I was delighted to have time to spend with an exhibitor who was there purely to exhibit his room boxes.
You might think of a room box as something very neat, depicting a perfect little room from sometime in history let into the wall of a full size museum, but Graham Bolton has taken the concept and, over the last ten years, made it his own, though it was forty years ago that he was first inspired by miniatures. After thinking time, he finally began to shrink the world and what he sees in it, to twelfth scale.
He has an eye for gritty realism, as you can see. The real cigarette to give the scale is his trademark, and I would have to say the nice clean new cigarette makes the terrible toilet look even worse. Graham said the toilet bowls were difficult to do, I admire the way he has managed matching basins and urinals. Nearly everything is made from scratch using MDF, broken up tomato crates, wooden cheese boxes and purchases from pound shops.
Graham has acquired great modelling skills and a wonderful eye for detail. The message that he wants to get across is that the making of miniatures can cost little but the satisfaction is enormous.
If you are of an age, this kitchen scene will look very familiar. Graham has an excellent eye for life in progress. Look at all the stuff cluttering up the work surfaces. It’s hard to believe that this is all Graham’s work, and that parts are not expensive commissions. To produce a scene this realistic, Graham has had to learn how to be a jack of all trades. Look at the wood, metal, ceramics, cabinetry and textiles to name just a few of the materials in which Graham has obvious mastery.
Very impressive, as is
this.
I look at this absolutely perfectly realistic shop and find it difficult to comprehend that it has been made for next to nothing.
Graham makes his miniature scenes when he can’t get out in the garden, which makes me wish for a long hard winter so we can see some more. As Graham lives not too far from me, in Coventry, I’m hoping he will exhibit locally again soon. These are the sort of displays that spread miniaturism very effectively. Once you know this can be a low cost hobby and you see what can be achieved after only ten years of perfecting all the skills, you just have to have a go.
These are just three of the large display of room boxes which Graham was showing at Miniatura. His table drew crowds throughout the weekend and I hope the excited feedback was as inspiring for Graham as his exhibits were for visitors. If seeing them here makes you want to visit the show and see such wonders for yourself, details of the website that has the tickets for the Spring show are below.
And if these wonderful room boxes make you want to have a go yourself, what are you waiting for? Rummage through your recycling, or visit a pound shop and get busy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~