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Daily Mini Interview: Miniatures by Joshua Smith

January 13, 2016January 19, 2016 admin

Joshua Smith of Espionage Gallery

What’s your earliest memory with miniatures?

I have been fascinated with miniatures and modelmaking ever since I was little and can remember making miniature things out of cardboard boxes ever since I was very young.

How did you first get started making miniature sculptures?

It first started about 5 or 6 years ago when I was in a group exhibition customizing dumpsters made out of MDF. I decided to grime mine up and made a miniature version of myself complete with replica clothing and went dressed in the same outfit. The interest stems from building model kits when I was a kid and I have always been fascinated with miniature scenes from model railroads.

Do you remember the very first miniature you made?

It would have been the dumpster that I created for the exhibition 6 years ago with the miniature version of myself and glue bucket and broom. I still have it displayed in my glass cabinet amongst my art collection.

What is the most challenging aspect of your work with miniatures?

I think the most challenging thing is working out what to make certain things from. This is one of the main reasons I love doing miniature work so much; I love a challenge and the problem-solving skills that come with trying to figure out how to get miniatures to look realistic.

What is your favorite period of art history?

Probably the 80s and 90s. I am very heavily influenced with graffiti and street art and this was when it was really coming into it’s own.

What advice would you give to new artists?

Research. If you are doing miniature streetscapes like myself I often look at all the things that everyone overlooks like rust coming down a wall or where grime is forming. Things like gum on the sidewalk and discarded cigarette butts are the small things that can make a miniature street scene go from looking good to looking great. It is all these small details that make it.

What wisdom have you learned from your time as Gallery Director of Espionage?

My art career itself spans over 16 years having over 170 exhibitions worldwide but it is my time as Gallery Director of Espionage Gallery for 4 years that I find most valuable. Having that time working out how to put on exhibitions, market myself, do promotion, hanging artwork and everything coming from running a gallery really gave me an appreciation to the other side of the artworld. Very rarely do you see someone who has played both sides both as an artist and as the person selling the artwork. Both sides of the coin can be very difficult financially but gives you a greater understanding to how it works. It also makes you very dedicated and disciplined — something which now extends to my artwork.

What inspires you?

The city! Especially Melbourne. I live for the grime. I love alleyways filled with rubbish, grime and rust especially around the Chinatown precinct. To me, the grime and decay of old buildings really makes it for me and I think it tells more of a story and history than a clean pristine building.

What is the most memorable miniature you have ever seen?

This is tough one! There are plenty of great artists that I follow now but Satoshi Araki is one of my favorites as he does things which are a little different. One of his recent works was of a shop front of a used robot shop with a Gundam robot, Wall-E and R2D2 out the front!

What is your hope for the field of miniatures?

It’s funny, when I really started getting into doing my miniature streetscapes about 6 months ago I thought I was the only person doing them. Since then I have come across other amazing artists such as Drew Leshko, Randy Hage, What the Hell and Satoshi Araki. I would love for these artists to come together and do an international exhibition of streetscape miniatures. I think the world is now just coming across this artform and embracing it as miniature sculpture you can display or hang on a wall rather than someone just doing a hobby. I would like to see the industry really come into it’s own in the artworld, and I think people like Drew Leshko are really pushing the movement forward.

What would you like to see replicated in miniature that you have not yet seen?

Again another tough one! There are plenty of amazing detailed beautiful buildings that I see everyday which I would love to replicate as miniatures. Unfortunately, due to their scale and complexity it would take me months or years to recreate at such a small scale!

Why miniature sculptures?

I think it’s the challenge. I like making things which look realistic and I like to play with perspective. It’s funny when I take photos of my miniatures… people think that it is something that is actual real life scale but then when I take a photo of something in real life, they are wondering if it is miniature! I like messing around with that and it is something that I really enjoy doing.

What’s to come from Joshua Smith?

I am now looking to have a solo exhibition in the United States in either Denver, Chicago, New York or San Francisco. I am approaching galleries in the USA to make this happen. I’ve also recently been contacted by some leading galleries in London and Paris in regards to showing my work in 2016. I’m currently working on some small works for group exhibitions but aiming to do a solo exhibition in both cities.

I am also working towards a duo show which will be somewhere in the States next year working with Minnesotan based artist, Hanna Newman. Hanna and myself met in early 2015 and have collaborated on other projects in Australia but are now looking at working together in the U.S. The idea at this stage is making miniatures of spaces which Hanna has taken black and white photography of, and recreating these as miniatures and displaying them side by side. I would love to be able to also showcase this work in Japan next year as well.

