Over the last 22 years when I have been reporting the Min I have scooted around the show trying to be the eyes of magazine readers. In pursuit of this I have focussed on the tables, the things on the tables and, briefly, on the people putting the things on the tables. Then I had a phase of trying to interview all the newcomers. Then I had a phase of personality interviews, which, frankly wasn’t difficult because the hobby has more personalities than a Victorian 12th scale has frilly bits. I have yet to meet a boring miniaturist.
Everything I found or researched went into a magazine or, in the last five years, here on Tinternet. Suddenly last year I realised if it all stopped and Tinternet went down I’d be left scratting through the attic to relive the glory days. So I thought: stuff that, I’m starting a scrapbook, and I have. Just for me. All the stories I couldn’t tell and the bits that got left on the cutting room floor but most of all what I would miss most of all and love most of all, the people. I am so glad I photographed Kay and Terry Curran, I can’t see them coming back unless Kay gets dramatically better. I have loved seeing them and I love Terry’s pots, do you know he is so good he is in the standard massive reference work on 20th Century British Potters? He’s the only miniaturist and he’s up there with all those names you keep hearing on the Antiques Road Show.
This show, all alone, I only had time for a couple of photographs on the Sunday morning before we opened. However I did take photographs of the actual show opening on Saturday as I was right opposite the entrance and could do it without leaving my table.
Visitors do not stroll into the show, they run hell for leather. First out of the gate and closest to you is Kristin Baybars who has run a shop in London since the year dot. She is always here all weekend and totally disproves the theory that you can’t see everything because I’m absolutely sure she does. Second from the right running with an orange mac over her arm is Jayne Morrison, sometime chairman of Wombourne Miniaturists, one of the nicest people in the miniverse and a red hot collector, she has more of my dolls than I have, I think. Standing with his back to you in the middle is Bob Hopwood, counting, watching and assisting with any problems.
On Sunday before the show opened I caught up with Jane Woodham, who trades as Truly Scrumptious and is.
Jane married into a family who had had adjoining properties in retail for hundreds of years and had never thrown anything in the store room away. Interesting. When Jane wants something to miniaturise she just pops upstairs and fetches it. This show she had fetched some Victorian glass portrait miniatures.
A lorgnette and
some things that went out of fashion before they got retailed and some light bulbs which probably fit light fittings upstairs anyway. Amazing.
The September show has always featured a lot of continental exhibitors. I remember the first time Elisabeth Causeret exhibited. Muriel pitched up at my table in as high as state of excitement as laid-back Muriel ever gets. ‘Have you seen the work of that exhibitor!’ she squeaked, ‘I went and I said “I’m the show organiser and I haven’t any money on me but I’ll have that and that and that and can you keep them until I can collect them?”’ This is Elisabeth that she was squeaking about.
I interviewed Elisabeth en Francais and a bit of Fringlish that show. Elisabeth had pottered for a long time but kept going to ‘big’ pottery shows and being told her work was too small. She continued to feel like a failure until someone told her she was a miniaturist and put her out of her misery. She came by to see my 24th scale as I was setting up and said nice things and then said she was experimenting with 48th scale. I think I shall retire now. Of course I bought some.
Elisabeth’s pots are wheel thrown and beyond brilliant. Terry Curran rates them and so do I.
The prices, for perfection, are really very modest and it just all looks so French doesn’t it? Well of course it does, it is.
Those are the photographs that will be going into my scrapbook album of Miniatura Autumn 14, a classic show with some cracking exhibitors. You can see more of Jane at
www.trulyscrumptiousonline.com
You can find Elisabeth’s work in quite a few online shops, and, next Autumn, back at Miniatura.
Incidentally Tuesday September 23rd was the fifth anniversary of JaneLaverick.com which I started for the purpose of telling you about Miniatura before Miniatura. I ended up writing about so much more. I have enjoyed writing every word. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading them.
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JaneLaverick.com – Happiness is the place where you belong.
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