Best in Miniature Contestants Appear on Meet the Miniaturist!

I was thrilled host a special Meet the Miniaturist featuring contestants from the new reality series BEST IN MINIATURE on CBC (Canada) and Discovery+ (UK). Photos: David Leyes)

Best in Miniature presents 11 talented miniatures in a race to build their ideal mini home in miniature!

We had a chat with a few of these talented mini reality tv stars about their miniatures, their experience on the show and heard about some of the challenges they faced when working against the clock in an effort to win the grand prize!

We also heard some of the inside drama of being on a reality show while making miniatures!

At this time the series is not available to view in the U.S. (and we really don't know if it will)...we tried to keep any spoilers to a minimum!

This was super fun!

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Until Next Time Thank you for being a part of the

D. Thomas Miniatures Community!

#FindTheJoyInMiniatures

Jay Kupjack Appears on a Meet the Miniaturist Livestream!

I'm thrilled to share this replay of a very special Meet the Miniaturist livestream from Gallery Victor in Chicago where Wonderkammer (Cabinet of Curiosities) is currently on exhibition featuring a number of Kupjack Roomboxes created by Hank and Jay Kupjack, the talented sons of Eugene Kupjack of the famed Thorne Miniature Rooms at the Chicago Art Institute.

We were treated with a private walk through of the exhibition by Victor Armendariz and joined by special guest, Jay Kupjack! This was a rare opportunity to see these awesome roomboxes up close and heard directly from the artist about his work. The chat box was open throughout and we took as many questions as possible.

Adapted from the Gallery Press Release: Wunderkammers, or cabinets of curiosities, arose in mid-sixteenth-century Europe as repositories for all manner of wondrous and exotic objects, sometimes filling entire rooms. These collections mark the intersection of superstition, science, and man-made objects and are precursors to museums.

Mr. Armendariz (pictured above) says: "Gallery Victor is thrilled to be the first Chicago gallery to showcase the Kupjack Miniature Rooms. Eugene Kupjack (1912-1991) worked with Mrs. Narcissa Niblack Thorne on the Art Institute’s treasured Thorne Miniature Rooms. Son’s Hank (1951-2019) and Jay (b. 1953) learned the craft from their father. The Kupjack Miniature Rooms are a perfect addition to our Wunderkammer exhibit."

Eugene Kupjack and his sons Hank and Jay created museum quality miniature rooms in their studio outside of Chicago for many years. Hank and Jay learned the at their father’s side as he assisted Mrs. Narcissa Niblack Thorne with the creation her many miniature rooms now housed at The Art Institute of Chicago.

Almost every piece of molding, furniture, rugs, and accessory items that are contained in their rooms are designed and created by hand. In addition to designing and building rooms they would sometimes work to restore the rooms built many years ago by their father and Mrs. Thorne.

Their work can be seen in various museums as far away as Turkey where they were exhibited in 2009. In the United States their work can be seen in the permanent collections of The Kentucky Museum Center, The Art Institute of Chicago, The Philadelphia Art Museum, The Knoxville Art Museum, The Indiana Children’s Museum, The Baltimore Museum, The Naples Museum, Winterthur Museum Garden and Library, The Palm Springs Desert Museum and The Forbes Collection.

Founded in 2017, Gallery Victor Armendariz exhibits compelling contemporary art in a variety of media by both established and emerging artists. The gallery's current exhibition, Wunderkammer, will be open through March 31, 2022

This was super fun!

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Until Next Time Thank you for being a part of the

D. Thomas Miniatures Community!

#FindTheJoyInMiniatures

How to Sell Your Adored Collection: Free Webinar!

Perhaps you are downsizing your collection of miniatures or looking to make room for more miniatures (who knew little things take up so much space?!); Maybe you have want to ensure that your collection will be ushered into the best hands after you’ve moved on to a bigger and better mini world beyond. Join my free webinar on Saturday, March 5 at 10am ET about your options for selling your miniatures collection and finding new happy homes for your tiny treasures. I'll also tell you about the services I provide which will help ease your mind and ease your heart at the same time if you're looking to transition your collection to happy new homes.

I'm a passionate miniaturist with a deep love for this hobby, this craft and this art form. I've been involved miniatures for as long as I can remember...my dad built me my first dollhouse when I was just 8 years old. This was not something a young boy growing up in Brooklyn asked his staunchly conservative father back in the 1970s to do...but I just had to have one (you know the feeling) and I have the same energy and passion for "the tiny" today that I had back then.

While I collect and craft miniatures as a hobby, I mostly promote and sell tiny treasures through D. Thomas Fine Miniatures, the company I founded in 2014. Over the years I've developed a keen ability to connect collectors with buyers who share the same understanding of the love, dedication and hard work it takes to curate a personal collection of miniatures.

I also have an extensive background in marketing, having served for more than two decades as a brand executive for the Revlon Corp., and use that experience to raise awareness of miniatures as the art form it deserves. I'd be happy to talk about your options when making the important decision to sell or transition your collection to a new place.

In addition to my marketing and selling services, the greatest value I provide if you decide to work with me is that I am able to best able to join sellers with enthusiasts who share a common appreciation for the joy, respect and care that miniatures deserve. I’m often called a “Miniatures Empath” or the "Dollhouse Whisperer” as was talked about in my feature in the March 2021 issue of Dolls House and Miniature Scene magazine.

Feel free to browse through some of my most recent estate auctions:

THE BUCKALTER ESTATE SALE

The Buckalters of Suffern, New York curated an assortment of some of the most beautiful miniatures crafted by some of the most iconic miniaturist in the world including Michael Walton, Greg Wannacott and Neil Bateson.

JAN LEE ESTATE SALE/January 2022

A charming assortment of miniatures from the collection of a New England enthusiast arrived on the market earlier in 2021 by some well known miniaturists such as Roger Gutheil, Betty Valentine and Pete Acquisto.

THE DONNA KABBAS AUCTION

This estate sale was filled with a large assortment of mini food treasures centered around the most important holidays of the year including Valentine's Day, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas!

I look forward to hosting this event and answering any of the questions you might have should you be interested in selling your collection.

Until Next Time: #LiveYourBestMiniLife

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