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Gorgeous Gems Make a Big Buzz

Arts Benicia presents Gems: Exquisite, Intricate, Intimate Small Works of Art.

The holiday shopping season is underway.  Between shopping for that fruitcake, Santa sweater or Jingle Bells neck tie you might want to head down to Tyler Street in the Historic Benicia Arsenal for a last chance to pick up something from the Arts Benicia exhibit .

 “In this recession economy we encourage people to buy from our local art community,” says Larnie Fox, Executive Director of Arts Benicia.

The show offers 240 unique works from 60 local and Bay Area artists, all sized 7”x7” or smaller. Mediums include ceramic, textiles, sculpture, drawings, mixed media, mosaic, watercolor, acrylic and oil paintings.

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Unconventional materials like bottle caps make up whimsical sculptures. 

The most amazing thing about the work is the tiny detail. Many of the participating artists don’t usually work in such a small scale, so a huge amount of art is concentrated into tiny spaces. Miniscule shadow boxes offer three-dimensional scenes inside. It's like peeking through a dollhouse window. Other favorites are itty-bitty metal-figure sculptures.

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 “I am really thrilled by the quality of the work,” says Fox. “There are a lot of unusual pieces.” Last year Arts Benicia hosted a small works show.  “... but this year is better,” says Fox.

The show runs through December 18. 

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