WATERCOLOR MINIATURIST
ABOUT THE ARTIST
SADIE PENNELL
Sadie Pennell is a Filipino-American watercolor artist based in Dahlonega, Georgia. Working at an unusually small scale, she creates meticulously detailed miniature paintings—no larger than a quarter. Through watercolor, Pennell explores intimacy, memory, and the significance of everyday moments.
ARTIST STATEMENT
I make paintings about small, everyday joys.
It’s the Little Things grew out of my desire to slow down and really notice the moments that shape our days — a favorite snack, a bird we spot outside our window, a new book, the comfort of the couch at the end of the day. These are things that are easy to overlook, especially beside life’s bigger milestones, yet they’re the moments we live with most often and perhaps don't think about. This series is about taking time to recognize and appreciate those simple, everyday pleasures.
Each painting in this series is no larger than 24mm in diameter. Painting at this scale requires complete focus. When I’m working, everything outside the painting falls away — there’s only the brush, the paper, and the moment I’m trying to hold onto. That sense of concentration is a big part of why I work small.
At this size, the work can be easy to miss at first, but once it’s noticed, it requires focus. You have to stop, lean in, and spend time with what’s in front of you. In a world that encourages quick glances, I hope these paintings slow the viewer down and ask them to consider what’s right in front
of them, just as I hope they’ll consider the small joys we often pass by as we move quickly through our days and lives.
“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”
— Vincent van Gogh
I come back to this quote often while working. It reflects the way these paintings are made, and the way I think about daily life — that meaning is built slowly, through small moments, small choices, and small joys given time and attention.
