My youngest sister, a miniaturist artist, gave me an early birthday gift. She told me to close my eyes until she was ready. Her electrical engineer-husband had wired this piece with LED lights. “Open your Eyes!” She said. I was speechless at first, then, “Oh my gosh!” and “Unbelievable!” tumbled from my mouth repeatedly.
My sister’s attention to detail is nothing short of amazing. She took creative liberties in studio design and added extras, which are pretty fun to see. I may have to change elements in my studio because they work so well in the mini version.
As you may know, my studio is in the basement, and sometimes I resist going into it for various reasons. It does get cold in winter, even with a heater. My sister used foam core to create basement walls and the glass block window she designed from small resin cubes. She also recreated antique stained-glass windows, which I incorporated into my studio wall.
There is a marionette puppet I have had since childhood hanging from a wall, fabric and sewing supplies—the yellow painted file cabinet to give a color pop—a clock made from a button and a glowing candle on my desk.
Artist posters, children’s artwork, a cork board filled with scraps of paper, a to-do list, projects, inspirational quotes, and photographs. There are miniature versions of the books I have written, completed pieces, and a few gallery posters my work has been shown in.
My paint tubes, pencils, brushes, and oil pastel sticks are packed into container trays and always handy! Supplies and paper spill over and out of drawers, fill up spaces, rolled and stacked, even the trash can is overflowing. This being a creative space, it is not stagnant but filled with energy and resourcefulness.
She has reproduced mini-replicas of my work and personal touches because she knows me well. For example, there is a cup of tea with dangling string from the tea bag because I drink my tea with the tea bag still in the cup. She sculpted the Bob White Quail sitting on a shelf, symbolizing a nonfiction picture book I created. It also represents a dear friend’s gift to me because she loved my quail project.
I should always want to work in my studio when I look into this miniature world my sister created!
To learn more about her work, you can visit Instagram @creativeworksofheart
Watch the reel of my mini-studio on Instagram @murieledenartist
