Meet the Miniaturist: Urban Blooms Participating Artists
D. Thomas Miniatures is thrilled to present Urban Blooms: Spring Miniature Flower Show, at Stems Brooklyn! www.stemsbrooklyn.com. The show features 18 artists from 10 countries around the world and includes 24 original small scale works.
Urban Blooms is all about the energy, vibe, and excitement that small scale flowers bring to the fine art world and celebrates miniature artisans working in floral themes. The show was inspired by Bushwick, the Brooklyn neighborhood just outside Manhattan, that's teeming with creativity, art, and culture. This is the first time fine miniature flowers will be showcased in a pop up commercial venue in New York City for folks to enjoy!
Urban Blooms captures the energy, vibe, and excitement that small scale flowers bring to the fine art world and celebrates miniature artisans working in floral themes. The show was inspired by Bushwick, the Brooklyn neighborhood just outside Manhattan, that's teeming with creativity, art, and culture. This is the first time fine miniature flowers will be showcased in a commercial forum for folks to enjoy! (Above: Stems Brooklyn)
The following lists each artist in the show along with a biography and photo of their work. A link below each artist will take you to their Instagram accounts. Artist works represents countless hours of meticulous crafting – with floral arrangements totaling thousands of individually crafted and applied buds, petals, leaves, and branches. Floral works featured use an assortment of materials including polymer clay, air dry clay, cold porcelain, canvas, metal, acrylic, oil paint, and paper.
OLGA IVANOVA | St. Petersburg, Russia
Bouquet in Dutch Style
2.5/8" x 1 7/8"
Cold porcelain, oil paint, pastels
Park Roses of different varieties, delphinium, freesia, sweet peas, ranunculus, phalaenopsis, poppies and decorative greenery.
Ivanova is a master at creating flowers from cold porcelain, a special polymer clay that does not require making in the oven. She has been creating flowers for 12 years since the very beginning when this art only began to appear in her country. Masters at that time were very few, and everyone came up with their own techniques for creating flowers.
For a few years, Olga led master classes in her studio. She has been interested in miniature painting for years because it is the most difficult type of flower art. She likes to bring tiny flowers to perfection so that they do not differ in appearance from live flowers. To do this, she makes sure to tint all the flowers with oil paint and pastels. “Miniatures allow me to create not only a variety of floral compositions and complex bouquets, but also jewelry from tiny flowers: earrings, brooches rings." Creating a miniature requires great concentration and patience. Each flower is molded on the fingertip’s petal by petal. This process requires great patience and many hours of work.
"MiniatureS allows me to create not only a variety of floral compositions and complex bouquets, but also jewelry from tiny flowers: earrings, brooches rings.
Masumi Miura | Hokkaido Ebetsu City, Japan
Arrangement of Red Flowers
1 15/16” x 1 1/8”
Plastic clay, acrylic paint, oil paint and wire.
Vase by Bizen 2020 @bizen2020
White tulips, red roses, rananculus, vivernum thienus, hyrangea, yellow carnations, cineraria, rose leaf.
Masumi Miura resides in Hokkaido Ebetsu City, Japan and has been creating in miniature and for dollhouses for 25 years. Her inspiration stems from “Miniature flowers don't wither, so you can look at them as they are forever, so I want to be surrounded by flowers."
Yevheniia Kudriavtseva | Jerez de la Frontera, Spain
Stems Brooklyn Bouquet
6 cm x 6 cm (2.3” x 2.3")
Polymer clay
Roses, gerberas daisies, marigolds, chrysanthemums, delphinium, asters
Bouquet with Orange Poppies
1 7/8" x 2 1/4"
5cm x 6 cm
Polymer clay
Poppies, peonies, roses, ranunculus
Yevheniia Kudriavtseva was born and raised in Khmelnitsky, Ukraine. Since childhood, she loved to draw and make different things for dolls from kitchen utensils to furniture for them. She graduated from Khmelnitsky International University, as a systems engineer by education. In 2011, she moved to live in Moscow to work as a sales manager for building materials. In 2012, she began sculpting flowers out of polymer clay.
