Christmas in Miniature exhibit

All photos courtesy

The Barbara Moore Fine Art Gallery in Chadds Ford will host its “Christmas in Miniature Art Exhibit and moore” beginning on Dec. 1.

A new painting for 2021 by Robert Stack.

By Monica Thompson Fragale Contributing Writer

One of the things Barbara Moore loves about the upcoming “Christmas in Miniature Art Exhibit and moore” at her Chadds Ford gallery is the chance to introduce people to original art … especially on a smaller scale.

“Everyone could use a small piece of artwork in their house,” Moore said recently. “The exciting part of what art is, to me, is their introduction to art.”

The “Christmas in Miniature” exhibit will run from Dec. 1-31 and will showcase the smaller-sized works of 38 artists. The opening reception will be held Wednesday, Dec. 1.

Whether it’s repeat exhibitors such as Rick Bollinger, Robert Stack, Peter Sculthorpe, Alice Woodward, and

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others, or newer artists like Kathy Ruck and photographers Richard Schwartzman and Robert S. Porter, there is miniature art for every style and every taste.

The artists’ work also presents a perfect opportunity for visitors to bring home a reminder of their visits to Chadds Ford.

“They make good gifts,” Moore said, “and (people) can take a little piece of artwork home as a reminder of where they’ve been.”

It’s also, she said, a “unique way to introduce new artists to the area.”

COVID-19 prompted a change to the traditional exhibit format last year with the addition of online browsing and purchasing. Viewing and buying the artwork will again be offered in-person and online.

“People are becoming more used to going online,” Moore said. But for those who come to the gallery, especially for the opening reception, masks are requested to be worn regardless of vaccination status.

The miniature art exhibit began decades ago when Moore was working for the Chadds Ford Gallery. She recalled that the first exhibit featured just 25 artists and introduced visitors to an “innovative” idea – art in small scale.

Moore had approached the artists to ask them to paint on the smaller scale. Once the exhibit began, there were hundreds of small paintings Don Rankin’s ‘The Side of the Mill.’ It is a painting

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An example of five of Linda McNeil’s very small works.

hung every five to 10 inches on the walls of the barn that housed the Chadds Ford Gallery (where Moore’s gallery is now located).

“They would run around and look at the art,” Moore said, adding that the artists’ work would be spread out in various locations so people would look throughout the barn. And when a painting was sold, Moore would run upstairs to get another piece to replace it.

“By the second year people got wise in seeing I’d run upstairs to replace it, so they’d wait at the bottom of the steps to see what I was bringing down,” she said.

A new painting for 2021 by Don Shoffner.

Don Shoffner’s “Christmas Past,” also a new painting for 2021. “Christmas In Miniature Art Exhibit and moore” opens Dec. 1.

The Barbara Moore Fine Art Gallery is at 1609 Baltimore Pike, Building 400A, in Chadds Ford.

Hours are Wednesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.

For more information, go online at barbaramoorefineart.com or call 484-776-5174.