Readings from The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton at D. Thomas Fine Miniatures Friday April 8, 2016 6-

We are thrilled to be part of the annual, village-wide event to celebrate the literary world for Words-on-Hudson on Friday, April 8th from 6-8pm. Local shops and venues will be hosting live performances and related activities around the spoken word.

We're so pleased that radio host, local resident and miniature enthusiast, J.J. Kennedy will be on hand for readings from the very popular Jessie Burton novel: The Miniaturist.

Readings are twice an hour 6:10, 6:40, 7:10 and 7:40.

We hope you can join us for a very special evening in the shop!

Overview Featured on Barnes & Nobel:

Set in seventeenth century Amsterdam—a city ruled by glittering wealth and oppressive religion—a masterful debut steeped in atmosphere and shimmering with mystery, in the tradition of Emma Donoghue, Sarah Waters, and Sarah Dunant.”There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed . . .“On a brisk autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman arrives in Amsterdam to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader Johannes Brandt. But her new home, while splendorous, is not welcoming. Johannes is kind yet distant, always locked in his study or at his warehouse office—leaving Nella alone with his sister, the sharp-tongued and forbidding Marin.But Nella’s world changes when Johannes presents her with an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized replica of their home.

To furnish her gift, Nella engages the services of a miniaturist—an elusive and enigmatic artist whose tiny creations mirror their real-life counterparts in eerie and unexpected ways . . .Johannes’ gift helps Nella to pierce the closed world of the Brandt household. But as she uncovers its unusual secrets, she begins to understand—and fear—the escalating dangers that await them all. In this repressively pious society where gold is worshipped second only to God, to be different is a threat to the moral fabric of society, and not even a man as rich as Johannes is safe. Only one person seems to see the fate that awaits them. Is the miniaturist the key to their salvation . . . or the architect of their destruction?Enchanting, beautiful, and exquisitely suspenseful, The Miniaturist is a magnificent story of love and obsession, betrayal and retribution, appearance and truth.

ABOUT D. THOMAS FINE MINIATURES

D. Thomas Fine Miniatures is an online and in-store retail destination featuring artisan dollhouses and top quality collectibles including 1/12th scale furniture and accessories. The shop also offers workshops and classes taught by master artisans.

The concept, designed to appeal to collectors, crafters and enthusiasts at all skill levels and abilities, was created, in part, to raise awareness of miniatures as a decorative art form and to introduce the discipline not only to a new generation but to those who may just be discovering it!

The shop also features a gallery space showcasing works in miniature by well-known artists from all over the world.

D. Thomas Fine Miniatures is located at 579 Warburton Avenue in the village of Hastings-on-Hudson NY. Gallery and shop hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and Sunday from Noon to 5:00 pm. Evening hours are available by appointment.

For more, follow D. Thomas Fine Miniatures on: Instagram Facebook and Twitter.

If the Creek Don't Rise: Thomas Doyle Solo Exhibition, Hudson River Museum, Yonkers NY

Infinite Regress

Mixed Media, 2015

We are living in the Age of Anxiety. From threats of terrorism to global warming, we experience gnawing fear for our country, our culture, even our planet. Our longing for order and control is palpable. Reflecting this unease, Thomas Doyle shows us perfect worlds about to be unhinged by disaster. His miniatures lure us with their charm but looking closely we see the fragility of their secure and bolstered life. Thomas Doyle draws the title of this exhibition, If the creek don’t rise, from the 19th- century expression, “if the good Lord willing and the creek don’t rise,” that is, God and Nature control our fate, whatever plans we make.

The Culminating Point

Mixed Media, 2015

Playing with the idea that “every man’s home is his castle,” Doyle creates the stages in the life of a suburban home. Lit to suggest shifting times of day from dawn to dusk, his dioramas reach their “culminating point” in #3, the central “perfect” house. In #4 the home is literally “underwater,” its plight symbolizing the crisis of home ownership today ─ that the monetary loan for the home is greater than the diminished value of the house.

In #5, after the flood,the property on which the house stood is now returned to its empty lot status before before its construction, and is a reminder of the transience of contemporary culture where the average American moves once every five years.

