The Story
Miniature Masterpieces, Wood Block Miniatures, or just plain Minis, whatever you call them, these little paintings have lots of heart. Originally conceived for the Artomat program, they have definitely taken on a life of their own. People collect them and come back to shows year after year to buy more. They hang on walls, sit on book cases and in curio cabinets, show up as stocking stuffers, on gift boxes, on sewing tables, above door frames and in nurseries and children's rooms. At shows even little kids buy them. Thousands of them are floating around the country. One of them even got its picture in Newsweek.
Painted on white pine blocks measuring 2 1/8 x 3 3/8 x 3/4 inches, the wood is sealed and then painted in oil. The sides are painted in acrylic and a hook is attached to the back for easy hanging. They can even stand on their own.
A Note About the Art-o-mat
Developed by a North Carolina artist named Clark Whittington in 1997, Art-o-mats are recycled cigarette vending machines that dispense tiny pieces of art. There are about 400 contributing artists from all around the world. Over 80 machines are spread all over the US. A few are also in Canada and Europe. It's a neat concept. Check out their website.
Purchasing
Minis are only $6 a piece if you buy them at one of our shows. Custom orders will also generally be $6, however particularly complicated or detailed orders (generally things like home or pet portraits) that take considerably longer to complete may be up to $8 each. We'll give you a quote when you make an inquiry.
We sell well over 1000 minis a year (over 2000 in 2013, about 3000 in 2014...) which makes it impossible to keep a comprehensive inventory on the website. Because of this we offer MOMs (Made-to-Order Minis). MOMs are available in any subject you'd like. A partial list appears on the minis gallery page but the skies the limit. To purchase MOMs all you need to do is fill out our form, tell me what subject you'd like and any special requests you have and in most cases I'll have it ready within two weeks.
If you are in the area and would like to pick up your minis please let me know and we can make arrangements, If you are not local, or are unable to pick up your minis we can ship them, current postal rates apply.