Saturday, October 27, 2018

Little Things Matter

"I'm disappearing, avoiding most things."
~ Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett ~

Too often lately I feel overwhelmed by, well, almost everything socially. Social media in particular seems overcrowded with sellers of all stripes clamoring to scream over each other as they try more and more to grab the attention of any buyers so that it's just all an intolerable cacophony of "buy my stuff!", "the holidays are coming!", "sale!", "special deal!", etc. Everyone pushing to do and be more, more, more and bigger, bigger, bigger than the rest, with an endless barrage of sales pitches and trying to loom larger than the competition. In the midst of all this tumult, I find myself in desperate need of retreat from the noise, so have been seeking refuge in the infinite beauty of the minuscule, the unnoticed, the smallest things so often overlooked and ignored. 

"An unnoticed corner of the world suddenly becomes noticed, and when you notice something clearly and see it vividly, it becomes sacred."
~ Allen Ginsberg ~

"The Sky's The Limit" Series
© 2018 Tammy Kaufman
1.5" x 3" soft pastel micro-minis on Pastelmat

Creating tiny paintings is a painstaking and meticulous task, but one in which I'm discovering a unique sense of tranquility and respite. It's my way of metaphorically honoring the smallest and least among us.

"It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important."
~ Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ~

"Hope Blooms" Series
© 2018 Tammy Kaufman
1.5" x 3" soft pastel micro-minis on Pastelmat

So I've been working on a few series of these tiny paintings as a form of my own personal miniature-therapy as well as showing my respect for the minimized and marginalized, pushed out of the way by the seemingly never-ending quest of the masses for more and bigger (but not necessarily better to my way of thinking).

"When you do something beautiful and nobody noticed, do not be sad. For the sun, every morning is a beautiful spectacle and yet most of the audience still sleeps."
~ John Lennon ~

"Not All Who Wander Are Lost" Series
© 2018 Tammy Kaufman
1.5" x 3" soft pastel micro-minis on Pastelmat

Thus far I've found painting these micro-minis remarkably helpful in offering sanctuary from this current emotional storm and look forward to continuing this process and discovering where it may lead.

"Living In Freefall" Series
© 2018 Tammy Kaufman
1.5" x 3" soft pastel micro-minis on Pastelmat

"Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does." ~ William James

"Fairy Tales" Series
© 2018 Tammy Kaufman
2" x 2" Acrylic on canvas

"I think of me being a painter eventually."
~ Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett ~