Jim Schaefer - August Bathers

In 1998 I was invited by Eric Gibbons of the Firehouse Gallery of Bordentown, New Jersey to show work in an exhibit of "tiny art." The paintings were to be no larger than 8" x 10" framed. My inclination had always been to paint large, so this was quite a challenge. I cut up some pieces of masonite into 6&1/2" x 8" pieces, primed them, dug up the smallest brushes I could find, and knocked off a series of small acrylic paintings for the show. As is usually the case when experimenting with a new idea, the earliest ones were the best. The experience was bitter-sweet, as my close friend Jude Burkhauser, who was also in the show, died of cancer the day after the opening.

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