In terms of Espionage Gallery, I may have another group exhibition most likely in Melbourne but aiming more to focus on my own work. I would love to organize a group exhibition of other miniature artists work here in Australia!

Motto you live by?

Never stop and never let anyone tell you what to do.

Other activities and hobbies you enjoy?

I love the cinema, especially old films and Hong Kong cinema. When I am not creating I am usually watching films both at home and in theaters. I love the escapism you get from watching movies where you can be transported to another time and place.

What do you want miniature fans to know about you?

I would just like to thank everyone for their support in my new direction. I was doing stencil art for the last 16 years and needed to move in a new direction which is now miniatures. As much as I love making minis, it is everyone’s support and advice that keeps me going so thank you! I would also love to express my appreciation for other artists such as Ryan Monahan, Drew Leshko and Randy Hage. You guys really inspire me!

Joshua Smith hails from Adelaide, Australia. Joshua worked in stencil art for more than 15 years and now focuses on miniature sculptures and his efforts as Director of Espionage Gallery. For more information, check him out on Instagram!

A photo posted by The Daily Miniature (@dailymini) on Jan 15, 2016 at 2:37pm PST

Daily Mini Interview: Miniature Sculptures by Ryan Monahan

December 7, 2015May 17, 2016 admin

Miniature Scenes and More by Ryan Monahan

| Instagram | Website |

What’s your earliest memory with miniatures?

Honestly, I think the earliest memory I have is visiting a family friend’s house where they had a scale model of their home. It blew my little mind; I recall running around checking if they included all the details like the garden hose or the house number… I really was fascinated. I had to be about 8 or 9 years old, I’m guessing.

How did you first get started making miniatures yourself?

I really kind of fell into making miniatures. I’ve been a fine artist most of my life doing everything from pencil to paint on paper and what not, but was growing bored with the same 2-D art. Truth be told, I only made my first real miniature sculpture a few months ago. For me I think the interest partially stems from growing up such a toy freak, I used to make mini dioramas out of foam for my action figures and hotels for my Treasure Trolls.

What miniature projects are you currently working on?

I’m currently working on my third piece in a new series I’m putting together of different seedy storefronts that have some weird connection to my past. My current project is a bar next to a tattoo shop in a less than friendly neighborhood, let’s just say. The sculpture is based on my experiences, years ago, being a tattoo artist in Rochester, NY.

My technique is pretty all over the place, I use mostly found objects and repurposed items. By default, I have become a hoarder! I try to make everything myself including all the advertisements and signage; that was a nice way to incorporate my Graphic Design background.

Most of my building structures are made out of foam, chip board, plaster and plastic, then finished off with several layers of paint and weathering techniques.

What cities have you created miniature replicas from? We saw a miniature building from Miami, Arizona.

Actually the church in Miami, AZ is the only replica of a building so far, the other projects have been fictitious locations that were created by me. I plan to do a few more local to Chicago locations though once I finish this current series.

What’s the most challenging aspect of your miniature making?

For me, it’s the overall composition of my pieces; I tend to want to crop my view point to give a little more interest for the viewer. I always like when things are thoughtfully cropped, as a viewer you look at it and it just feels right. Aside from that… padlocks, the size of a half grain of rice; I need better tweezers!

What advice would you give to new artists miniaturists?

Well since I’m still getting started myself, I feel I’m constantly learning and looking at everything with a miniature eye. If I had to give advice to another person just like me, I would say, make what you see, not what you think you see. Really take the time to study the nitty-gritty, the stuff that everyone disregards at first glance, that is what you need to remember to include.

Favorite miniature prop you’ve made for one of your miniature scenes?

My favorite miniature prop I’ve made has been a small 10 gallon bucket with some newspapers and beer can sitting around it. I used a hairspray cap, paperclip and masking tape to create it. The beer cans were painted capacitors from an old computer microchip board. Great fun!

Favorite miniaturists you’d like to mention?

I really love the works of miniaturist Alan Wolfson, the amount of elaborate depth that he puts into his pieces is fantastic. I am inspired to create that amount of detail and depth every time I look at his work. I’m a big fan of Randy Hage as well. He is really one of the reasons I thought I wanted to give building miniature environments a try.

What is the most memorable miniature you have ever seen?

