Meet the Miniaturists Headed to the BIG Little Show!

I'm excited to be hosting a special Meet the Miniaturist LIVESTREAM open studio event on Sunday, April 16 at 4pm ET when I'll be joined by several artists who will be presenting their work at the upcoming Tom Bishop International Show in Chicago, IL later this month.

The Tom Bishop Show is one of the largest and longest running miniature shows in the United States and features work by many of the best miniaturists on the planet!

We'll be "dropping in" on several artists showcasing in Chicago, visit their working studios and get a glimpse of some of the tiny treasures they're working on to sell at the BIG mini show! The chat box will be open for questions throughout.

Artist scheduled to appear on the livestream (not necessarily in order of appearance) include Chris Toledo, June Clinkscales, Natalie Condrac, Carol Kubrican, and Margie Criner. More about each artist and links to their social media and websites below.

Chris Toledo | Toledo Miniatures

Chris Toledo (IG:@ibuildsmallsthings) is best known for his awesome period structures in small scale include Tudor, Mediterranean and Classical Styles of architecture. His work and attention to detail is unmatched and he is sought after for commissions and roombox creations and has been featured in main stream press including The Los Angeles Times, Architectural Digest and Elle Decor. Chris will unveil his art deco style roombox at the upcoming show and will share some of his work at the upcoming open house event.

June Clinkscales | Miniatures by June

June Clinkscales (IG: @MizMinis') creates work which can be seen adorning some of the finest miniature collections in the world. Her whimsical, super-dreamy furniture pieces include elaborately draped beds, hand-painted dressers and ornate upholstered chairs take viewer's breath away. June was also a judge on the competition reality-based television show The Biggest Little Christmas Showdown on HGTV in 2020. June's table is always flooded with gawkers and collectors with pieces that need to be seen!

(Above: A swoon-worthy collaboration between Chris Toledo and June Clinkscales in 2020)

Natalie Condrac | The Old Crooked House

Natalie Condrac's (IG: @condrac) art includes collage, roomboxes and detailed sculptures in small scale, often with dark themes as can be seen in her abandoned dollhouse (below). Her work also includes beat up vintage billboards, long-been-forgotten restaurant signage and neglected roadside gas pumps. This will be the first time Natalie will be presenting in Chicago at the Tom Bishop Show.

Carol Kubrican | True2Scale Miniatures

Carol Kubrican from True2Scale Miniatures is an artist and self-proclaimed "mini enabler" from Northern California who designs and creates DIY kits in smaller scales (1:48, 1:24 and 1:144). Her kits allow makers to craft their very own miniature masterpieces made from inspiring designs for "pulse-quickening" results.

Carol's super tiny espresso machine on a super tiny coffee bar (above) is part of her 1/48 scale "Buzz Box Coffeehouse" kit which will debut in Chicago. This kit will also be part of a workshop she plans to teach at the show!

Margie Criner | IttyBittyMiniMart

Margie Criner from her Chicago-based company IttyBittyMiniMart excites the crowds and miniature enthusiasts with her vintage-inspired small scale electronic appliances including televisions sets (with rabbit ears!), reel to reel tape machines (including carrying cases) and high-fidelity (the kids called it "hi-fi") stereo sets filled with inch-sized vinyl records. Margie has work currently on exhibition at the Small is Beautiful Art exhibition in New York City.

Above: Margie Criner for IttyBittyMiniMart

Miss the live? This livestream will replay on my YouTube Channel - Link here to all my social media and to sign up for my updates here .

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Until Next Time Thank you for being a part of the

D. Thomas Miniatures Community

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#FindTheJoyInMiniatures

Rare Miniature Masterpiece Clock Heads to Market!

D. Thomas Miniatures is thrilled to announce that the rare museum-quality miniature longcase grandfather clock crafted by master miniaturist Neil Bateson and expertly restored by master craftsman Iulia Chin Lee is currently on the market for sale. Link below to contact proprietor Darren Scala of D. Thomas Miniatures for more information or call 914-548-1984.

This fine English 18th century-style miniature hardwood clock was built in England, signed by the maker who indicated "England No1," dated 1999 and was inspired by the fine mahogany longcase clock constructed by John Taylor (London c1780). The Bateson clock is constructed in 1/12 scale and measures 8 3/8” tall by 7/8” at the widest point (hood) and was crafted using oak and veneered book-matched Amboyna burl wood with walnut cross-banding on the trunk base, door, and sides.

The pagoda-topped hood has intricate fretwork detailing with walnut cross-grained molding over the arch. The glazed door is Amboyna as is the face board, immediately behind the door which opens to reveal a clock face with a broken arch moon phase atop. The clock has a minute and second ring, a date aperture, and features pillars made from walnut and finished with 23 ¾ gold leaf. Each number on the clock face is fully engraved and filled with hard black wax with working hour and minute hands. While this piece was crafted with a working clock mechanism, the movement has not been tested and Scala has not determined if the clock is functioning, although there is no reason to believe it not operable.

