I love the autumn sun. It's warm, yet not hot. And it mingles with the shadows to create a distinct, dreamy atmosphere.
It's a feast of yellows, oranges, reds and browns, the typical "earth" colors. Time for introspection, time to turn inside. And time, also, for my little redhead to shine!
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It's early morning as an hideous, nightmarish figure carrying a letter in its beak, skates its way into the lovely "Maison de Marguerite."
Where does this monstrosity posing as a postal worker come from, if not from the very depths of Hell, and which sinister message is it delivering? One is instantly reminded of something out of a Hieronymus Bosch painting, and in fact, it is!
Just take a look at the lower right corner of the left panel of the "The Temptation of St. Anthony" triptych depicted below and... there it is!
Five centuries have past, and the creature has still not been able to deliver its letter. And maybe it's better this way. Maybe... even for the sake of Humanity!
_-_De_verzoeking_van_de_heilige_Antonius_(ca.1500)_-_Lissabon_Museu_Nacional_de_Arte_Antiga_19-10-2010_16-21-31WW.jpg)
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authorization from the author. Above and inset: The Temptation of St. Anthony by Hieronymus Bosch, ca. 1500.
In this third installment of the "Old Dutch Warehouse" series we get to see an overal image of the warehouse, plus some more detailed ones of the same.
Mind you that the warehouse is still in storage, so at this point it's just one of those "to do" projects that we're all so familiar with.
Zooming in on the highest opening in the middle section of the building, we can see a very interesting resident! This feathered tenant doesn't seem to mind at all that the warehouse is deserted. Sitting on her vantage point, she oversees her surroundings with an almost royal stance.
And for those among you who are curious to know what, if anything, is on the right side of the warehouse, here are two pics of its sole occupant: an empty wine bottle! It was hand made by a very talented, Spanish miniaturist. The basket was woven using a plant native to the region where she's from. Unfortunately I don't recall the lady's name, but I will update this posting as soon as I find out! See you next time!
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The old warehouse is divided in two 'halves.' The left side contained a shop for ship supplies (Dutch: Scheepsbenodigdheden), while the right side was a pub and liquor store (Tapperij & Slijterij). One might guess that this choice of businesses was a bit of tongue-in-cheek by the builder.
We can almost picture a rugged ship's captain buying supplies for his next expedition, and after that also stock some 'drinks' in the shop next to it, to keep himself and his crew 'moisturized.' during the long journeys at sea.
These images show some items that I added to the ship supplies half of the otherwise empty warehouse. Again, this is just done for fun and the sake of these pics, cos the warehouse is still stored, hence off limits for a comprehensive decoration.
Note the spiderwebs on the image below. Those are real, not added by me. I guess this spider provides the threads of which dreams of discovery are made!
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I have, as part of my collection, an extremely old, Dutch warehouse. It's really a unique piece, made by a very skilled and knowledgeable individual, and above all, made with lots of love.
Although the maker will probably forever be unknown, his work has remained as a tribute to the above. Not a day goes by without me enjoying looking at this beauty!
The metal 'half wheel' at the center of this picture is a new, and very recent addition. I added it just for fun, and I think it blends well with the overall 'look' of the warehouse. It's not glued or anything, so it can be removed at all times. That goes for everything I add to these museum pieces; I don't alter, paint, or change anything, just decorate.
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I've been working for a while on a new project which I dubbed "The Conservatory 2.0."
An old, weathered greenhouse made of wood and glass served as the starting point for this new venture.
There's a lot of work to be done, both on the greenhouse itself, as well as on its interior. But before that, a thorough study of the structure and its possibilities is absolutely necessary. In a way, it's like a game of chess, whereby the trick is to think many steps ahead, and work towards that envisioned end result.
Hence, don't be deceived by the images on this page. This is no end product, but simply a temporary layout to explore the available space inside the greenhouse. But, while at it, I got a bit carried away, and had lots of fun taking some atmospheric pictures.
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"Are you sure you'll be able to fly in that plane?" asked Claire, "It doesn't even have wings!"
"Of course we will," replied the Big Bear, "most of the flying is in the wishing!"
