Home » Blog

Can a 3-Inch Painting Hold an Entire Rainforest?

TINY PAINTING.
BIG MAGIC.



  Something rather magical has been happening on my painting table. While working on my larger Cathedral of Light paintings, I found myself drawn to a completely different scale.

Tiny. Just 3 × 5 inches.

And yet, the moment I began painting them, I discovered something rather wonderful: small doesn’t have to mean quiet.

These little paintings became explosions of rainforest colour—emerald greens, flashes of turquoise, delicious pinks, glowing oranges and tiny sparks of yellow light.

They feel like jewels.

So I’ve given them a name. JOY GEMS

Tiny paintings. Enormous joy.

Each Joy Gem is an original miniature from my Cathedral of Light series, painted individually on archival watercolor paper.

No two will ever be the same. Each one is a tiny window into the extraordinary world that has been inspiring me here in Panama—the tangled vegetation, tropical flowers, dancing light and glorious abundance of the rainforest.

What fascinates me most is how much life can exist within such a tiny space. You can hold an entire painting in your hand. And yet when you look closely, there are worlds within worlds.

A brushstroke becomes a branch. A flash of magenta becomes a tropical flower. A pool of emerald becomes the deep shade beneath the canopy. A tiny flicker of yellow becomes sunlight finding its way through.

Perhaps that is why I love them so much.

They remind me that wonder doesn’t need to be enormous to be powerful.

The first Joy Drop

The first four Joy Gems have now emerged from the rainforest. Each is: 3 × 5 inches

Original mixed-media artwork
Painted on archival watercolor paper
Signed by me
One-of-one
Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity
Created in Panama

They can be collected individually, or the first four can remain together as a rather gorgeous little family. And because these are originals rather than reproductions: One painting. One collector.

Once a Joy Gem has found its home, there will never be another exactly like it. I particularly love the idea of framing one with an expansive museum-style mount—this tiny, intensely colourful jewel surrounded by beautiful white space.

Small in size. Grand in impact.

And perhaps most of all, these little paintings capture what I want my art to bring into the world: joy, beauty, colour, light and wonder.

If one of the first Joy Gems is calling to you, simply reply to this email to enquire about availability.

Bring home a little piece of wonder. 

Posted in: Blog

Can a 3-Inch Painting Hold an Entire Rainforest?

The Joyful Artist