From The Chairman

We hope you are enjoying our after show blog presentations. With this group of posts we will have shared 4 of our 8 2014 Good Sam Academy of Miniatures instructors with you. Each week in December we will share the talents of the other four instructors with you.

We will not be posting Thanksgiving Saturday, as we will be spending the weekend with family and friends. Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Mark Murphy

Our fourth instructor for the 2014 Good Sam Academy of Miniatures is IGMA Fellow Mark Murphy, a remarkable furniture maker. Mark can be found at shows with Mary Grady O’Brien, as they collaborate on many of their pieces.

Rumor has it that Mark is considering teaching a Windsor chair at the Academy. This would involve carving the seat, turning spindles and legs, as well as assembling the chair. There is lots to be learned while building a Windsor chair. Below are pictures of some of Mark’s chairs to give you an idea of what he might end up teaching. Mark’s email is mmurphyor@gmail.com



1800's New England Settle with carved seat and lathe turned spindles.



1780's American Sack-Back Chair. Rug by Patricia Richards.

1770's American Comb-Back chairs.

Tine Krijnen

Bookbinder and printer Tine Krijnen, Netherlands, offered two new Do It Yourself book kits at the 2013 show. Both are offset printing (quality used for magazines and books) and are available on her website under Doe-het-zelf pakketten. Tine also teaches Friday workshops that are very popular at our shows. Tine has been at 2 of our shows now.

To order either or both of the kits below send an email to Tine Krijnen at info@miniatuureboekbinden.nl Pay Pal payments are accepted. Be sure to specify your language of preference, as the kits are available in English, German, Danish and Dutch. Tine's web site is www.miniatuureboekbinden.nl

This Cookbook Kit is for the advanced miniaturist and teaches how to sew a bookblock.
All five middle sections are printed. The food preparation table and mixing bowl
are not included. Cost is 10 Euros plus mailing.

The Witch's Kit has pages with printed cobwebs in the corners and will bind nine
witch's notebooks with different colored covers. A Pentagram is included.
There are printed pages to make spell, spider and skull parchment scrolls.
Not included is the tiny salamander in the photo. Cost is 10 Euros plus mailing.

Exhibits

Kim Walter exhibited Rapunzel’s House, which was commissioned from Rik Pierce. Kim plans to furnish this three story house with furniture from Michael Mortimer in England. Michael specializes in Tudor and Medieval furniture. Kim Walter has served on the show committee for many years, and is currently co-chairman of the show.

Front of Rapunzel's House

Second Story Door and Balcony

Second Floor Balcony Detail

Third Story Door and Balcony.
"Oh Rapunzel, let down your hair"

Rapunzel's House, front and right side

Rear of Rapunzel's House

Rob Tukham

Third in our list of 8 instructors for the 2014 Good Sam Academy of Miniatures is Rob Tukham. Rob lives in Ladysmith, B.C., just outside of Victoria. Rob is a master at turning, an IGMA Fellow, and teaches at the Guild School in Maine.

Rob will be teaching faceplate turning. You will come away delighted with what you have actually made yourself on a lathe. Below are some examples of turnings Rob has done recently. Rob's email is rtukham@telus.net and web site is http://www.rjtminiatures.com


Art Glass




Palm Nuts



Spalted Wood




Beautiful Use of Gold Leaf





More of Rob's Turnings



Ken Byers New Product

Ken Byers has come up with another inovative miniature for us to enjoy. Ken is a long time dealer at the show whose products go from authentic copies of Shaker furniture to typewriters to this interesting new item. Here is what Ken says about it.



“With daily bathing becoming more accepted by the 1880s, many attempted to develop innovative ways to heat bath water and to incorporate the portable bathtub within a room setting. The folding tub (or Murphy tub as it is sometimes called) was made by The Mosely Folding Bath Company and advertised in the 1895 Montgomery Ward Catalog and 1902 Sears catalog. This tub, disguised as a mirrored wardrobe, folded down and out of its wood casing into the room, revealing the gas fired heater above.

The bathtub was not connected to drainage plumbing, so it had to be scooped out after use which may have contributed to its demise.”

With that explanation, here is this new delight. Ken's email is artisan@pacbell.net and web site is http://www.shakerworkswest.com









  


Here the bathtub is open





 







Here the bathtub is closed



Exhibits

Greg Anton has been exhibiting his miniature masterpieces at the Good Sam Show since he was 9 years old in 1978. He is known for the elegance of his work. We are delighted to show his latest offering, "Watteau In The Grotto". Greg says, "This setting is in the style of a French eighteenth century grotto folly. The painter Antoine Watteau, was inspired by settings like this. All plants and flowers were made by Pat Richmond."

The Guys from Texas, Academy Instructors

Last week we introduced Nell Corkin to start featuring our 2014 Good Sam Academy instructors. This week we want to introduce The Guys from Texas, another of our 2014 Academy instructors.

