Exquisite Miniatures by Wes and Rachelle Siegrist is on display May 14 – August 15, 2015
at the Albany Museum of Art
EXQUISITE MINIATURES EXHIBITION
Questions From Kids At The Albany Museum Of Art – Part II
Our EXQUISITE MINIATURES Touring Exhibition is currently at the Albany Museum of Art in Albany, GA. In addition to the crowds of adults that view our miniature paintings at these museums on the tour there’s usually school groups and art camps that directly involve kids with our exhibition. Below are some questions we received from kids attending a Spring Art Camp at the Albany Museum of Art and we thought we’d share our answers with everyone. This is part II of the questions and answers. For part I, Click Here!
~ Happy Father’s Day to our dads and all dads out there today! Rachelle will be posting her usual fun blogs on Wednesday and Sunday this next week ~
Exquisite Miniatures on display at the Albany Museum of Art (Photo courtesy of the Museum)
- What is the smallest painting you created and what is it of?
WES: The smallest painting I ever did was a ¾ inch square White Rhino. The painting featured just its head. We’ve both done dozens of one-square-inch paintings featuring birds, animals, and still life. We feel that most of our compositions look better a “wee bit bigger” so most of our miniature paintings are 6-9 square inches.
- How long does it usually take to complete a painting?
WES: This is probably the hardest question we are asked since it’s different for every painting. I also tend to paint much faster than Rachelle. The “fast” paintings are done in 1-3 days (@6-21 hours). They tend to be smaller and have very simple, if not solid colored, backgrounds. The longest each of us has ever spent on single miniature painting is between 2 and 3 weeks. These are usually human portraits.
- How big can a miniature painting be?
WES: This is somewhat of a trick question! To some people, “miniature” means only small. To others, it means a particular “technique”. In today’s world, most people are unaware of miniature painting as a 500+-year-old art form so they tend to call anything smaller by that name. A lot of art galleries, museums and shows are called miniatures that measure ten to one hundred times bigger than we work! In the formal world of miniature painters and miniature art societies the size is typically 24-25 square inches or less. Also, in this arena, miniature paintings should also be done in a reduced scale (usually 1/6th or smaller) and be refined enough that you’re still amazed when you look at them up close.
- Why do you paint miniatures?
WES: Foremost, because we love doing them! The challenge is fun and when it becomes tedious we remind ourselves how much fun we’ll have at shows watching people get all excited about how amazing the tiny paintings are they are looking at through a magnifying glass. Secondly, we specialized in miniatures and all but stopped doing “big” paintings, to be different and stand out from our peers at shows.
Exquisite Miniatures on display at the Albany Museum of Art (Photo courtesy of the Museum)
- Where do you get your brushes?
WES: We use a variety of brushes that we buy from art stores. Most of them come from a nearby Hobby Lobby since we like to see and feel the brush before we purchase them. One of the world’s oldest art companies, Winsor & Newton, actually make brushes just for miniature painters! (The Series 7 Miniature Brush) Since we literally can make thousands of brushstrokes on miniature paintings we tend to wear out brushes very quickly. It’s true, we don’t use much paint or paper but we go through a lot of brushes!
- Do you have another profession or just paint?
WES: All both of us do is paint and it’s all we’ve ever done as a career. I did teach art at galleries and museums for over ten years and have also written a couple of books but the money to keep us going has come from selling paintings. In my past, I’ve also worked in commercial art doing logos and illustrations. I worked for a silkscreen t-shirt shop for a year or so, an advertising agency for a few months and also as an intern illustrator at a publishing house while in college. I’ve done airbrush t-shirts and caricatures on the street. Rachelle and I also did some jewelry and crafts on the side one year trying to make a living. We love painting the most and plan to do it the rest of our lives.
Exquisite Miniatures on display at the Albany Museum of Art (Photo courtesy of the Museum)
The Siegrists with Dr. David J. Wagner, EXQUISITE MINIATURES Tour Director at the premiere of their exhibition at the R.W. Norton Art Gallery, Shreveport, LA (July 2010)
~ Special thanks to David Griffin, Director of Collections and Exhibitions at the Albany Museum of Art, and to the kids of the art camp for enjoying our show so much! ~
Under the Magnifying Glass 
Hi, Very nice and informative! Don
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Thanks Don!