The Greatness of Smallness: Mailbox Projects & The-Here-and-Now

'openings', acrylics on 3 canvases of 20x20cm, September 2011

It helps to have simplistic challenges. To make work small enough to fit through a mailbox, that was the
practical aim... 20 x 20 cm canvases...




Paw Opening, acrylics on 20x20 cm canvas, September 2011

 It's different from painting big canvases because small ones get crowded a lot more quickly. There's no space to "paint around", allowing a theme to develop. The first stroke IS the theme, take it or leave it.

'Clouds Opening', acrylics on 20x20 cm canvas, September 2011

It's like that with a lot of small things in general.

'Jump Opening', acrylics on 20x20 cm canvas, September 2011

That one thing you say to your neighbour, that one look you give the woman standing next to you in line
for the supermarket check-out, that one phonecall...

'Melons and Such', acrylics on 3 canvases of 20x20cm, September 2011

Small gestures, no space to 'improvise until you have what you want'... if you considered what it is you want, that is.

'Bit(e) of M', acrylics on 20x20cm canvas, September 2011

Are small daily gestures creative acts? I think so.

'And Such', acrylics on 20x20cm canvas, September 2011

It just happens right there and then and has whichever effect it has...pretty direct.

'Melon', acrylics on 20x20cm canvas, September 2011

It's not nessarily about getting things right, but it is about paying attention. About being
present for all those little moments that make up a day. Whatever they are...

'Yep', acrylics on 20x20cm canvas, September 2011

BIG canvases and other BIG creative projects are great, because you get to keep redesigning them until you're satisfied. Who wouldn't want to be able to live a day like that? To keep tweaking it, until it's just right...and then keep it.

(But sometimes, that's too romantic. There's too much yearning.)

'Fff', acrylics on 20x20cm canvas, September 2011

SMALL canvases and SMALL creative projects are great because they pretty much happen in-the-moment
there is no time to wish anything were any different.

It's live jazz versus the studio album.

Painted to the music of Audiofeel. Speaking of which...I'll be painting LIVE to their acoustic gig on the 15th this month. Crowdsurfing on canvasboard? Crowd painting? ...who knows? (I think live painting as such is already pretty exciting though!) Check it out if you happen to be in the southern part of the Netherlands!