new website

Hope everyone has had a nice Christmas and all enjoy a Happy new year.

 

Personally I have had a bit of a break from miniature work, but going to get back in the workshop again.

 

I've not been entirely idle, I have been working on my new website, something I have been meaning to do for a long time, anyway it is now almost finished and can be seen at

 

www.miniaturepaintings.co.uk

 

 

Any comments or suggests will be welcomed.

Antique Ernest Rinzi Miniature Watercolour

I bought this several years ago from an antique shop who described it as a circa 1880 miniature with brass frame.

It is a beautiful watercolour which has been painted on vellum.

The artist is Ernest Rinzi and titled 'Augusta', 9cm tall by 7cm wide.

This is a society artist of high repute, he has two of his paintings in the Royal Collection.

This artist's work rarely goes on sale.

The painting is housed in one of the most beautiful frames that I have ever seen.

 

I will be selling this at a fine art auction in the UK, they have so far given me a pre auction estimate of £600-£800, could be worth more, more research is currently being undertaken by the auction house.

If anyone is interested in making a direct purchase from me then please email me at harvingtonminis@gmail.com

I can send more photos if needed.

 

As for my miniatures, I am currently having a short rest from painting but will be back at the easel very shortly.

My miniature paintings will have a slightly different look in 2014 as I am just putting the finishing touches to a new range of frames, some of which will be finished in

 24carat genuine gold leaf.

Still wetting the brushes

 

Not much to report on work from the workshop, am experimenting with a few things, my time is heavily occupied right now with my paintings, the one above is 'Tuscan View' and measures 2-3/4" wide, a bit different to the cottage scenes I have been doing lately and really enjoyed doing this one.

 

The one below is my last spookeeeeee painting of the year, 'The Cemetary Gatehouse' but now is the time to move on to other subjects, a few castles and stateley homes are on the drawing board.

 

I am also dabbling with some full size paintings, something I have negelected for several years now, if things work out well I will post a photo here.

 

Back with the painting

 

Been absent from the miniature world for a few weeks, needed a break by the sea.

 

Painting above is of Windsor castle and is approx 3" wide.

 

Painting below is of Beatrix Potter's house and this is a tiny one, actual painting is approx 3/4" wide, both frames are made by myself, I have a few more tiny ones planned, keeps the eye muscles active!

 

 

Am about to embark on a lot of miniature turnings and also have a few new ideas I want to try in miniature, photos to follow if the ideas work out.

Stop Press; my old website has now gone, currently building a much smaller one which is
www.harvingtonminis.co.uk


Mythical Mode

In my mythical mode at the moment, a Unicorn horn in miniature, said to hold magical powers, there's only one way to find out, this would look great in a castle or a witch's house.

Few more miniatures of a difference going on in my workshop at the moment and will be posting new photos as and when they are ready.

I was going to show my latest painting, but can't find it, that's one of the problems of painting in miniature!

Nessie

My latest miniature creation, the head of the Loch Ness Monster, found on the shore of Loch Ness by Hamish McDonald circa 1830.

 

Not been up to a great deal in the workshop lately but hope to back in there firing on all cylinders very soon and will post a few photos when I get chance.

Back into action

Been a bit quiet lately, had a small break from miniatures, but back to it again now.

Have just finished the church font which is pictured above, lots more projects now on the go, which includes a few very unusual ones.

 

My website harvington.com has now gone and is slowly being replaced by harvingtonminis.co.uk, with a saving of over £200 a year it had to be done.

 

I am no longer attending Miniature Fairs and this will be the case for the forseeable future.

All my miniature work is now on sale in America, am only selling in the UK via commissions.

 

Two of my paintings are featured in the current edition of DH&MS magazine and I am busy painting a few more ready to send to America.

 

Hopefully I will now post here a bit more often.

This is a tobacco jar which I have turned in amboyna burl and I have turned the table from impregnated exotic wood.

 

Now in the USA.

Been a while since my last post, been busy with lots of other things, we exhibited at the Wolverhampton Fair last week, we did okay, but have done better, wasn't many collectors through the doors though, never mind, these things do happen.

This Sunday the 14th April, the Harvington Miniatures roadshow will be at the Knights Hill Hotel in King's Lynn. A popular venue, one of our favourites and is run very professionally by Dolly's Daydreams.

The following weekend we will be at another Dolly's fair in Kettering.

Due to various reasons we we will not be exhibiting at as many fairs as we had first planned, check our website for further details.

www.harvington.com

A new product is now available, a lighthouse ornament which stands at just over an inch tall, looks like I need to get some practice at painting this sort of miniature, it's a bit different to painting on a canvas.

I have also got some new church/tudor plaques, plaques with quite a difference, but to see these you will have to visit our stand, the plaques are rather unique.

And finally due to the Post Office putting their prices up by ridiculous amounts yet again, for the time being I no longer sell on ebay. As most of my online sales go to America I now have someone selling my work over in the USA, her user name on ebay is prenupt she has an excellent reputation in the world of miniatures, so if you live over there and want to buy my work then you will now find the shipping costs are a lot lot less.

