Reflections.

He looked at his battered reflection in the old, weathered mirror, and couldn't believe he was still alive, considering the damage he had sustained. Well, that is, as much as a droid like him could be considered to be 'alive.' Was he, really? He thought about this quite regularly, and even more so now that he spent so much time alone. For sure, he was capable of conscious, autonomous thought, and felt emotions like joy, affection, fear, and sadness. All things associated with 'being alive.' But still..

He turned on the remaining light bulb in his left eye socket, and a warm glow illuminated the mirror. If anything, he thought, he wasn't capable of dreaming. Whenever he went into 'sleep mode' to allow his systems to get updates, upgrades, and the like, he never dreamed of anything. He resented that, in a way, because he knew that humans dreamed -even those who believed they didn't- , and that at least some animals like dogs did dream as well. As he imagined it, it was like being awake while being asleep. So maybe the ability to dream was actually the ultimate manifestation of being alive...

Someone once said to him: "they can take away everything from you, my friend, but nobody can take away your dreams. Those are yours and yours alone; your biggest treasure!"  He looked again at the mirror reflection of his battle damaged, metal alloy body, and thought: "But what if one doesn't have them? Does that mean that, when it comes to it, one has nothing left to lose?"

 

That's all for now, folks. Thanks for visiting, keep safe, and see you next time! 

 

© José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

 

Rust & Steel Special: Battle Damaged Droid.

Hi everyone, I hope you're doing well!

Here's a little, very fun project I did last night. I had been working on a recently acquired dolls house during the day, so I decided to relax a bit at night by doing this, totally different, little thingie you see here.

 

 

 

I've loved sci-fi films ever since I was a kid and, Star Wars aside, my favorites always have been the 1950's vintage ones. You know, those old, black & white flicks that always seem to start with a nuclear explosion, leading to the creation of some evil mutant creature that turns their anger at unsuspected civilians. The monsters in those films are usually actors dressed up in a costume, so no computer generated stuff as is common today. Perhaps my favorite 'monster maker' of that era is the late Paul Blaisdell of 'Invasion of the Saucer Men' and 'The She-Creature' fame, films that have since achieved a 'cult' status with many sci-fi fans.

 

Blaisdell was incredibly creative, and testimony to that is the fact that he could come up with new 'monsters' while working under a very huge time pressure, and for very little money (for some of his work he was actually never paid). The man's creativity and resourcefulness are definitely a big inspiration to me! 

 

 

 

Back to my own little robot; it was something I've been wanting to do for a while. I have several 'retro' robots in my collection, and seeing them triggered the desire to make a miniature one of my own. So I gathered some odd pieces here and there, worked on them, and put this little fellow here together. As you can see, he's seen better days, missing many parts, and being kind of rusty. But nevertheless he still retains a certain cuteness and personality, which is quite something for a robot, or 'droid' as is more common language today.

 

 

 

I'm not sure yet how I'm going to use it, but chances are that he'll end up being part of some larger, sci-fi themed project! In any case, I'm very happy how he turned out, and to be honest, I already became kind of attached to him!

 

That's all for now, folks. Thanks for visiting, keep safe, and see you next time! 

 

© José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

Tales from the Attic: "Double barrel" Maggie.

Hi everyone, I hope you're doing well!

 

The frail Old Lady, with her uncertain gait, wasn't any of that when it came to aiming her trusty 'double barrel' at the sinister creatures from the swamp, should they come at night, as they usually did, and dare to trespass...

In her world, nothing was more vital for survival than a generous supply of ammo to feed her rifle. The monstrous head of the devilish boar that she kept in the attic as a trophy, was a silent testimony to her courage, her shooting skills, as well as to the need to stay vigilant at all times... Especially so when the sun went down, and darkness and mist engulfed the heather fields around the house. Because that was the time when the swamp creatures usually began searching for food...

 

That's all for now, folks. Thanks for visiting, keep safe, and see you next time!

© José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

 

Rust & Steel HQ: A Beatiful Old Wardrobe.

Hi everyone, I hope you're doing well!

