There was a resurgence of interest in the early 20th century – The Revival Period – and we are carrying on in that tradition. We want to assure that original art in small scale, with great emphasis on detail, maintains a respected stature in the Fine Arts. A testimony to the interest today was the Fourth Exhibition of World Art in Miniature at the Smithsonian, Washington DC in June 2004, with fourteen miniature societies around the world being represented, including the Miniature Art Society of Florida.
Other awards being presented to Florida artists are:
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First in Acrylic – Tykie Ganz, Palm Beach Gardens, “Home Sweet Home”
- Honorable Mention in Acrylic – Marilyn Dwelley, Zephyhrills, “Maple Sugar House, Maine”
- First in Drawing and Pastel – Laura Von Stetina, Madison, “Winter Sublet”
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First in Oil – Markissia Touliatos, Tarpon Springs, “La Jaliciense”
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Second in Marine– Mies J. Fry, Tarpon Springs, “Westward Bound”
- Third in Human Figure – Marva Simpson,. Pinellas Park, “What A Doll”
- Honorable Mention in Birds and Animals – Ernest C. Simmons, Dunedin, “Changing Directions”
- Honorable Mention in Landscape – Susan Q. Patterson, Dunedin, “Summer Afternoon”
The show will open to the public at the Dunedin Fine Art Center, 1143 Michigan Boulevard, Dunedin, Florida, at 1pm on Sunday, January 18, 2009. DFAC phone is (727) 298 3322 www.dfac.org
Hours are:
Monday-Friday 10am – 5pm
Saturday 10am – 2pm
Sunday 1pm – 4pm
Admission $6.00 Adults, $5.00 Seniors (65+), $4 Youth (6-18),
Museum and MASF members and children under 5 are free.
Kay Petryszak , VP, PR MASF
1595 N Peaceful Lane 2519 McMullen Booth Road, Suite 510-252
Clearwater, FL 33756 Clearwater, FL 33761 USA
727-584-3883 admin@miniatureartsocietyofflorida.com
HYPERLINK "mailto:michaelpetryszak@ij.net" michaelpetryszak@ij.net
MASF Web Page HYPERLINK "http://www.miniature-art.com" www.miniature-art.com
Charter Member World Federation of Miniaturists
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