The Guys from Texas are Jon Fish and Larry Osborn. They have taught classes in the San Jose area for a number of years, and always have a number of students in class. Jon and Larry make some of the finest structures in the country, in 1:12, 1:24 and 1:48 inch scales. Their cutting is such that everything fits perfectly. They frequently do the cutting for the structures for other artists' classes due to the quality of their work.

Jon and Larry are also experts at lighting and at finishing interiors and exteriors in most any period there is. They generously share their techniques when they teach. We don't know what they are teaching in 2014 as yet, but it is sure to be exciting. We hope we are showing their versatility below. Their email is theguysworkshops@satx.rr.com, and go to www.picturetrail.com/theguysfromtexas to see more examples of their work and some tutorials.

Cypress and Fog, taught in 2010, captures the feel of the Monterey Peninsula here in California. Notice how the lighting enhances the scene. 1:12 (one inch scale)

"Teahouse of the Paper Moon" taught in 2012, is a delightful structure that accurately portrays the tea ceremonies of Asia. 1:12 (one inch scale)

Here are two views of "Fill 'Er Up", a 1:24 (half inch scale) building, part of their series of half scale village buildings, a delightful gas station of old.

"King Midas" is a fanciful depiction of the King in his castle. "Be Careful What You Wish For" is the alternate title. James Carrington made the King for Jon and Larry for this delightful scene. Again, the lighting effects are so special.

"Retail Therapy" is The Guys first of the 1:24 (half inch scale) shops for their Street of Shops. It features a square bay window with a slanted top, which provides additional viewing through the glass above. I just feel sorry for the shop owner who will have to clean the glass up there. This class emphasized the finishing of the exterior, but all of the inner walls were removeable for easy completion of the interior at home.



Closeup of the "Grand" Movie Theater wih
curved glass ticket booth. Remember when
movies were 10 cents?



Front of the "Grand" Movie Theater, a miniature
in 1:48 (quarter scale) that is a tour de force
in concept, lighting, and execution.

Exhibit

The Good Sam Show had Exhibits before there were sales. The first two years were only exhibits. There were 83 exhibits at the 2013 Good Sam Show, with something to please most anyone.

Rhona Lee's exhibit this year was a delightful little shop. Here is what Rhona says about it: "Poupee at des Amis (Dolls and Friends), was an empty roombox originally purchased from Larrianne's Small Wonders in Ventura, CA. Most of the dolls were purchased over the years from Carla Gaustad at the Good Sam Show. Artisans represented include: Gale Elena-Bantock, Amanda Skinner, Cynthia Howe, Lee Silverstien, Laura Collum, Kathi Kuti and Almudene Fernandez."

Sadly, a small expensive bear sitting on the chair outside was stolen some time Saturday morning at the show. Please look at the picture of the bear after you enjoy Rhona's shop.

The bear is sitting in the chair in this picture. If you see him, let us know.

Stolen Bear up close

From The Chairman

As we say goodbye to the 2013 Good Sam Show and start to welcome in the holidays and the New Year, I want to thank Martha Puff for two years of weekly blog posts that have received over 100,000 hits from our audience. Martha is retiring from our publicity team as the year winds down, but we count on her continued advice and ideas to keep the blog fresh. Michael Puff, Connie Sauve and others will continue to offer pictures for our use on the blog.

We will resume the blog as we have time. We are currently looking for someone to take over the blog and post on a regular basis. In the meantime, feel free to look at former posts for wonderful pictures from our dealers and our exhibitors.

Nell Corkin, Academy Instructor

By the time our first annual Good Sam Academy of Miniatures was history, we had lined up eight fine instructors for the second annual Academy. In the next 8 weeks we will introduce each of them and some of their work. By March we should have pictures of what they will teach in 2014 from Oct. 13-17, immediately after the Good Sam Show. We will have some pictures of the 2013 Academy soon.

Our first instructor is Nell Corkin, an IGMA Fellow who resides in Michigan. Nell specializes in 1:144 size miniatures, which is the size a dollhouse would be that was inside a 1:12 size dollhouse. Her first picture truly demonstrates that. Nell's email is miniminis@aol.com, website is www.nellcorkin.com

Mini copy of The Thomas' La Fenetre in Progress, Table by Mark Murphy, OOAK<br>

A 1:1 hand holding a 1:12 table holding a 1:144 structure<br>

 

Mallory Fine Art

Half Timber Art Gallery

Table by David Hurley

Another OOAK by Nell

Pargeted House

Decorative Plaster Work

Known as Pargeting

in 16th & 17th Centuries

OOAK by Nell

Front & Back Views

Oreo Was Bored With the Cat Tree
Cat by Sylvia Mobley, Shelf by Marcia Gardner