HOLDOUT, Dustoff, Staging Area

You remember it, it remembers you, Acquitted

In works from 2014, Thomas Doyle creates unease in his viewers by placing families in the dangerous path of the military who infiltrate their suburban homes. Holdout presents the façade of a suburban home juxtaposed with a bunker, leaving you to wonder if the residents are collaborators or enemies.

Dustoff shows a soldier rappelling from the sky into a typical suburban front yard. In Staging area, the subterranean world of the soldier is unsuspected by the residents above. In You remember it, or it remembers you, soldiers haul household goods to a giant pile—whether debris, salvage, or pillage is unclear, while Acquitted shows a soldier sheltering a civilian from an aftermath explosion.

About the Artist

Thomas Doyle, born in Grand Haven, Michigan, is now a long-time New York resident. He has shown his sculptures at galleries and museums across the United States and in London, Los Angeles, Florence, Seoul, and Beijing. If the creek don’t rise is Thomas Doyle’s first solo museum exhibition.

All Photos: Courtesy of the artist

ABOUT D. THOMAS FINE MINIATURES

D. Thomas Fine Miniatures is an online and in-store retail destination featuring artisan dollhouses and top quality collectibles including 1/12th scale furniture and accessories. The shop also offers workshops and classes taught by master artisans.

The concept, designed to appeal to collectors, crafters and enthusiasts at all skill levels and abilities, was created, in part, to raise awareness of miniatures as a decorative art form and to introduce the discipline not only to a new generation but to those who may just be discovering it!

The shop also features a gallery space showcasing works in miniature by well-known artists from all over the world.

D. Thomas Fine Miniatures is located at 579 Warburton Avenue in the village of Hastings-on-Hudson NY. Gallery and shop hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and Sunday from Noon to 5:00 pm. Evening hours are available by appointment.

For more, follow D. Thomas Fine Miniatures on: Instagram Facebook and Twitter.

New! SMALL TALK: a LIVE Internet Show About Little Things from D. Thomas Fine Miniatures

Excited to share GREAT news about a new LIVE interactive internet broadcast which will be presented periodically directly from the Shop/Gallery here at D. Thomas Fine Miniatures in the historic Hudson Valley, New York. This new show is all about the little things we love: miniatures!

Small Talk will be delivered LIVE (and free) right to your smart phone, laptop or tablet using Periscope. The Periscope app is super-easy to set up and use and allows you view the show, ask questions in real time, react to content (with heart-shaped Likes!) and sign on and off anonymously at your convenience. Don't worry if you miss a live episode, we'll be posting replays right here on our website, on our You Tube channel and on Facebook! But.... it's way more fun to participate live!

Our very first broadcast is scheduled for Thursday, March 17th at 4pm EST where we'll be joined by local resident, New York City Disc Jockey and miniature enthusiast: the delightful J.J. Kennedy! The day's topic will be upgrading your miniatures collection and how to identify a fine miniature!

Be sure to download Periscope and set up your account in time for the broadcast (it only takes a few minutes!). We hope you'll follow us at D. Thomas Miniatures and join the show!!

Check back here on our webiste for details on upcoming broadcasts you won't want to miss!

ABOUT D. THOMAS FINE MINIATURES

D. Thomas Fine Miniatures is a retail destination featuring artisan dollhouses and top quality collectibles including 1/12th scale furniture and accessories. The shop also offers workshops and classes taught by master artisans.

The concept, designed to appeal to collectors, crafters and enthusiasts at all skill levels and abilities, was created, in part, to raise awareness of miniatures as a decorative art form and to introduce the discipline not only to a new generation but to those who may just be discovering it!

The shop also features a gallery space showcasing works in miniature by well-known artists from all over the world.

D. Thomas Fine Miniatures is located at 579 Warburton Avenue in the village of Hastings-on-Hudson NY. Gallery and shop hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and Sunday from Noon to 5:00 pm. Evening hours are available by appointment.

For more, follow D. Thomas Fine Miniatures on: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

#obeytheminiature