At the end of 2016, Yevheniia visited a Russian artist's private museum of miniatures and in one of the dollhouses I saw a tiny bouquet of flowers and it was love at first sight and began making miniature flowers and opened a 1/12 scale flower store on Etsy. Yevheniia’s store was very successful but closed due to sanctions due to the war between Russia and Ukraine. She and her daughter left their home without a place to live, without money, without belongings and without understanding how to go on living.
Kudriavtseva and her daughter now live in Spain with her daughter, positive thinking, their faith in the best and together with love for miniatures helps her cope through trying times. In 2021, her work won 2nd place in the Perfection in Miniature Awards in London.
Leila Marshania | Tblisi, Georgia
Flower Bouquet
2.36” x 1.57" x .39” 6 cm x 4 cm x 1 cm
Japanese resin clay, polymer clay (vase) Roses, hydrangea, orchids, while plumbago and Japanese spindle
Two Orchids
5 cm x 2 cm x 2 cm 1.96” x .78” x .78”
Japanese resin clay, natural dried moss, sand from Isle of Skye Claigan Coral Beach
Leila is a self taught miniature artist who never thought she had any artistic talent or could do any artistic work until the age of 39. It was when the COVID- 19 pandemic hit in early 2020 when she first attempted to make miniatures. Ever since she’s been honing her skills as an amateur miniaturist and loving the process every day.
The world of miniature art saved her sanity during the months of lockdown. She left her job at an international organization in France in summer 2020, moved back to Georgia and dedicated next 2 years to miniature making.
Eventually Leila returned to her professional career and currently works for the United Nations Organization (UN) field office in Georgia. Miniature art remains her passion.
Miyu Suko | Ichikawa City, Japan
Flowers Awakening
2.75” x 1.77” 7 cm x 4.5 cm
Clay, wire, paint, glue, resin
Lilac, casa blanca, irissanguinea, nigella fruit, corymbia citriodora, olive, tulip, shell vase, blue for you, tineke
Miyu Suko started making miniature flowers to complement food and accessories she creates. Making miniatures for 7 years, she seeks to pursue realism, and aims to create works of art to please the viewer.
“I like to think about the beauty of flowers and coloring to make them as close to the real thing as possible.” Suko has no training or degree in art.
For each flower, Miyu hand stretches, shapes and attaches each to the container.
Beth Picard | Birmingham, Alabama
Sidewalk Flowers
2.25” x 3.25”
Painting: Watercolors, pen, ink, watercolor board. Frame: Painted pine.
Beth Picard, an artist from Birmingham, Alabama, paints with the intention to spread joy and happiness through her vibrant artwork.
Using a variety of media, including watercolor, acrylics, markers, ink, colored pencils, and sometimes a combination of all of them, she brings her imagination to life with every stroke of the brush.
She has been featured in the Art issue of VIE Magazine, as well as several local publications. She also likes to use her creativity to build miniature dollhouses, furniture, light fixtures, and anything else that might strike her fancy.
Ketty Pierro | Milan, Italy
Urban Bloom 9" x 4" Base 1.6"
Air dry clay, resin, coated paper, acrylic paint
Dogwood, iris, tulips, primrose
Miniatures have always been part of Ketty Pierro’s heart. As a child, she built houses for puppets with cardboard boxes and made the furniture with cardboard. 18 years ago, she started making miniatures again when her daughter was born, and has not stopped.
“Little things are my obsession. I love flowers, in real life and of course in miniature. Pierro was born in Italy; Milan is her hometown. Pierro’s flowers are made of Air dry clay. “I love this technique also if you can’t interrupt your work as with polymer clay because it dry fast. It’s not possible to pre-cut any parts in large quantities to simplify the task as with paper. And you have given shape and texture well the first time, if you fail you must take a new piece.”
Doreen Koch | Loudon, Tennesse
Pink Calla Lilies
2 ¾” x 2 ½”
Air dry clay, paper, wire, glue, soil.
