At the Autumn Show we were delighted to welcome thirteen fabulous new exhibitors, who brought some amazing work to show, and we hope that we’ll be seeing much more of them in the future.

In case you didn’t manage to meet all the new exhibitors, we’d like to highlight them here over the next few weeks and let you know a little more about them. They also have their own page here on the Miniatura Website with links to where you can buy their lovely miniatures.

So, in no particular order – as they say on Strictly, first off, we would like to introduce to you, Smaller Things and the creator of these eclectic miniatures Lucy Antony, who had travelled from Banbury for the show. Lucy describes her miniatures as fantasmagorical and finds herself inspired by films and horror – just things that catch her eye – but certainly not ‘fluffy’ things!

Lucy started with 1:12 scale 27 years ago. She then took a break and started again five years ago – but this time went right down to making her miniatures in a much smaller scale. “I had a Tudor dolls house which I furnished,” said Lucy, “then I thought why not make a dolls house to go into it – and another one to go into that, so went right down to 1:48 and 1:144. I liked the challenge!”

She certainly goes for the unusual and the macabre, and amongst her dolls house cabinets look closely and you’ll find her ‘bone’ cabinets where she has on display real bones! These come from owl pellets – yes, the undigested contents of an owl’s gullet which are expelled.

Lucy explained, “You can buy these pellets which have been sterilised, and then I spend around four hours taking them apart to sort out the smallest bones that I can find. I admit that the first time I did this, I sat there shaking, thinking I might still find something alive!”

She also has a particular liking for illusions, and on her stand were TVs with infinity mirrors and room boxes including one she called Pepper’s Ghost based on a Victorian illusion that she’d read about. Possibly with the use of smoke and mirrors, the ghost of Pepper will briefly appear! Lucy also had an amazing book shop called Good Omens that took her around a year to make.

This was Lucy’s first miniature show ever as an exhibitor although she has long been a customer. She added, “It has been a good experience, although I was apprehensive as you don’t know how people will react to what you make. And I admit that I felt like crying when someone bought something and took it away. Well, you make these things from the heart, and you don’t want to see them go.”

Art for the home

We also welcomed JC Diorama Art with something very different. These pieces of stand alone art pieces were for the home – highly detailed miniature architectural dioramas, framed and ready for hanging on the wall. This 3D art focused on sections of buildings, such as an old door, or a balcony. The artist, Joao Coelho from Liverpool loves to create realistic textures, using weathering techniques and intricate details.

Joao explained that the subject of his pictures relates to old and used things, appreciating the idea of something having a history – something that had been used.

He said, “I like the old decaying atmosphere – things that tell a story, I build what has been there for so long.”

As an artist Joao also makes 1:12 scale artist’s tables with all the realistic paint splatters and clutter. “The first one I made was based on my own artist table, now I do all kinds, it depends on what people want.”

The Starting Point

Although Hannah of Home Comfort Miniatures has been making dolls house food ever since she was given a dolls house for her sixth birthday, she only started to take her miniatures seriously in recent times. In her own words she admits that it’s mad, rash and unrealistic to think she could actually try to make a living creating miniatures.

“But everybody has to start somewhere,” says Hannah, adding, “besides, what’s the worst that could happen? So, taking the plunge, Home Comfort Miniatures exhibited for the very first time ever at the Autumn show.

Mum, Karen was on the stand supporting and helping. Karen recalled that it was  Hannah’s granddad, Bill Ellis who instigated her interest in dolls house miniatures by giving her that dolls house when she was six. In homage to Bill, and to other family members no longer with them, she makes things like ‘Bill’s pizzas’ and her grandmother Betty’s tablecloth covered her display table at the show.

Hannah specialises in food which really does look good enough to eat, and to make it all look as realistic as possible she will often include half-eaten meals, crumbs, drips and bits with bites and scoops taken out of them.

For the last couple of years, under the name Where The Small Things Are she has also been working on a Google project making miniature props and food for miniature scenes created for the Bugdroid – Google’s Android mascot – for tech events in Barcelona, Sicily and Las Vegas.

Shine a light!

The Miniatura Show always tries to include exhibitors who have the equipment, tools and materials needed by the craftspeople, and making sure that miniaturists had light just where they needed it, was Gloforce Ltd.

This Bristol based company was founded by Guy Carver in 2015 after he noticed a problem for workmen such as plumbers, electricians and mechanics all working in awkwardly lit spaces, holding a torch with one hand and struggling to work with the other. Guy knew there had to be a solution, a way to bring light to even the most challenging corners. And that’s when GloForce was born.

At the show he demonstrated the company’s modular kits which are designed to get light and/or magnification exactly to the right place, leaving the workman, craftsperson or hobbyist hands free to get on with their work or hobby.

With their flexi lighting kits they explained how they can be adapted to suit your own needs, whether you’re making miniatures, sewing or some other intricate hobby. You can even design your own kit using the Gloforce 1000 lumen EYE-LIGHT along with a strong adaptable gooseneck allowing you to position the light just where you need it.

Guy says, “Our products are not just lights; they’re solutions, designed to make your life easier, brighter, and better.”

Let’s Get Whimsical

Liz Forbear-White, husband Paul White and their two daughters, Eleanor aged 6 and Juliette aged 8, are the family behind Little Bit of Rainbow which Liz describes as hand-made Polymer Clay creations, mixing in humour along with whimsical sizing and scale.

“It’s the perfect scale for miniature mice. Emma Bridgewater-inspired patterns and miniature pottery,” Liz explains. “If a mouse owned a house everything would be oversized, so I play with this in my work. Rustic, vintage, whimsical style. Larger-than-life statement pieces for mice. Emma Bridgewater herself owns two sets of my minis and has given me permission to re-produce her patterns on my miniatures, so I hand make polymer clay tea sets and decorate with her pattern.

Amongst Liz’s signature makes are rainbow cakes. Emma Bridgewater inspired pattern pottery. 1/66th bookshelf houses furnished with 1/66th clay furniture. Leather-effect designer handbags. Seasonal story collections. English afternoon tea & cheese.

“It started with a love of Maileg little mice,” said Liz of Southend-on-Sea, Essex, “Then I started making minis for my own mice, so at to fill in gaps in my collection.”

As demand for her work grew, she began working in small batches, making 20 to 30 pieces at a time. – in what she calls ‘fluid mouse scale’. In fact, her work is sometimes 1:166 scale.

At Miniatura her daughters were kept busy giving out Scavenger Hunt forms to children with a small prize at the end. Liz was busy chatting about her work with like-minded enthusiasts. If you take a look at Liz’s social media pages, you should find free tutorials, tips, tricks and tools. “I like helping other artists grow by sharing tried and tested techniques.

We’ll be saying hello to more newbies very soon.

Thank you to Rob Tysall Pro Photography for the images.