Did you all have a great time at Miniatura? For me, as well as just enjoying all the amazing miniatures that were on display, I was also scouting around looking for miniatures and miniaturists that I could feature in my Miniatura blogs and my articles for Dolls House and Miniature Scene magazine. So, if you saw me whizzing back and forth with photographer Rob Tysall, that’s what we were up to.
I thought there was a lovely, friendly atmosphere at the show and it was great to chat to exhibitors who I’d met before as well as some of the newest exhibitors, one being Emma Turner of Unity Wood who makes Tudor and Medieval fantasy inspired items. Emma who had come up from Cornwall for her first Miniatura, began making miniatures about three years ago, but had only been doing this seriously for the last 18 months. Emma is also a newlywed, having married Mark very recently. Leaving him at home however, she was ably assisted by her good friend Anita Denny.
Unity Wood Miniatures are all about the foods and utensils ordinary Medieval people would have used back in the day. On her stand were market stalls, bread and other foods; and making it authentic, her barrels and boxes were full of real seeds and spices which still gave off the scent. She also makes heraldry banners, shields, rugs and hand-makes books with every page dyed with coffee to give them that ancient look. “My conservatory smelled of coffee for weeks!” laughed Emma. In keeping with her theme, her stand was covered in 100-year-old curtains. “They belonged to my great, great aunt. They were her best sitting room curtains which had been packed away in a box for years. I decided I could make very good use of them!
Talking about her miniatures, Emma added, “I’ve always loved history and especially this era – it’s all a bit blood and guts! And I enjoy the fantasy element so that I can add my own interpretation to the pieces without having to stick rigidly to historic facts. It gives me that bit of freedom.”
It was great to hear that she had thoroughly enjoyed her first Miniatura fair and plans on coming back. “I have enjoyed it, and you have to keep the momentum going so people get to know you and what you make. It’s been very good I was quite surprised, because when you are new, people look to see what you’re making and then walk on, but they were coming back to buy things. It has been lovely. It’s a lovely atmosphere and everybody has been lovely – the visitors and the Miniatura team who have been so supportive.”
Another newcomer to Miniatura was Valley View Silver. Wendy Spencer ably assisted by husband Tim had come up from Weymouth and they were also enjoying their first experience of exhibiting at Miniatura. Wendy said: “It’s been very good. I liked the organisation. The team have been very helpful, their promotion has been very good, and the show has been lovely.” Wendy’s stand was in two distinct halves – one section displaying her canal art items and the other half, her silver miniatures.
Canal art is in her blood as she used to live on a narrow boat and made full sized canal items. She’s since found that making miniatures of these things makes life a lot easier when it comes to transporting them around. She uses a variety of materials in her work such as wood, terracotta and white metal and thoroughly enjoys the process of making things for herself. “I taught myself the painting techniques used in canal art. Painting the miniatures is done in the same manner as doing full sized canal art, with each flower built up, layer upon layer.”
In her normal job she is a college exams officer in Weymouth. A couple of years ago she learnt how to be a Silversmith making full sized pieces and is registered with the Birmingham Assay Office. She then realised that she could also make pieces in 1/12th scale. Using the same traditional silversmith techniques she makes dolls house miniatures from all eras. However, she added, “A second too long with the blowtorch and you’re left with a melted blob!” A high percentage of her pieces are hallmarked sterling silver 925 or 958. Wendy added, “I want to be reasonably priced – what I would pay, of course silver is expensive and having it assayed is an extra cost, but I try to keep the prices at a reasonable level. They aren’t mass produced, and no two pieces are the same.”
Delighted that these Miniatura newbies enjoyed the show, and we’ll be featuring others in later blogs.