One of the latest additions to my collection of miniatures is this wonderful, 'shabby' wardrobe in 1:12 scale.

Normally new acquisitions go into storage almost immediately after arrival, until they find their place in a new project. Yet that is a very slow process, and therefore items remain hidden from view for a very long time!  In order to be able to enjoy them anyway, I decided to put the most interesting among them on display, and swap them from time to time, to give all a fair chance to grab the spotlight.

Next to the wardrobe you can catch a glimpse of an all metal 'panzer wagon' which I designed and built from scratch. A blog about that unique project is long overdue, but will be done for sure!

That's all for now, folks. Thanks for visiting, keep safe, and see you next time!

© José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

 

The Immortal Nosferatu: The Bird of Death.

 Hi everyone, I hope you're doing well!

A while ago, I came across an action figure of my favorite horror movie character, 'Nosferatu.' And when I say 'Nosferatu,' I mean the original version, performed by the incredible Max Schreck in the 1922 silent German Expressionist horror film directed by F. W. Murnau. Below is a still from that film, featuring Max Schreck as the evil Count Orlok.

 

Now, below are two images of the action figure I mentioned. Although I must say it was done with great eye for detail, I don't think it truly captures the 'spirit' of the film. Somehow, this Count looks too clean to me, and -in a way-  too 'well fed' and 'alive' to be Max Schreck!

 

 

In fact, seeing him on the below pic, I'd say he looks a bit like your average old neighbor, on his way to fetch his morning newspaper from the porch (sort of).

 

As it happens, I modeled a 'Nosferatu' figure of my own three years ago. It was actually one of my very first miniature 'shadow box' projects, as I was a 'newbie' in the miniatures world at the time. I remember seeing the film a thousand times to get 'in the mood,' and listening non-stop to a music score composed by the French band Art Zoyd for a re-release of the film. I love the Art Zoyd music score because it makes the film even more scary.

The idea behind 'my' Nosferatu was to capture the scrawny appearance of the Count, the surreal and nightmarish atmosphere of the film, as well as that lifeless, cold, fish-like gaze achieved by Max Schreck, and which made him such an incredible actor. And, honestly, I think I did turn out pretty well. In any case, it got my 'Nosferatu' shadow box published in the October 2018 issue of American Miniaturist Magazine with a whopping 5 page article!

That's all for now, folks. Thanks for visiting, keep safe, and see you next time!

© José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author. The "Nosferatu action figure" pictures are copyright of Mego Action Figures, used here for illustration purposes only.

 

Rust & Steel HQ: The House in the Corner.

Hi everyone, I hope you're doing well!

An old, empty dolls house beams in a corner of the living room. It's one of several I have, that look dilapidated and abandoned, and that's exactly what I like about them! I bought them all because of their looks, and they serve as a stage for many a photo shoot.

Yet the old house looks very much alive! That's due to the added string of lights, which meanders through the house like a luminous serpent. Took me just a few seconds to do, but the result is beautiful. In the world of dolls houses and miniatures, I guess the trick is to be happy doing whatever one wants to do. 

 

That's all for now, folks. Thanks for visiting, keep safe, and see you next time!

© José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

 

Small Projects: A Humble Plunger.

Hi everyone, I hope you're doing well!

Here I am with another very small project I want to share with you. Sometimes I buy a cheap miniature item, and work on it to 'upgrade' it to something nicer, just for the fun of it. This time it was a drain plunger.

 

Although I have to say the original miniature was already quite true to life (rubber suction cup and wooden handle), the cup's color was quite off: the rubber was transparent and showed a very fragile-looking, light pink hue; nothing like your average old plunger. So I disassembled it, painted the cup inside out in a more familiar color, and made it seem used and robust. I also 'fixed' the wooden handle by making it 'aged', cos originally it looked as if it had just left the Walmart.

I hope you like the result. It was fun to do, and now I can add it to one of my old miniature kitchens. You never know it may be needed!

That's all for now, folks. Thanks for visiting, keep safe, and see you next time!