Terra cotta pot: paint, created by Braxton Payne (deceased)
Purple Siberian Irises
3 1/2 “ x 2”
Paper, wire, glue, soil. Pot:
Terra cotta, paint, created by Braxton Payne (deceased)
Originally from Orange, California, Doreen Koch resides in Loudon, Tennessee where she works as a professional artist. Doreen went to college to pursue fine art and she has been painting for more than 40 years.
She began working in the miniature form in 2018 and creates in miniature for the challenge to create flowers that look as real as possible. Her motivation was to created pieces that may be found anywhere in the city, including balconies, porches, or a rooftop terrace. “As in nature, every leaf and petal are unique. I create miniature flowers that are all hand -cut and painted. They are botanically correct in the greatest detail possible.
” To create her flowers, Doreen "photographs the flower in situ. Then I begin the dissect some of the flowers. I draw those shapes. Next I redraw the shapes in miniature. I then begin gluing the parts together. The painting is either done before the gluing or after, depending on the flower. I paint from a live flower so I can get all the details and color correct. The last thing to do is arrange the flowers to look like the real thing .”
Astrid Wilk | Herne, Germany
Phalaenopsis Orchid
4.5 cm x 2 cm (1.78” x .79”)
Oven hardening polymer clay, wire; resin
Macodes Petola, Jewel Orchid
1.9 cm x 2 cm (.75” x .79”)
Oven hardening polymer clay, wire
Astrid Wilk holds a degree in fine arts and specializes in a polymer clay technique called the cane technique, in which patterns are created by stacking and shaping different colored clay. Leaf canes are created using layers of different colored polymer clay, which are shaped and manipulated to resemble the veins and texture of leave patterns. This technique requires much effort and sensitivity when mixing colors and putting the clay together to get a realistic intricate pattern in just a few millimeters in size.
Wilk loves colored polymer clay and thus immerses herself in the endless world of miniature house plants. Astrid has been making miniatures from polymer clay since 2013 and has specialized in miniature plants and botanical canes since 2019.
Dutch Girl | Utrecht, the Netherlands
Dutch Girl Tulips in Tote Bag
5 cm x 4.5 cm x 4 cm (1.96” x 1.77” x 1.57”)
Paper, markers, pencils, acrylic paint, florist wire, embroidery grid, cardstock, linen thread, paint
Dutch Girl is a self taught miniaturist from the Netherlands, living in a small village near the city of Utrecht. She was born among the Dutch flower bulb fields and from age 9 to 16, she created miniatures.
Dutch Girl has loved flowers and plants since childhood and her mother taught her the names of all in both Dutch and Latin. In 2009 at the age of 46, she started making miniatures once again and has never stopped. Her daily joy is to translate what she sees in the outside world in miniatures miniature flowers.
Dutch Girl is delighted to be part of this show and to share her passion showcased in the NYC borough of Brooklyn, derived from the original Dutch town of Breukelen (not far from her hometown).
Making miniature art is her primary occupation. “It's a real challenge to paint and shape a 0.31 inch piece of paper into a little petal with a realistic feel. To create 6 different petals for each tulip and bend the wire into a shape that feels natural instead of stuff. It also was a challenge to create the tote bag since I never did that before. To find the right materials for the purpose.
Danny Cortes | Brooklyn, New York
Floral Delivery
4 1/2" x 1 3/4" x 1 3/4"
Resin, chip board, acrylic paint
Daniel Cortes is an artist from the Bushwick section of Brooklyn, New York. His work is influenced by his childhood years growing up as well as the 90s era in New York. He creates miniature models that bring to life the urban landscape of the city.
Daniel's interest in miniature models began during his youth. While most of his peers enjoyed the launch of a new toy, Daniel was intrigued by the level of detail noticeable in the play sets used by toy companies. His attention was significantly drawn to the backgrounds displayed in the toy’s commercials and packaging, though not included with that toy, so he would construct his own. G.I. Joe and Transformers were among his favorites. This curiosity motivated him to start creating his own dioramas (miniatures).
