In 1989, in a conversation at the Chelsea Arts Club, with Peter Peterson RBA, Sandra Pepys (then chair of the Society of Landscape Painters), Dennis Gilbert NEAC, Cinzia Bonada RBA and others, it was mentioned that many of them often painted small scale works and that it would be a good idea if there were a forum for exhibiting such works. The potential membership was discussed and a shortlist of names agreed on and the Small Paintings Society - subsequently renamed the Small Paintings Group - was founded.
Although many of their members also work on a much larger scale, the discipline involved in making small and intimate paintings demands a conciseness and directness all of its own and their affiliation to the Small Paintings Group reflects their appreciation of a forum where they can exhibit their smaller ‘cabinet’ sized paintings in sympathetic company in different venues across the country. These smaller works also have the advantage of fitting comfortably into the modern domestic environment where space may be limited – although, it is said, for the true collector a lack of space should never be a deterrent to adding to their collection!
This exhibition on show at Linden Hall Studio will feature works by the following Small Paintings Group members: Rachel Arif, Richard Baker, Annie Boisseau, Cinzia Bonada, Francis Bowyer, Liz Butler, Joyce Cairns, Jane Corsellis, PJ Crook, John Crossley, Louise Diggle, Dennis Gilbert, Lisa Graa Jensen, Charlotte Halliday, Ann Heat, Mary Jackson, Caroline McAdam Clark, Christopher Miers, Bridget Moore, William Packer, James Parfitt, John Paul, Melvyn Petterson, Richard Pikesley, Salliann Putman, Barbara Richardson, Rosalind Robinson, Ivy Smith, Richard Sorrell, Sarah Spackman, Linda Sutton, Jacqueline Taber, Nick Tidnam, and Anne Wright.