Featured Artist: Jeremy Smith of Catmando Miniatures
The only craftsman to have won 1st, 2nd, 3rd & Highly Commended in the Perfection in Miniature Awards, tells us more about his work & his entries into the contest.
Jeremy’s first Kensington Dollshouse Festival was in around 1989. At this time he was still living in the UK & he had given up his full time job (working on architectural & industrial projects around the world) to focus on what he really loved, making 1:12, unusual, wooden miniatures, most of which had at least one moving part.
His work is instantly recognisable for many reasons;
- the items he chooses to make which are all beautiful elegant pieces, mainly for the artist’s studio, household items, or complex folding chairs.
- the finish of his pieces, which makes everything he creates very tactile.
- the complexity of the pieces which comes from his modelmaking background.
Jeremy did disappear from the miniatures scene for a while when his family became a priority, it wasn’t until 20 years later, when he returned to Kensington in 2017, with a bang, winning the Perfection in Miniature Awards for his fully articulated artists mannequin.
He now lives in France & spends his time between doing up his real house, which needed to be rebuilt from the ground up, to creating his miniature gems. (The first thing he did when moving to France was make sure his workshop was ready).
Jeremy’s history with the Perfection in Miniature Awards has been unsurpassed.
2017: Fully Articulated Artists Mannequin – 1st Place
His 1st attempt at entering the PIMA & he walked away as the winner. Creating this intricate piece paved the way for future entries.
2019: Japanese Puzzle Box – 3rd Place
A well-loved family possession, bought by his parents in Singapore in the 1960’s inspired this 3rd place entry. It takes 12 moves to open the box & is sought after by puzzle box collectors too. Maybe the smallest puzzle boxes in exsistance?
2020: Giraffe Mannequin – Highly Commended
His real size Giraffe Mannequin inspired this entry. You can get artists mannequins of most animals, but the giraffe is particularly elegant.
2022: Laura’s Cat – 2nd Place
Finally the Catman does & makes an automated cat which is the copy of a full size artwork by Laura Matthews.
So what will he be making in 2023 for the PIMA awards? We will have to wait & see, but in the meantime, you can buy some of his beautiful miniatures from his page in the Autumn Online Showcase.
CLICK HERE to see more of Jeremy’s work.
