Hamilton teacher recreated 365 tiny paintings of small joyful moments last year

In an effort to retreat from some of the negativity and sameness of COVID, Montessori teacher Alicia Looyenga taught herself to paint, back in January 2021. She says she immersed herself in the small gifts she found in her day-to-day life and recreated them in tiny paintings. She did this every day for the entire year.

Now with a collection of 365 small paintings, Looyenga is hoping to auction them off to raise money for 541 Eatery and Exchange on Barton Street. She appreciates that through COVID, the coffee shop and restaurant has been feeding some of the city's most vulnerable people.

On Jan. 8, Vintage Coffee Roasters at 977 Main St. E. will host the collection of miniature art so the public can take a look. The paintings, which include many local sites such as Sherman Falls, Cootes Paradise, Hamilton buses, store fronts and neighbourhoods as well as wildlife and seasonal scenes, can also be seen on Alicia's Instagram and Facebook pages called Little Tiny Paintings.

The paintings will be auctioned from these social media pages.

Cathie Coward is a Hamilton-based photojournalist at The Spectator. Reach her via email: ccoward@thespec.com