Jardinire tables

Been a short while since my last blog post, have been concentrating on my mainstream minis for the upcoming fairs and only three weeks now till Wolverhampton and then quite a few on the trot.

More or less got the stock made that I wanted to and can now concentrate on one off miniatures, such as the ones above, a jardinire table in 1/12th, one in the middle is 1/24th scale (just over an inch tall) and a cake stand/table.

Been slowed down as well due to finding out the hard way that table saws and fingers do not go together!!

The throbbing now eased off and slowly getting back in the workshop again, but going to be a few more weeks before I am back to full strength.

More new items on the way soon, head still full of new ideas and the sketch book is overflowing.

New mirrors

Not a lot to report, been busy fulfilling orders and making stock for the next few shows, thankfully my next show isn't till April, still need more time to work on stock making and rebuilding the show stand.

The photo above shows my two latest miniatures to come out of my workshop, couple of fancy mirrors, 1/12th scale (2-7/8" diameter) and 1/24th scale (1-1/2" diameter), am very pleased with the way these have turned out.

 

Am also currently working on a new range of miniatures, something which I have not seen anyone else selling, these will be ready in time for the Bantock House fair in Wolverhampton fair on April 7th, am hopeful they will prove to be a popular addition to the Harvington Miniatures range.

 

Bantock House is going to be popular again, I've been told that there is now quite a waiting list and they only charge 50p per family entrance fee, now that is a bargain!

 

New Church Miniature

Even though it was cold I still managed to venture into the workshop this morning and still on the Church theme I managed to make a font, this is 100year old mahogany and Indian rosewood and finished with sanding down to 12,000 grit and then laquered and resanded several times.

This measures 73mm tall.

 

The fair at Stratford on Avon went reasonably okay despite the horrible weather, very cold and pouring with rain all day long, what a vile day.

Well done to all who ventured out.

On a plus I enjoyed two beautiful bacon sandwiches, I did try to pay for them honestly, but I was told to take them for nothing, now I was not about to argue with that, was I!

 

Now got almost two full months for creating some new miniatures before our next fair which is at Bantock House in Wolverhampton, going to be some good makers there and I hear that there is already a lengthy waiting list, if it anything like last years event, it will be a cracker.

New Miniatures

Been busy this past week, finished off a couple of new miniatures, both plaques for a church, the top image is of a gold remembrance plaque, had to take photo at an angle to avoid flare, sorry.

 

Been busy making stock for out next fair which is now only 4 days away, it's at the Welcombe Hotel in Stratford on Avon, 10.30 till 4, we shall be right by the entrance.

 

After this we have two months break and then we shall be at Bantock House in Wolverhampton, this will be the start of four fairs in five weeks, so will be busy for the next couple of months, making extra stock and also hope to finalise even more new miniatures.

 

Tomorrow Thursday 7th Feb I am to be featured in the Express & Star newspaper and for this I have not only cleaned up the workshop but also given the website a make over, lots of miniatures now there for viewing, www.harvington.com

 

This final photo is of a sign you would usually find outside a church and will come with varius different wordings.

 

Miniature Hymn Board

 

Well time is flying by, only two weeks now till our next fair, weather has finally got a little warmer over the last few days so I have been back in the workshop.

Getting a few new miniatures ready for Stratford on feb 10th, the above is a miniature Hymn Board, numerals can be slid in and out of place so you can put in your own hymns.

Actually working on a couple more items for a church which I hope will be ready in time for Stratford.

But then I intend concentrating on some furniture, got my book about Queen Anne furniture, got a bargain off ebay, I thought it was a paperback but when it arrived it was a hardback, also signed by the author and is in mint condition, now need to spend the evenings reading and learning, then it's fingers crossed and follow the plans, good grief they certainly knew how to make furniture in those days and without all the modern tools that we now have, real craftsmen.

Overgrown

Finished this one this afternoon, titled 'Overgrown Cottage', just from an idea of many in my head, keeps me occupied while it's too cold in the workshop.

 

Hope the cold weather soon goes away, have just ordered my book on Queen Anne furniture, so hopefully photos of my attempts at some fine furniture in miniature will follow, that's of course if I can produce some!

Just like my art I have had no training at all in woodwork and indeed like everything else in my life I have learned myself.

Woodman's Cottage

Sorry it's been so long since my last post, I haven't been doing much apart from painting.

The painting above is titled 'Woodman's Cottage' and I have tried to give it an autumnal feel.

 

Workshop is still way too cold, we have had snow over the past few days and it doesn't look like clearing yet, in fact it seems there is more to come.

 

I did have one little session in the workshop, been practising on producing cabriole legs, these are not easy but I think I have finally got there, so hopefully have some furniture made soon with this style of leg.

 

Stafford went well last week, was nice to meet up with lots of my regular customers and also got a nice surprise a few days ago when my photo was featured in the Express & Star newspaper along with a write up on the Stafford Fair.

 

Our next fair is at Stratford on Avon on February 10th.

Will also be updating my website over the next day or so with the list of fairs we shall be attending this year.