Everyone’s talking about Barbie House, the new giant playhouse for hot-pink loving adults. But there’s a far more rewarding and diminutive doll-house-like experience in Los Angeles – one anyone who loves art should experience and enjoy.
That is the world created by artist Kate Carvellas, a fabulous mixed media artist in her own right, who has created a miniature art wonderland in her brilliant, exquisitely detailed, tiny handcrafted French art gallery.
In short, Carvellas’ Exposition D’Art Miniature: Deux, is created to 1/12th scale perfection from its gallery front desk with flowers and art books to its pristine staircases and hardwood floors.
Note the baseball added in by the show’s creator for scale reference, below.
One wishes to shrink to Lilliputian size to wander this beautifully curated gallery exhibition of miniature artworks from over 70 Los Angeles-based artists including sculptural and painted work by Carvellas herself.
The miniature art gallery is said to be located “in the heart of Paris” rather than its creator’s Pasadena yard, and if you spend enough time peering into its rooms and garden, you’ll feel transported.
The backstory Carvellas has delightfully spun is that of an Expat American artist who inherited the French farmhouse in 2020 from a “long lost Uncle, and then purchased and converted two row homes in the heart of Paris into an art gallery.”
Once completed – and Carvellas led her many art fans through the building process, including charming inspections made by her cat, she invited her artist friends to be a part of the gallery’s inaugural art exhibit.
Miniature artworks are created in a variety of mediums in each artist’s often recognizable and exciting style including paintings, mixed media, sculpture, assemblage and print. The artists participating in the exhibit include:
A. Laura Brody
Ada Pullini Brown
Adeola Davies-Aiyeloja
Alyson Souza
Anna Stump
Annie Clavel
Beth Elliott
Bibi Davidson
Cammie Jones
Clare Gwin Holzer
Dean Larson
Debbi Swanson Patrick
Dellis Frank
Diane Cockerill
Dori Atlantis
Doug Alvarez
Dwora Fried
Edwin Vasquez
Faina Kumpan
Frederika Beesemyer Roeder
Gay Summer Sadow Rick
Heather Lowe
Jane Szabo
Janet Millhoume
Jennifer Griffiths
Jill Sykes
Jodi Bonassi
Judi Delgado
Karen Hochman Brown
Karen Ruth Karlsson
Karen Schifman
Karena Massengill
Kate Carvellas
Kathryn Pitt
Kerrie Smith
Kira Vollman
L. Aviva Diamond
Laura Larson
Leigh Salgado
Lina Kogan
Linda G. Illumanardi
Liz Huston
Lizzie Harding Wilkins
Lynn Heinz
Marta Feinstein
Marthe Aponte
Mary Jo Varney
Maureen Van Leeuwen Haldeman
Melinda R. Smith
Melissa Reichman
Michelle Robinson
Mike Street
Monica Marks Rickler
Nancy Crecelius Mooslin
Nancy Kay Turner
Nancy Larrew
Nurit Avesar
Pascaline Doucin Dahlke
Peggy Jo Sivert
Richard Bruland
Robyn Alatorre
Rouzanna Berberian
Sabine Meyer Zu Reckendorf
Sophia Batsford Tise
Stacey Rasfeld
Stephanie Sydney
Stevie Love
Sue Martine Tompkins
Susan Feldman Tucker
Suzanne Gibson
Tamara Porter Tolkin
Ted Meyer
Terri Berman
Valerie Daval
Zoe Topsfield
It would be hard to overstate the compulsive charm and resonant effectiveness of the exhibition, which spins a lovely and lovingly realized story along with the rare chance to view so many simply fabulous SoCal artists in one terrific group show.
From the brilliant colors of Stevie Love’s textural work and the miniature dioramas of Dwora Fried to the garden sculptures of Beth Elliott and Sabine Meyer Zu Reckendorf, the photographic imagery of Diane Cockerill, magnificent birds by Jodi Bonassi, and the delicate abstracts of Nurit Avesar, this is a feast for the senses and a pure triumph of community spirit, joyously good art, and of the imagination, for Carvellas and all the artists exhibiting. Such a wide variety of work, and all of it as exhilarating as it is, well, small.
The exhibition will be closing June 18th. For more information or to come view the works, reach out to the curator and creator at artbykcarvellas@yahoo.com.
Even Barbie is promising to attend.
- Genie Davis, photos: Kate Carvellas and Genie Davis
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wonderful! wonderful! wonderful! so happy to be a part of this super fun project! congratulations & thank you, Kate Carvellas!!
Just terrific all around
It is a great article and captured the spirit of a French “Exposition “ in a fantastic townhome! Thank you for really describing the spirit of the opening! Thank you , of course , to Kate Caravellas, for both the inspiration and all the hard work! It was great to see so many artists all together in one place enjoying the ambiance as well!!!
a joyful fun exhibition with lots of great art!
Perfect write-up of a magnificent show. Kate’s brilliant idea and all the miniature art made for a unique event and we were all so pleased to be included!
Fun and fabulous!
Thrilled to included in this exhibition! Kate took on a monumental task to create and curate this space of miniatures and it’s a resounding success!
really great exhibition!
What a bunch of lucky creatives are we! Talented, supportive friends of all stripes. Thank you, Kate Carvellas, for your vision and imagination and just plain hard work. And thank you, Genie Davis, for your insightful writing. The art, the event, all of it comes alive and lives on thanks to you! Woot!!!
Loved this show, loved your work in it! 🙂
Thank you so much, Genie! And huge thank you to all of the artist who participated in the everyone who came to the opening!
Thank you to Kate Carvellas !
What a great idea and so well executed.
It is also wonderful to meet all the other artists that I hadn’t met before.
So many special artworks;I ended up buying four myself 😉
Thank you so much Genie Davis for your lovely words ❣️