Using his imagination with household items, such as cardboard, cereal boxes and glue, he began creating small-scale reproductions of regular sized items.“ If we take the time to notice we are surrounded by inspiration.” Daniel explored his neighborhood making every stroll an opportunity to discover new ideas. Sometimes the most obscure objects can become the catalyst for a new creation, as every gum stain, sticker and rust-worn gate tells a story. Blighted facades and distressed structures are the very scenes which fuel Daniel’s attention to detail. The work to produce each piece is arduous and requires great precision to achieve such realism.
Daniel had developed techniques that can give a model an aged, distressed or patinated style. He also recreates miniature scaled vintage advertising posters and graffiti art on his models. Daniel’s miniature models make unique collectable creations that will take you on a gritty romantic journey through New York that everyday passers by have overlooked.
Morgan Everhart | Brooklyn, New York
Bouquet 2” x 2”
Oil on canvas
Morgan Everhart works in painting, installation, performance, and writing. Everhart’s practice challenges naturalism and ontology through reflection on personal experiences, identity, and art history.
She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of North Texas in 2013, and her Master of Fine Arts from the LeRoy E. Hoffberger School of Painting at the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2016.
Recent exhibitions include Flesh and Bloom at The David Owsley Museum of Art, Indiana (2021), Flowers for my Failures at the Longwood Museum, Virginia (2019); BLOOM at Millersville University, Pennsylvania (2019); and, Four Degrees of Abstraction at Markel Fine Arts, New York (2018).
The artist’s largest outdoor mural is at the intersection of Grand and Suffolk Streets (New York, NY) and featured in Neumeraki’s International exhibition Art Off Screen.
Everhart currently lives and works in New York, where she is also a co-founder of Art Hap, advisor to the Brooklyn Emerging Artist Coalition, and contributing writer to A Women’s Thing publication.“
I learned so much more about how I play with light and color through this project. Miniatures are so much fun! I sometimes take art too seriously and this gives me a lot of joy. Sometimes you must stop and smell the roses!
Hope Elliott | Nyack, New York
The Garden Splendor
2 1/2" x 2 3/8"
“Freshly picked” Rembrandt tulips, peonies, lilacs, roses and larkspur arranged in a vintage silver jardiniere.
Each flower is completely hand sculpted. I have been creating miniatures professionally for over half a century since early childhood. My artwork is featured in museums and private collections throughout the world.
Katherine Biggs-McNeely | Pinckney Michigan
Undervalued
2 3/8" x 1 1/2"
Dandelions, Queen Anne's Lace, clover, weeds
Katherine McNeely, an artist living in Pinckney, Michigan is a graduate of Oakland University. Her piece, Undervalued, is made with polymer clay and cold porcelain. “The urban theme of the show got me thinking about the flowers commonly seen in the urban environment. I was taken back to my childhood, when friends and I would weave beautiful flowers crowns of Queen Anne’s Lace and Dandelions to wear in our hair.
We would play the ‘Do you like butter?’ game of holding a dandelion flower under a friend’s chin to see the yellow of the bloom reflected there. We would spend lazy afternoon searching for four leafed clovers. Sadly, these flowers become invasive “weeds” later in life as we strive for perfect lawns and gardens, and we attempt to rid our properties of them. We need to change our perspective, as these plants are hugely beneficial to bees and other pollinators, filling many of the gaps when other flowers are not in bloom.”
Christina Hampe | Germany
Pink and White Peonies
2 1/4" x 1 7/8"
Hand Cut Paper, Acrylic, Ceramic
Masuri Miura | Japan
1 7/8" x 2 1/8"
Roses, Annabelle, Sweet Pea, Ranunculu, Kneaded Acrylic, Resin, Clay
Mr. Scala wants to thank all the participating artists for their awesome work, to Donald Morcone for bringing the pieces together and to extend a very special thank you to Suzanna Cameron for opening the doors of her beautiful shop and hosting the opening celebration and exhibition!
The show runs through Saturday, June 15, 2024, at Stems Brooklyn (www.StemsBrooklyn.com).
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