I’d say anything from Alan’s Subway series. I love how he creates the different views of street level and the subway level. No crack or bolt is left out.

What inspires you?

I am inspired by everything around me. I pretty much am surrounded by art 24/7, so I like to think I have a bottomless well of inspiration, provided I don’t get in my own way!

What is your hope for the field of miniatures?

Since I’m the new kid in town, I’m not too sure how to answer this! All I know is I want to be a part of the miniature future! I would love to take this hobby and new found love and make a career of it someday.

What would you like to see replicated in miniature that you have not yet seen?

It would be really cool to see a miniature tree house; that has been on my to do list for a while.

Why miniatures?

Making miniatures was the first art I tried where I had no problem taking my sweet time. I love the challenge of not missing any detail.

New miniatures in the works?

I’m constantly cooking up something!

Since I’m so new to this, I want to try and complete a small body of work to try and get something in a gallery setting. I’ve never had any work in in a gallery before, that’s on my to do list too!

Motto you live by?

Produce, produce, produce. I constantly tell myself to be making something, whether a doodle or a miniature replica of a toilet.

Other activities you enjoy?

I do a lot of drawing and hand drawn lettering, My 9-5er is as a Graphic Designer, so I’m constantly bouncing between fine art and design. The computer and I have a love hate relationship. I’d rather be picking paint and glue out of my fingernails over sitting behind a computer any day.

I collect loads of toys from the 80s and 90s, spend time with my fiancé, and watch Back to the Future entirely too often.

What do you want miniature enthusiasts to know about you?

I can’t wait to see and learn as much as I can on this great new mini adventure I’m starting!

Want to see what Ryan Monahan has created this week? Check out his Instagram account today! To see more of his work, head on over to his website.

Daily Mini Interview: Miniatures by Drew Leshko

June 2, 2015June 2, 2015 admin

Miniatures by Paper Sculptor Drew Leshko

| Website | Blog | Instagram |

What’s your very first memory with miniatures?

My first memory of miniatures would have to be from attending an annual church auction. There was this woodworker who built the most amazing custom dollhouses. They were unfinished, but the detailing and precision was on point.

How did you first start working in miniatures?

I always think back to building dioramas for middle school English class as a component to a book report… but I think the first real experience working this way was in 10th grade. I had a serious surgery to correct pectus excavatum, a chest deformity. After having my ribs spread apart, xyphoid process shifted, and sternum moved around, I was stuck in a bed for a while. My father had purchased a kit for me to build a miniature half pipe. The half pipe was for fingerboards, those mini skateboards that were popular for a minute. I never found any interest in fingerboarding, but have really vivid memories of building ramps, then covering them with pencil drawings of skate brands and punk music imagery. A technique not too far off from the way I’m working now when applying street marketing and graffiti to my miniature dumpsters.

Were you formally trained in the arts?

I studied fine art in college and feel that I developed some strong composition and design skills, but honestly the way I work isn’t taught in schools. My 3-D design class really opened my eyes and focused my attention on making dimensional objects. However, now I make my sculptures mainly out of archival papers and paper sculpture, which just doesn’t fall into any of the class programs.

How long have you been creating minis?

I’ve been creating small sculptures for the past 10 years, but I feel like I’ve really focused my work and found a strong rhythm in the past 5 years. Now, I predominantly work at 1:12 scale with a variety of acid-free materials.

What types of miniatures do you make? How has your work evolved?

I started making architecturally based miniatures to be displayed on a tabletop or pedestal. I realized that I was running out of storage space in my studio and that any potential collector would need to devote so much space to show the works in a domestic setting, so I needed to make a revision. Eventually I came up with the idea of creating the works as only facades so that they could be wall mounted. My thought was that people are able to clear wall space much easier than floor space. At this point, it’s not much different from the way a painting or photograph is hung.

The buildings are huge undertakings and take a lot of time and patience. Additionally, they can be brutal to ship around the country. So I began to think about some smaller sculptures I could make, but most importantly, what type of objects can be constructed of paper? Thinking about some of the detailing on the buildings, I realized that recreating sheet metal with paper is great. I started to think about tractor-trailers, vans, food trucks, and similar vehicles when I landed on camper trailers. My work has always included commentary on the temporal nature of things, so the transient nature of “RV culture” fits right in to that idea.

You’ve created a number of documentary studies of architecture from your Philadelphia neighborhood. Do you foresee creating building replicas of other cities?