© José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

 

Rust & Steel Headquarters in Autumn.

The autumn afternoon sun peeks through the cracks in the blinds at the "Rust & Steel headquarters," engulfing everything in a golden glow. It's my favorite time of the year when it comes to the sunlight; it's warm, soft, and cozy. It sweeps through the room like a search light, highlighting whatever crosses its path.

I love to follow the beams, and take pictures of the things being highlighted with their magical light. And I have to be quick at it too, because they fade as soon as they came, leaving behind a beautiful silence.

 

That's all for now, folks. Thanks for visiting, keep safe, and see you next time!

© José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

 

Ghosts That Dwell In Dolls Houses: Jane.

They say that every old house has a resident ghost, and to be honest, I think the same goes for old dolls houses. And considering that I have quite a few very old dolls houses, well.. you can figure that they must host a whole plethora of spirits! 

Meet Jane, aka "Jane of the Attic", or "The Doll That Lives Upstairs". I've introduced Jane to you before, as part of the "Attic" series. Jane is actually a doll that houses a ghost; the ghost of an old lady.

Not ready to exchange this world for the next, the old lady passed away, but not quite, as she decided to cling to her favorite and beloved doll "Jane".  Ever since, the old lady appears regularly in the house where she spent her earthly life, manifesting herself sometimes as "Jane", sometimes as her own self, making this a quite complex and confusing apparition.   

 

That's all for now, folks. Thanks for visiting, keep safe, and see you next time!

© José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

Ghosts That Dwell In Dolls Houses: The Lady with the Vacuum Cleaner.

They say that every old house has a resident ghost, and to be honest, I think the same goes for old dolls houses. And considering that I have quite a few very old dolls houses, well.. you can figure that they must host a whole plethora of spirits!

One of them is what I call the "Lady with the vacuum cleaner", or "Vacuum cleaner lady" . This apparition is seen wearing what looks like Edwardian servants clothing, which places her in the period 1901-1920, or shortly thereafter.  

Although she can be quite frightening to whomever may see her, she's actually totally harmless. She just goes faithfully about the business of cleaning the house, even though it has been uninhabited for many years. Perhaps, in her world, she still sees the house as it once was. Who knows..

Above: image of Edwardian servant.

That's all for now, folks. Thanks for visiting, keep safe, and see you next time!

© José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

An Old Fire Extinguisher.

Hi everyone, I hope you're doing well!

Here I am with a small project I want to share with you. Sometimes I buy a cheap miniature item, and work on it to 'upgrade' it to something special, just for the fun of it. This time it was a metal fire extinguisher.

As you can see here below, it was quite basic, so something needed to be done to it, to make it more fitting of my style!

So I cut off the rigid (metal) hose and nozzle, removed the sticker wrapped around it, and worked on the paint with the dremel. I added authentic 'instructions stickers' specially printed for me by Rebecca Micallef, then kind of half destroyed them, and added real rust powder and weathering to give the fire extinguisher that old, dilapidated look that I love to give to all my miniatures! Finally, I added a new flexible hose and nozzle, and weathered them as well.

 

I think it came out pretty nice, I must say! This fire extinguisher looks like it has been rusting away in an abandoned factory or something. Yeah, it definitely has a life of its own now!

 

That's all for now, folks. Thanks for visiting, keep safe, and see you next time!

© José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

 

 

The paintings of The Conservatory.

Hi everyone, I hope you're doing well.

On this blog I'll focus on a set of paintings which I did for the outside panels of the -now completed- Conservatory project. There are eight panels, hence eight paintings were required.

As illustrated in the below images, the paintings on the lateral walls are conceived as triptychs, an arrangement which helps to create wide landscapes. In fact, all eight paintings are related to one another in some way, resulting in a scenery that 'wraps' itself all around the conservatory.

The first triptych shows a nocturnal, heather landscape with an old, Dutch windmill at the edge of a river (first panel), and a tree, some shrubbery, and a tall, moonlit house in the center panel. The third panel features vegetation along the river, including some trees. The river runs all along the panels, even though it's only (barely) visible on the first and third ones, where you can see its surface shining in the moonlight.

