Exhibit review: ‘Les Miniatures’ at the CAVA Gallery

The diverse talent of Edmonton’s Francophone community takes center stage at Les Miniatures at the Centre d’Arts Visuels de l’Alberta (CAVA) Gallery. Every artist’s style is different, yet the overall atmosphere is bright and fresh. The artworks are all miniatures, creating a delightful sense of delicacy and detail.

Photographs and mixed-media artworks are showcased alongside many other mediums. Landscapes and natural elements are common themes, as are modern aesthetics and harmonious shapes. Artist Claire Maisonneuve’s oil paintings bring flowers to life. Meanwhile, artist Rhéa Plouffe’s landscapes are loose and impressionist.

In Maisonneuve’s oil painting Roseé Matinal, glistening water droplets are forever suspended on fragile pink petals. The droplets add a sense of dynamism to the painting, as they look just about ready to glide down and disappear. Maisonneuve’s brush strokes are smooth and diffusive.

Plouffe’s View in Canmore would fit perfectly in a mountain lodge. The acrylic paint could pass for watercolour. There is a very thin layer of paint, and the texture of the canvas remains well visible. The overall effect is confidently rustic.

Barbara Kowalewski uses mixed-media to create tangible texture and dimension. I could almost feel the foam of the water in Waves, and the heat of the crackling flames in Brush Fire 1.

By embracing textures, Kowalewski makes her paintings feel almost like sculptures. They seem ready to jump right out of the frames. The same goes for Alison Fleming’s oil paintings, though the work owes its realism to detail rather than texture.

Fleming’s painting Hobbit, Londien stands out for its crisp realism. Fleming’s mastery of technique is evident in the painting’s plasticine-like blending and attention to urban decay. Small details, such as the scratches on wood and the unevenness of painted-over signs, create authenticity and genuineness. 

Similarly, photographer Nozomi Kamei’s Before the Trip is a literal snapshot of time. This black-and-white photograph was taken from a low angle, so it feels like the viewer is crouching down and peering through a thick field of dandelions. The photograph’s frame made for half of its success; the edges of the paper are rough and rustic, and the wooden top is hanging by a twine. The combination has an authentically aged aesthetic.   

Doris Darbasie’s acrylic landscape paintings were the highlight of the exhibit. Full of interplays of light and shadow, Darbasie’s paintings are captivating in their simplicity. The landscapes are painted from afar, with few details and stark contrast —however, there is no mistaking the outlines of trees or mountains.

Darbasie’s mastery of colour is impressive. The deep, dark colours are tantalizingly dramatic, while the lighter tones are practically glowing. In Le Paysage #26, sunlight is radiant as it reflects from water; in Le Paysage #19, quick brushstrokes add motion to a landscape bathed by warmth. The wide frames make it feel like you’re looking through a tiny window into the wilderness.

Pascale Robinson also focuses on the wilderness, though she uses solid colours and defined shapes in her acrylic paintings. Her artwork is easy on the eyes, with clear modernity and balance. In Two Goats, Robinson employs a minimalist colour scheme to achieve tranquility.

Les Miniatures is full of variety. There is a “little” something for everyone — literally. The artworks may be small, but there is no shortage of big ideas.

You can admire Les Miniatures at the CAVA Gallery until January 6.