Teeny-tiny Canadian art makes big splash in Minutiae exhibit - Action News
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Edmonton

Teeny-tiny Canadian art makes big splash in Minutiae exhibit

Small pieces are showcased in a big way in the new art exhibit Minutiae at the Alberta Craft Council. Take a little look.

The magnitude of miniatures captured in a new exhibit at the Alberta Craft Council

A cup of coco with marshmallows and two mini people sitting on the edge of the cup and one other mini person swimming in the cup.
Steaming Cup of Quality Time, by artist Kimberly Jones, is made of resin, clay, paint, plastic, ceramic and stainless steel. (Credit: Rick Bremness/CBC)

The little ideafor this feature group exhibition started with a tiny piece of jewlery.

"The theme came from one of our co-workers, who had a necklace that had a miniature of a chair on it," says Jenna Stanton, executive director of the Alberta Craft Council.

The small things concept sat well with members of the provincial organization that develops, promotes and advocates for craft art in theprovince.

Stanton says they had a whopping 54 artists from across the country who accepted the petite challenge.

Little jelly salad with egg and cucumber on a pink plate with a gold rim.
This work by Stacy Burnett, called Jewelled Olive Egg Loaf, is made of polymer clay resin and is slightly smaller than a loonie. (Submitted by Stacy Burnett )

The work runs the gamut from a "miniature brooch of jellied aspic salads, with a bit of humour, to a 12:1 scale of a residential school," said Stanton.

Then there's a Calgaryglass-blower who created "rockets with Alberta flora and faunain them to send them off to space to protect them from humans."

Stanton says the call for little thingsmade a big difference in drawing artists thatthe council wouldn't normally work with, as well as engaging fresh audiences to the whimsical display.

It also pushed artists to "do something new," Stanton said.

Little green house on silts balances on a piece of driftwood.
Julya Hajnoczy's piece, called Sombrio Lookout Tower 2, is constructed of maple, balsa, paper, acetate, cotton thread and driftwood. (Credit: Rick Bremness/CBC)

"Normally I do work on a bigger scale," said fibre artist Deanne Underwood, who typically creates mountain scenesand sweeping landscapes as Prairie Girl Felting.

Needle felting involves sculpting shapes and figures using wool and special felting needles.

The 44-year-old artist said her inspiration for the piece she submitted to the show wasa little red frame that she spotted at a thrift shop.

WATCH | VisitDeanne Underwood's home studio and take a tour of the exhibit Minutiae:

Landscape artist shrinks big skies to fit small show

6 months ago
Duration 2:17
Fibre artist Deanne Underwood typically crafts mountain scenes and sweeping prairie landscapes. We join Underwood in her Edmonton studio to see how she creates her work, which is part of the free Minutiae exhibit at the feature gallery of the Alberta Craft Council.

"I immediately knew what I wanted to create for it, this childhood memory of looking out the barn loft window at these bright fields and this perfect blue sky and puffy clouds,"said Underwood.

"It was just such a happy little memory" of summersspent on her grandparents' Saskatchewan farm, so she decided to attempt to shrink it down to fit the frame and the show.

Underwood said the key for her isnever to try too hard to get it just right.

"One thing I've learned about wool is it can be a little unpredictable," she said, "so part of my process needs to be about guiding it but not forcing it."

Her workHeart Homeis part of the free exhibit Minutiae, on displayin the feature gallery of the Alberta Craft Council in Edmonton until June 15.