COURTESY PHOTO Deborah Pacheco's "Downtown" is a chine colle and intaglio monoprint. The work is part of "MMM IX 2006," on exhibit at Koa Gallery.

Small kine art

Miniature shows offer galleries a way to capitalize on the holiday shopping season

Numerous galleries in town are showing miniature fine art this season. Cedar Street Galleries just closed its "Matchbox Plus" exhibit; the Balcony Gallery is currently exhibiting "Out of the Sketchbook." Koa Gallery's also on the bandwagon with its "9th Annual Mixed Media Miniatures" show, which runs through Saturday.

Miniature art, art on a smaller scale, translates to miniature prices -- and this means us regular folk can get in on a real piece of fine art by respected artists usually out of our price range.

Koa's exhibit, affectionately called "Small Kine Art, Big Kine Heart," offers a great sampling of local contemporary artists, says director David Behlke.

"This year, the show's so deep, there's hardly a weak piece," Behlke raves. "We have about 165 pieces; there's lots of quality art. There are gems for as little as $35, on up."

Behlke says every year, each artist he invites recommends another artist for the show. That way, "there's always a freshness to it." Added to the mix are the works of KOA awardees, local artists honored by the gallery each year for a lifetime of work. This year, Claude Horan, John Young and Lucille Cooper are included in the show.

Koa Gallery is located on the Kapiolani Community College campus. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. Call 734-9374.

COURTESY PHOTO Moon Berry" by Lori Y. Uyehara is a moon berry sculpture.

COURTESY PHOTO "Wired," a kozo, copper wire and wood piece by Allison Roscoe.

COURTESY PHOTO Suzanne Wolfe's "Leaf Rock" is a porcelain sculpture.

COURTESY PHOTO One panel of Kandi Everett's "Hands," a four-panel acrylic on canvas.

COURTESY PHOTO "Portrait" by Ruth Laird Pistor is a watercolor.