Artist File
September 19, 2022
Artist Spotlight: Diana Hamm On Five Canadian Artists Who Have Mastered Small Scale
In our Artist File column, art advisor Diana Hamm of WK ART shares the artists that have caught her eye.
One of my favorite things in a home is when collectors have artworks that play with scale. While something large shouts for attention and becomes unmissable, it’s the small piece that often draws me in because, to fully appreciate the work, you have to get up close and experience it one-on-one.
Here are five artists who have mastered working on a small scale!
Montreal artist Marie-Michelle Deschamps’ small porcelain works read like paintings. Inspired by botanical illustrations from the Voynich manuscript — a 15th-century codex — Marie-Michelle makes beautiful imagery that both reveals itself and remains hidden. To create her forms, she begins with a copper plate and uses small tweezers to place sterling silver wire by hand on top. Next, she applies different layers of porcelain enamel to bring in color, then cures it under extremely high heat. The silver wire comes slightly through the porcelain, resulting in a relief on the surface. As if this process isn’t complicated enough, these works are only nine by 12 inches, making the creation even more challenging.
Parasols #2 (2021) is a stunning work; I love how the surface looks like foliage, but it’s just a hint rather than expressly defined. The blues and yellows are a strong contrast to the silver wire, creating a playful drama on the surface. Marie-Michelle’s works highlight the labor intensiveness of many art practices, and the small scale invites viewers to enjoy and experience them up close.
Where To See It:
Marie-Michelle Deschamps is represented by Bradley Ertaskiran in Montreal. Her prices start at $2,000.
Alex Bierk
Alex Bierk’s small-scale paintings have a haunting quality. They’re brilliant in their detail and ability to conjure memory, hope and reconciliation all at once. With a snapshot feeling, the works seem to pinpoint a specific moment that’s often mundane or quotidian in its representation of small-town living. Alex has suffered from addiction, and this work comes from a recent series that explores life after loss and how painting can help process memory. Though there’s been hardship in his life, there’s also a lot of positive influence, too — he’s a father now living in Peterborough, Ont., the town where he grew up. Present memories intertwine with childhood memories, which creates an inherent nostalgia in his work. Alex paints in a photorealist manner, meaning that his work has a visual accuracy that resembles a photograph.
Untitled (2021), Alex’s small watercolor on paper measuring eight by 10 inches, depicts clothespins on a line. The ordinary nature of this image makes it a celebration of life. The optimism of the piercing blue sky radiates with the joy of being alive to experience even mundane tasks like hanging out laundry on a summer day.
Where To See It:
Alex Bierk is represented by General Hardware in Toronto. His watercolours on paper start at $600.
Shelley Adler
Toronto painter Shelley Adler is one of my favorite portrait artists. While she paints in all sizes, I particularly love her small portraits. These pieces measure only 16 by 12 inches, creating a forced intimacy. When the viewer gets up close to see the details, they feel as though they know the sitter. Shelley only paints those she does know well, or gets to know well before the painting process begins. Her style has a casualness that allows personality traits to shine through while keeping the works fairly minimal.
Lee smoking (2021) is a great example of her work. Using a bold green to set the scene, Shelley strips back most context clues. It’s implied that the sitter is outside, but the background isn’t important — it’s Lee herself who demands all the attention. She meets the viewer’s gaze while unabashedly sitting in a bathing suit with a cigarette dangling from her mouth. There’s a confidence in her pose, but Shelley paints her with an incredible warmth; it’s as though she’s looking at a friend. The artist is acutely aware of how women and their bodies have been historically painted. She subverts this tradition and paints her women as assertive rather than passive characters for men to stare at.
Where To See It:
Shelley Adler is represented at Nicholas Metivier Gallery in Toronto. Her canvases start at $2,500.
Taryn Sheppard
Taryn Sheppard is a B.C. artist working at the cross section of architecture and art. While she trained in the former, her art practice is based on exploring architecture within art — and she does so beautifully. Her painted urban landscapes become almost like diary entries that illustrate everyday life as Taryn experiences it.
Untitled (2020) is a good example of this. Depicting Drake Street Alley in Vancouver’s Davie Village, the painting shows regular traffic and some trucks. The ordinary scene, however, is countered by the palette. Painted in a hazy pink, this canvas was created during the 2020 wildfires, which changed the appearance of the sky and caused the city to live in a constant state of glow. These small works have an incredible effect and bring the viewer into a moment; there’s an immediate feeling of familiarity punctuated by Taryn’s ability to capture the fleeting nature of time.
Where To See It:
Taryn Sheppard is based in Vancouver, and is currently the artist in residence at Material Matters of Emily Carr University. Her prices start at $450.
I-Chun Jenkins
I-Chun Jenkins is a Fredericton textile artist who creates meticulously beautiful works. She grew up in a small Taiwanese fishing village where she was inspired by the culture and colour that surrounded her. I-Chun later attended New Brunswick College of Craft and Design, where she honed her interest and skill in craft as fine art. She has a deep love of magazines and never wanted to throw out her old issues, which she now uses as her source material.
Cutting, stripping and slicing old magazine pages, the artist uses the strips to weave her pieces together in a traditional manner, as seen in Chronological (2020). I love the tactile nature of these works and how it’s the paper that becomes the subject rather than the imagery itself. These fascinating pieces would add a great element of texture and colour in a home and allow for meditative interaction.
Where To See It:
I-Chun Jenkins is represented by Studio 21 Fine Art in Halifax, and Buckland Merrifield Gallery in Saint John, N.B. She recently had a solo exhibition at UNB Art Centre. Her work starts at around $700.
Diana Hamm of WK ART is a Toronto art adviser. A graduate of Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London, U.K., Diana focuses on contemporary art and discovering emerging artists. She also advises private clients on acquisitions and collection- building. Find out more at wkart.ca.
House & Hom September 2022