Proud to be an Artisan Member of the International Guild of Miniature Artisans, IGMA

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Newest Miniature Crewel Embroideries, available for sale. Inquiries welcome via email: cookiemax@aol.com

Hatfield, Turned Leg Bench

                                                               Carlisle, Square Pole Screen

                                                                 Brighton, Round Pole Screen

                                                               Marlborough, Fireplace Screen

                                                        Northampton, Fireplace Screen

                                                               Darlington,Cabriole Leg Bench

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Nuremburg-style Kitchen




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Ooops, sorry, I see this was somehow also listed in a posting from 2010, so forgive me if you see this twice with similar verbiage...
Wanted to share some pictures of my Nuremburg-style kitchen.  I found this display box sitting out in the rain in front of an antique shop in New Jersey years ago.  I thought it would be great for a miniature club member as half of them were antique-ers, and already had it in the trunk of my car, when the dealer said, "Wait a minute, I have a stove that just might work."  When I placed the stove in it, I decided it was mine!  The day after I returned home, wondering how I was going to decorate it, the plumber came for repairs and was taken with the piece.  He found the copper "stove pipe" in his truck along with 4 copper caps that fit the top of the stove perfectly.  From there on, it went very easily because I started shopping at full size antique shows and found most of the items you see at reasonable prices.  I had so much fun doing this room up, not caring about matching scales as that is only a contemporary idea.
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Monday, January 9, 2012

From the National Gallery of Art's website...


I found this blurb on the web site from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC about the wonderful Dutch painting exhibit that was held from February 1–May 3, 2009.

Pride of Place: Dutch Cityscapes of the Golden Age

Overview: 49 paintings and 23 maps, prints, and illustrated books by some 40 Dutch artists were shown in this exhibition surveying the tradition of Dutch cityscape painting from its origins in 16th-century maps and city profiles through 17th-century depictions of Dutch cities, including genre paintings of daily life. Jan van Goyen's 15-foot View of The Hague from the Southeast, painted for the town hall of that city, was included in the Washington venue of the exhibition.

Exhibition curator Arthur K. Wheelock Jr. presented an auditorium lecture, City Views: Pride and Prosperity in the Dutch Golden Age on the opening day of the exhibition. Teacher workshops were held on February 21 and 28. A family weekend, "Weekend in the Dutch Republic," was held on April 25 and 26. A miniature Dutch canal house (conceived by Cookie Ziemba and designed by Peter Mattinson), the imagined home of painter Pieter de Hooch, was on display in the Founders Room during the family weekend. A teen studio program, "Painting: Approaches to Perspective," also was held in conjunction with the exhibition. Inspired by the exhibition, concerts of music of the Dutch Golden Age were held during March. The Garden Café served a special menu of Dutch cuisine as Cafè Amsterdam.
The exhibition was organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, and the Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis, The Hague. Arthur K. Wheelock Jr., curator of northern baroque painting, National Gallery of Art, Washington, and Ariane van Suchtelen, curator, Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis, The Hague, were exhibition curators. The exhibition was made possible by Greg and Candy Fazakerley and Eijk and Rose-Marie van Otterloo. It was supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. The exhibition booklet was made possible by Mrs. Henry H. Weldon.

More on the Dutch Canal house display at Museum


I was Googling around this evening and found this on the Newsletter from the NAME club, Mt. Vernon Miniatures Club...how wonderful of you to include this in your very informative and interesting newsletter. Thank you to Laurie Sisson!

Mt. Vernon Miniatures Club
by Laurie Sisson
The Mt. Vernon Miniatures Club had a lovely out to visit Cookie Ziemba in April at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC where her Dutch Canal House was being exhibited.  We met Cookie at her exhibit in the museum and spent the morning with her asking questions about her house, then touring the Dutch exhibit at the museum, including a lovely musical presentation and a hands-on stamping project.  Cookie's house was reproduced as one of the stamps and she was presented with a set of them as a gift from the museum.  The house had its own guard while the museum was open!  Impressive.

I included a photo from Cookie of the crated house.  The museum went down to Florida and crated the house.  Cookie came to DC to set it back up for display.  What our museums do for us.  Gotta love 'em.