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To die, to sleep—
No more—and by a sleep to say we end
The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to. ’tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish’d. To die, to sleep—
To sleep—perchance to dream.
Hamlet (1602) William Shakespeare,
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Photo: the attic bedroom of a dolls house made by a ten-years-old girl and his dad, circa 1914. From my own collection.
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Montevideo, Uruguay, 1950.
A cab travels through a cold and rainy night in the capital city. It's July, which means winter in the southern hemisphere.
The lady in the backseat sits silently as the trusty Ford Pilot pierces the darkness which envelops it like a giant cloak. Soon it will reach its destination, and after that, it will be back to "patrolling" the streets in search of new customers.
It's winter in Montevideo, and the nights are cold. But the cabby has a glimmer of hope: his country is doing well in the world championship football taking place in neighboring Brazil. If only... Could it be? Is a miracle in the making? Suddenly he spots somebody signaling him to stop. The poor man is soaked! Another passenger, another trip. Another reverie.
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Last Saturday I paid another visit to the best and most beautiful dolls house and miniatures shop in The Netherlands: "Het Kabinet" (The Cabinet) in Gouda.
The shop has such a huge collection of items for our wonderful hobby, that one keeps discovering new things with each visit!
Apart from factory-made items by several well-known brands, one can find the results of the "labor of love" by a number of Dutch artists on display. I've mentioned in a previous blog the paper plants and flowers of Elly. This time it was Jolanda's lovely jackets that caught my attention.
I purchased two, and immediately added them to an empty wardrobe which I had. Don't they look wonderful? Note also the little black shoes!
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Below: Margrietplein No 1: the entrance to a beautiful realm of miniatures.
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Here's a sneak preview of an old, run-down kitchen room box that I've been working on for a while now.
It has clearly seen better days, but that's exactly what I like about it. Actually, that's the whole reason I bought it. I want this thing to represent my style, not to look like my mom's kitchen!
It's still pretty much work in progress, yet slowly but surely getting there!
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Hi everybody, how are you doing today? Just sharing one of my many little projects here. This poor little fellow got seriously damaged in battle, but... he's still standing strong! We all get damaged one way or another, we all fall. But the trick is to get up again. Over and over.
Enjoy your day!
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2024 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.
I work a lot with cardboard, it's one of my favorite materials. I also use it extensively in the construction of dolls houses.
For some reason I found it very 'expressive.' It always has a tale to tell. Easy to paint too. Yes, definitely one of my favorite materials!
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The rooftop of the conservatory, with added metal frill and isolation.
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A dark corner of my "Two Minutes to Midnight" shadow box. No one taught me how to do this, I got there by trial and error.
I embarked in this particular project only a year after starting to work with miniatures. My love for everything old and rusty has always been the driving force behind my experiments with new techniques.
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© 2024 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.
Another picture of my walking doll as a follow up to yesterday's post. I'm sure she'll look great when dressed up.
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Hello everyone! Today I'm sharing this picture of one of my cuties, a so-called "walking doll."
Walking dolls don't really "walk" on their own, but rather create that illusion because their stiff legs can be moved as if walking (looks rather like marching to me), whereby their head -which is connected to the legs by an internal mechanism- moves from side to side with each step.
I bought her in a relatively poor state, without any clothes and loose wig, but otherwise complete. She measures about 60cm, or 24 inches (2 feet) tall.
She remains as I got her, but I hope to be able to find her a nice dress and shoes, and treat her to a visit to a hairdresser.
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Hi everybody! On Saturday I drove to the city of Gouda to buy some items from the renowned dolls houses & miniatures shop "Het Kabinet" ("The Cabinet").
Most of the miniatures I bought relate to a small room box project that I'm currently working on. However, regardless of the subject at hand, I never go back home without a little hand-made plant from Elly; a lady who offers her wonderful work for sale in one of the beautiful display cabinets in the shop.
This time I fell for an adorable pink begonia that was just begging to be bought! And here she is, in all her delicate splendor!
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Following my previous post, here's another view of the same room in the "Amsterdam" dolls house, taken from a different angle.
