They won’t all fit into your stocking, but any of the pieces on display at the Charlotte Art League’s December exhibit will definitely feel right at home under the tree on Christmas morning.

“Art To Go” is CAL’s annual holiday show, where everything on display is fourteen inches or smaller. In other words, the perfect size to give as a gift for that special someone. “In previous years, we’ve had a number of buyers tell us how the pieces they’ve purchased at this show were the first piece of original art that they or their loved one have owned,” said Jewel Reavis, Charlotte Art League President. “The small, reasonably priced works are an affordable way for someone to start a collection.”

Although holiday themes are certainly encouraged in show entries, don’t come to this show expecting to be surrounded by Santa studies or tacky Thomas Kinkade knock-offs. The exhibit boasts entries by an impressive array of serious, professional artists covering a wide range of subjects, media, and formats. Although the majority of the entries are framed landscapes, still-lifes, and abstracts, a few 3-D works are available for buyers thinking beyond the wall. The only unifying theme is the small scale.

Unlike most shows, where if you buy you must wait until the exhibit closes to take your acquisition home, “Art To Go” is a cash-and-carry show. Meaning that if you buy it, you take it home that day. CAL does not provide gift wrapping services, however — any paper left laying around here usually winds up with one of the resident artist’s doodles on it, and can be found framed and on the wall at the next month’s show!

“Art To Go” opens on Friday, December 4 at 6:00PM. The Charlotte Art League is a participant in the South End Gallery Crawl, happening the same evening.

Directions to Charlotte Art League