I'm
a history buff and the way I bring it to life for myself is my dolls house
collection. I am an artist in full size and miniature and love to read about
history, especially the Tudor period.
Learning
to stitch crewel embroidery in the 1970’s when it was very popular led me into
the world of miniatures when I realized I could stitch petit point rugs for my
18th century American Federal dolls house.
I studied
watercolor for over thirty years and found I could bring this skill into
miniature also. I have studied painting
watercolor on vellum with John J. Hodgson of England
and miniature oil painting with Johannes Landman of Canada,
both at the Guild School in Castine,
Maine. The Guild School
is teaching arm of the International Guild of Miniature Artisans, of which I
have achieved Artisan status.
After
extensive research, I collected dolls houses depicting periods from the 16th
to 20th centuries in England,
Holland and the United States. I have lectured at the Museum of the City of New York and exhibited my dolls houses at a number of
venues, most notably at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Connecticut and at The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. My collections and needlework have been
featured in magazines and books in England,
France, Spain, The Netherlands and of course, the United States.