The lamp, curtains, as well as the paintings on the wall all came with the house, so they're an original part of it.
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A sneak peek inside one of my old dolls houses, which I call "The Amsterdam," after the city where I bought it.
Totally handmade, this house has the shape of a cube, with removable panels on all sides, allowing for easy access to the interior.
I can never thank its seller (Mrs Maria) enough for offering it to me for such a bargain price!
This beauty is currently in storage, awaiting its time to see the light of day again, together with some serious refurbishing!
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Another view of the conservatory under construction, with its interior enveloped in golden light. The walls got some extra 'skin' and the upper part of the windows feature 'stained glass,' all of which was not included in the original kit. Also, the windows now have wooden framing inside and out, which was not easy to do. But then again, the more work one puts into something, the better the results!
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After a day's work, a shovel, a rake, and a hoe rest against a table next to an onion crate containing real onion skins.
Around them, the construction of the conservatory continues unabated. One can also see another crate containing potatoes right under the table and next to the rake.
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Just one for the heck of it: this image shows a railway signaling lights post in H0 scale. I don't particularly focus on the H0 scale, but still own quite a few trains and buildings in that scale.
These trains & buidings are significantly more detailed (and twice as small) as my favorite 0-gauge scale, and are more aimed at the adult collector, i.e. grown ups like me, who still like to play with toys.
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Throwback Sunday: the below image shows the wooden beams of the conservatory's roof during its construction.
As you can appreciate, the wood was made to look very old and weathered, something which I totally enjoy doing!
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The custom-made front doors of the Conservatory are ajar in the night, as if welcoming whomever dares to enter. That is, if the angel head looking down on you from the shadows allows you to. Inside, silence reigns, and a luminescence seemingly coming out of nowhere lights up the otherwise empty space.
At the back, one can see the door that connects the conservatory with the dark, old house. At this point it looks quite desolate, devoid of the plants and flowers which later on would invade the place, making it warm, cheerful, and welcoming.
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Every project in life begins with a good, solid foundation.
When I got the kit for the conservatory, I decided that it deserved a good base to stand on. So I built these foundations and surrounding path, which followed the contour of the building itself.
Seen from above, it reminds me of the old ruins of a castle. One can almost smell the damp earth and exposed, ancient roots. Yet what we're looking at is a sunken 'trench' which accommodates the removable walls of the conservatory.
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Hi all, I hope you're doing well! This is an edited picture of the front of my old "Wealden" dolls house.
Currently in storage following the renovation of my apartment, I hope I'll be able to 'unearth' it pretty soon, so I can enjoy it and take more pictures of it!
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From my photo archives: a little 'pastoral' from the very beginning of my work with miniatures (2017). It was clear to me from the start that photographing miniatures was as much a crucial element of my new hobby as the miniatures themselves.
More often than not, I create little make-shift dioramas just for the benefit of a particular miniature that I want to photograph. Those dioramas are disassembled after the photo shoot.
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The sheer excitement and awe that comes with exploring an old dolls house like the Centennial is written all over Little Archy's face.
Sometimes I wish I could make myself small, and have my own journey of discovery through it!
Well, in fact I do! I mean, the second I start 'wandering' through the rooms visually, my mind takes me there and I become small like Archy. And I bet you have the same, when you wander through your own dolls houses! There is nothing that our imagination cannot do, we should always remember that!
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Hi all, I hope you're doing well!
Today I'm sharing a picture of one of my many dolls, big and small. She has no name or anything; it's just a cute little nun going about her day to day in her humble convent.
I like her a lot!
Hi all, it has been quite a while since my last post here,so I hope you're all doing well!
Been doing lots of things, except that which I love the most, which is all things miniature and old, zero-gauge toy trains!
But here I am, finally, sharing a pic from my extensive collection, depicting a very worn out example of my many vintage toy trains.
And isn't she gorgeous?! Even with her missing parts and rusty metal body -or maybe because of it- she has character, undeniable charisma, and mystery to her!
She has featured here before, the old 19-2405, but I think she deserves a new guest appearance, so here she is! See you next time!
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