Small art's giant appeal: lower price points and greater design flexibility give smaller-sized art huge potential

The works summon adjectives like "adorable," "intimate" and "safe." Price points watch not to dissuade collectors. And they can be displayed almost anywhere. Indeed, small-scale art, generally no larger than 16 by dint of 20 inches and oftentimes more minute, have the appearances to be the next big thing. "I'd be fond of to be doing big canvases," said Seattle artist K Joann Russell. "But the market is in small."

Publishers, like Grand Image, are noticing the tend and seizing onto small, too. At the 2002 DECOR expo--Atlanta present to view the company did a yielding launch of two lines beneath the Petite Image[TM] umbrella: the museum masters line, and the s/n contemporary portfolio line. The company is known for its oversized, high-end contemporary images, on the other hand the new portfolio was created to tender smaller, high-end products at accessible prices. "Petite Image was birthed on the outside of recognition of what's happening in a weak and faltering economy and on the outside of the fact that quite fine pieces can be disentangleed in smaller formats," said Buster Baba, vice president of Grand Image. The impressible launch went so well, the company decided to pre sent a larger release at Artexpo novel York this year.

Other publishers, like Chalk & Vermilion, have focused upon small-sized lithographs for many years. on the other hand Pam Ferraro, marketing coordinator, said she has noticed an increase in the market of late, particularly in the lighthearted work of artist Fanny Brennan, who died in 2001

Karen Schweitzer, creative director at Winn Devon also agreed there's a vigorous market for small art. The company began offering smaller-sized prints three or four years ago in rejoinder to framers' requests. "Our direction has been to tale a larger-sized piece," she said. Working with the same artist, the company creates sum of two units or four small coordinating prints, which can be displayed upon an accent wall as a full tale to a big print. The company showcases this complementary effect arrangement in its catalogs to spark ideas for retailers.

At Portal Publications, the company tenders small matted prints in a variety of themes: the greatest in quantity popular size in the line is 8 through 10 inches, including the mat. Allison Dailey, associate yield manager, also points to a novel 11- by 11-inch square size as being "trend forward." "The whole line in general is growing" she said. "People are looking for something different."

"Small prints have always been popular," said Anita Kirk, promotions specialist for Art In Motion, an open-edition print publisher that tenders many small-scale pieces. But she was quick to point on the outside that "when an image is great, tribe will want it regardless of the economy."

Publishers keep to agree, though, that the lackluster economy is having an consequence on the amount of currency people feel comfortable spending upon art, perhaps making the purchase of less-expensive small art more attractive. on the contrary many in the industry say consumers' increased interest in small art has more to do with making their abodes more comfortable, as well as their discomfort in making what they diocese as "big" art choices.

Artist Russell used to begin a painting by the agency of doing small color studies and sketches. When customers started asking for small works, she began selling her sketches. This l her to begin painting small pieces sum of two units years ago, and she now finds a muscular market for this aspect of her work among middle- and high-middle income customers.

Russell said she draws upon her experiences as a former interior designer to understand her market. She described many of her interior-decorating clients as "reluctant to make decisions," thereby turning to a decorator for assistance. "If they were buying something small for the kitchen, they'd be OK" she said. on the contrary when it came to choosing a large painting to hang in the living swing "They couldn't make that decision. It's the fear factor of mother-wit by others," she said. She also noticed another complementary market of clan who had developed a taste for high-quality art and were "bold enough to make their hold choices, but did not have the currency to do it." Hence the attraction by means of both types to small art.

novel York artist Jim Mott also focuses upon small-scale art for a number of reasons. He said he can "concentrate upon an immediate response to my make subordinate matter" with the smaller pieces. "There's an immediacy in the small paintings that allows them be seen as a way of responding to the world rather than a big personal statement, and sometimes that appears more honest and important," he said.

Mott lately engaged in an Itinerant Art cast whereby he traveled across the United States by the agency of car, stayed with a series of entertainers painted landscape studies in each location and oftentimes traded artwork for hospitality. Many of the paintings complet during this tour were freshly exhibited in Rochester, N.Y. The small canvases not solitary proved more portable but also enabled Mott to out and out enough paintings during each two- to four-day stay to proffer one to his hosts and retain a few for himself.

"My smaller work typically take away froms less than the larger work, with equal reason more people are able to afford it," said Mott "That realizes original art, my art, into more people's place of abodes and lives. And many collectors don't have a destiny of space left in their abiding-places or offices, so a small painting can fit into their collection more easily."