 

 

 

The front of the conservatory features two paintings, which, again, are connected to the rest. On the left panel you see a huge, classical garden which a big fountain or water jet, and on the right a swan swimming in the same river which is shown on the side panels. It is as if the garden is fed directly by a small branch of that river.

 

 

The second triptych shows the conservatory and the house to which it belongs (right panel), and a stretch of swampy land in the center panel. Note that this river is the same that runs on the other side, as if you're looking at the same landscape, but from the opposite direction. An old cemetery completes the scene on the left panel. Actually, the cemetery gates can be seen at the far left of the center panel. The elements displayed play a role in the stories associated with the conservatory, the house, and its attic, aka "Jane's attic".

There is actually a ninth painting associated with the conservatory, which was not painted on any wall, but rather conceived as a 'stand alone' (see below). That painting is very similar to the one on the front of the conservatory, featuring a swan, and is now part of the private collection of art dealer and collector mister Joseph Rookie. If you want to see it for real, you'll need to visit his wonderful art gallery located on the beautiful Mediterranean island of Malta. The last two pictures, taken inside mister Rookie's art gallery, are published courtesy of Rebecca Micallef. They show the art gallery, as well as four of my paintings displayed side by side, including The Swan.

That's all for now, folks. I hope you liked this 'guided tour'! Thanks for visiting, keep safe, and see you next time!

© José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

 

At Night.

The abandoned train station was a place of refuge for a plethora of wildlife, including pigeons, rats,  bats, all sorts of insects, and an owl or two.  

During daytime, the air between its derelict walls was filled with sun rays shining through the holes in the roof and broken windows, as well as the pigeon's familiar cooing, and the flutter of their wings. At night, however, the nocturnal creatures took central stage; stealthily, as it is their custom to operate in silence, under the cover of darkness.

This pattern repeated itself for years and years, and throughout the seasons. Until that chilly night in April, when a new and uninvited 'guest' arrived at the scene, to claim it as its own.

* * *

Thanks for visiting, and see you next time!

© José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

Ghosts That Dwell In Dolls Houses: The Old Lady.

 

 

The Old Lady dwells in her conservatory

Surrounded by plants, and flowers so rife..

 ..Come closer, child, and she'll tell you a story

 

Just like the time when she was alive. 

That's all for now, folks. Thanks for visiting, keep safe, and see you next time!

© José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

 

Rust & Steel photography: looking inside The Centennial.

Peering through a window of the ancient, "Centennial" dolls house, one can almost sense its silent magic. 

There is something bewitching about the old walls, the crooked doors, the dusty floors. The sheer stillness and beauty of the place, so quiet, makes it a joy to photograph! While editing the result of my latest photo shoot, I suddenly noticed something on one of the pics that I hadn't noticed when I was taking them. Right there, on the top part of the green door: is that... an 'orb'?

I may be inclined to think that those are mere reflections of dust particles, a common phenomenon that occurs in low-light circumstances, when a camera flash is used. However, no flash was used here, as the room was quite bright. So..., could that 'orb' mean that the three little sisters were at play again? Maybe they were simply curious about the 'new' artifacts placed in the room, and were checking them out.. Whatever the case may be, I hope they're happy!

 

That's all for now, folks. Thanks for visiting, keep safe, and see you next time!

© José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

 

A beautiful birdcage.

Yesterday, I added a very nice birdcage to my miniatures collection.

The cage is beautifully detailed, and even has a few tiny little birds inside! It sits on a matching table, and can be displayed either with or without it. Also, its doors can be opened. I bought it in the wonderful miniatures shop of Joop & Kriena van Heeren, in Gouda, The Netherlands. It's always a joy to visit their shop, and marvel at all the beautiful items they have on display.

I still need to figure out where the cage will be placed, but I couldn't resist the temptation of putting it in my ancient "Centennial" dolls house, and take a few pictures of it!

 

 

 

That's all for now, folks. Thanks for visiting, keep safe, and see you next time!

© José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.