This clock is one of two of Mr. Bateson's clocks included in the estate of Jerry and Claire Buckalter, of Suffern, New York, who curated an extensive collection of some of the world’s finest art miniatures. The estate sold at an auction by D. Thomas Fine Miniatures in Fall 2021. Prior to the auction, this Bateson clock was discovered damaged, with 2 of its gold-leafed finals broken off from its hood, and the hood was missing a pair of wood runners to hold the top in place.

Award-winning IGMA Artisan Iulia Chin of Chin Lee Miniatures, best known for her intricate wood turnings and 1/12 scale period furniture, was engaged by Darren Scala in 2022 to repair the clock and return it to its original finery. After more than a year of development and execution, the ball and spine finials on top of the pagoda were recreated and reconstructed, with hand-turned rosewood decorated in 23k gold. Ms. Chin spared no attention to detail; she even recreated the center finial to be slightly larger than the two finials flanking each side of the hood. Chin details her work in this video:

An extensive provenance arrives with this piece including letters from Mr. Bateson to the Buckalters, together with detailed drawings and instructions on how to handle the clock.

Original Photos and letters from the artist are part of the provenance.

Now that the clock has now been expertly restored, D. Thomas Miniatures is pleased to make it available and to find it a new home! Interested buyers may click the link below to send an inquiry or call proprietor Darren Scala at 914-548-1984. This is a very rare chance to own an example of a rare museum-quality miniature to add to an adored collection.

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Until Next Time Thank you for being a part of the

D. Thomas Miniatures Community

and be sure you are on my email list so you never miss an update!

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A JoyFilled Life.. With Miniatures

Yvonne Laurent Farley was an extensive miniatures collector throughout the 90's and early 2000's and very active in the miniatures community for many years. Born in Twin Falls, Idaho, in the early 1920's, she moved to Los Angeles where she met her husband. She worked in the retail and the medical world but her true love was fine art and she studied calligraphy at UCLA Riverside in California and started her own caligraphy business.

She caught the miniatures "bug" when the computer age hit, reducing the need for hand-inscribed art and so she started making miniatures and joining clubs including the Los Angeles Riverside and Empire Miniature Societies. She attended miniature shows throughout the United States, took classes in miniature making and built a large collection of small treasures in a broad range of categories, themes and scales.

Her strong interest in the arts fueled her passion for the tiny, filled her home with miniatures and brought her tremendous joy.

After her passing, a dear friend wrote this in a note to her niece, Gail MacAlpine about her "AuntieSis" (which she was affectionately known as): "she was an amazing artist at making all kinds of miniatures. She invited me to see her miniatures collection and it was like walking through a magical kingdom!".

Yvonne lived with her niece Gail and her husband Bob until her passing in 2015 and since then Gail has held careful watch of her collection until reaching out in the fall 2022 to talk about how we might work together to find happy new homes for Yvonne's treasures where they will be as lovingly adored and cared for.

So I headed down to North Carolina, spent a few days touring and getting to know the family and then we loaded the truck of treasures to bring them back to New York to start cataloguing the collection. I've been privileged to work on such a lovely collection of miniatures and I can feel the joy and excitement Yvonne felt crafting, discovering, searching and collecting each and every piece offered in this collection and thrilled that I get to find happy new homes for her treasures where they will loving adored and cared for.

I'm thrilled to present the Yvonne Farley Collection estate sale. The sale consists of a very large and broad collection of Yvonne's treasures, both artisan and quality commercial miniatures, with over 350 lots, covering over 20 categories including Fine Furniture, Books, Food, Flowers, Porcelain, Sterling Silver, Pottery, Toys, Art Dolls, Glassware, Lighting, Needlework, Textiles and more. Additionally there are multiple themed lots for added fun including Ladies' Boudoir, Sewing Room, Gentleman Study, Circus, Vintage Kitchen, Southwest Style, Asian Inspirations, Boys' & Girls' Rooms, Camping and Cow (yes, COW!).

There are also smaller scales featured in this sale, roomboxes and a few assorted surprises including 100 piece lots for the miniacs who goes for mini-multiples!

The sale will extend over several weeks (through early February) with about 125 lots posted per week. There will be a total of 4 auctions starting at 5pm ET on Sunday Jan 22 with subsequent auctions on Thursday Jan 26, Sunday, Jan 29, and Thursday Feb 2nd. Each auction will last 7 days. Start times will be staggered to allow for greater participation and competitive bidding. You can find a PREVIEW of some of the pieces featured in the sale here. This preview will be updated with additional sale items periodically over the next several weeks, so stop in often to explore the collection before each sale begins. Items in the previews will have random placement during the sale period so check often if there is something specific you are looking to score.

Photo Above: Yvonne Farley's Sister and Family

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Until Next Time Thank you for being a part of the

D. Thomas Miniatures Community

and be sure you are on my email list so you never miss an update!

#FindTheJoyInMiniatures