One hundred miniature paintings will make up Childers artist Marilyn Murray’s new exhibition.
The exhibition recently opened at Childers Art Space and is on display until 18 September.
With no work larger than 8.9 cm x 6.4 cm, the Meeting History in Miniature exhibition is a display of 100 framed paintings which take the viewer on a visual tour of South East Queensland.
Country churches, community halls, pubs and old picture theatres have all been immortalised in these beautifully executed miniatures.
Marilyn said the exhibition was initially going to be inspired from her travels around Australia but was adapted as travel plans changed.
“I painted my first painting for this exhibition in 2017 but the majority of the work has been completed in the past two years,” Marilyn said.
“Initially, my exhibition was going to feature buildings from all across Australia as we planned on doing the big loop.
“However, due to Covid and the inability to travel interstate for most of the past two and a half years, the exhibition features meeting places between Bundaberg and Brisbane and includes many little towns along the way.
“It is incredible how much inspiration is available from just this little portion of Australia.”
Marilyn said she had been painting miniatures for a few years now, documenting her travels wherever she went.
“I find them a wonderful way to document my life and travels and not take up too much space in my studio,” she said.
“Following on from my previous exhibition ‘Memories in Miniature’, I realised that I really enjoyed painting the architecture I came across in my travels so decided to expand on this theme and focus on the meeting places of old such as old churches, community halls, pubs and theatres.
“I feel in this day and age with much of our social interaction being online, the joy of interacting with our local communities is being lost.”
Marilyn Murray miniatures capture memories, emotion
Marilyn said the detail in each miniature painting clearly depicted the different locations and she hoped they would evoke emotion from those who visited the exhibition.
“I hope that my exhibition will trigger fond memories for people of days gone by,” she said.
“I imagine comments such as ‘Oh that is where my parents were married’, ‘I had a wonderful first date at that pub’ or ‘I had my 21st birthday in that hall’.
“As each miniature is a very detailed work of art, I am hopeful that my work will be recognised for its intricacy and uniqueness.”
Living in Childers since 2007, Marilyn said she had spent most of her visual arts and creative time in the local area.
“I have been painting since 2005,” she said.
“Visual art is not only my creative outlet but also a wonderful memory aid.
“Unlike photography, when I put a memory to canvas or paper, the feelings and emotions of that time stay with me.”
View the Marilyn Murray miniatures exhibition at Childers Art Space, 72 Churchill St, Childers.
Other stories: Vintage vehicles to set off across Australia