It’s hard to say. Right now, I’m very happy to be done with the buildings and to be working on a new series. I spent a portion of my life designing and creating the 17 buildings and I’m a bit burned out on them.

What materials do you use to make miniatures?

I love using paper. It’s extremely versatile. It can be easily manipulated, folded, cut, sanded. Illustration board, mixed archival paper, wire, plaster, varieties of wood, and inkjet prints are the main materials for most of my projects. I then finish them with enamels, acrylics, airbrush, oil pigments, and charcoal.

Tool you can’t live without?

X-ACTO knife, without a doubt.

Unexpected material you’ve used in your work?

I learned of a rusting technique from an amazing artist, Alex Lukas. Mixing hydrogen peroxide, iodized salt, and white vinegar results in a solution that will rapidly rust steel. It can be sprayed on surfaces, or applied with a paintbrush. Sometimes I’ll add pieces of metal to the works. This is a great solution for weathering.

If you could only describe your work in one of these words, which would it be? Art. Miniature. Design. Architecture.

Art. This isn’t a hobby, this is my job and I am a sculptor. They aren’t models for something to be designed or constructed either. Actually they are the opposite. A recreation of what was. With that mindset, they are documentary studies similar to a painter rendering a scene or a photographer capturing an image.

What’s a day in the studio look like?

A day in my studio is an exercise in patience! Everything is a slow process, so patience is a virtue. Typically it’s me cutting, gluing, and folding paper to create individual components that become integral parts of the overall sculpture. I try to break down the objects into manageable pieces and then apply them like a collage to the panel I’m working on. All of this typically happens to a soundtrack of hip-hop and punk rock, though I listen to a wide variety of music.

Favorite miniature or work of art you own?

Oddly enough, I don’t collect miniatures, but I have a pretty nice art collection. I own two hand-woven tapestries from one of my favorite young artists, Erin M. Riley. If you don’t know her work, you need to.

Most treasured miniature you’ve made?

I think Ampere Electric is my most treasured artwork, though I didn’t treasure it enough to keep it, haha! This piece was collected by Kasseem Dean (Swizz Beatz), and is now installed in his home; part of an amazing contemporary art collection, The Dean Collection. I love the balance of beauty and decay in the piece.

Non-miniature artists, designers, books you look to for inspiration?

Thomas Demand, Bernd and Hilla Becher, Walker Evans, Roxy Paine, Alex Lukas, and William Christenberry.

Miniaturists or mini makers that inspire you?

EVOL, Tracey Snelling, Lori Nix, Lois Renner, Kim Keever, Thomas Doyle, and Patrick Jacobs.

Most memorable moment in your miniature making career thus far?

Last December in Miami was amazing. Art Basel, Miami, is always a great time but last year was wild. Philadelphia’s Paradigm Gallery + Studio sold Ampere Electric to the Dean Collection and I was able to meet the legend, Swizz Beatz. He was the most genuine, nicest, collector ever. At a party Swizz was DJ’ing, I then got to hang out with 2 Chainz. 2 Chainz and I had a nice conversation about one of my sculptures Caring Pharmacy and the impact of pharmaceutical dependency and addiction in urban areas. I think that trip will stick with me for a long, long time.

Advice for beginner artists?

You only get out of it what you put into it. Making a go at an art career is difficult at best. If you’re not willing to 100% of your focus into the work, then you should find something else to do with your time. Don’t get frustrated, it took me years before I was starting to get included and invited into good exhibitions.

What is the most memorable miniature you’ve ever seen?

Lee Stoetzel created miniature McMansions entirely from McDonald’s food products. The finished work is a photograph, but definitely a weird one.

Why miniature studies of your neighborhood? Why miniatures?

I’ve always been interested in documentary studies in art, capturing moments in time regardless of media. My project with the buildings in my neighborhood is just that, a documentary project or archiving project.

“Why miniatures?” is a great question, one that I really can’t answer. It just feels right. There is something inside of me that pushes me to take on these works, but I can’t identify what that is.

News about upcoming exhibitions and shows?

Yes! I have a solo exhibition, Relics, with 11 building sculptures at the Delaware Center for Contemporary Art, Wilmington, that will be up through mid-August. Thinkspace Gallery, Los Angeles has curated my work into upcoming exhibitions in Detroit, Fort Wayne, Indiana, London, Miami, Honolulu, and Los Angeles. In June, I have a summer group show at Hashimoto Contemporary, San Francisco. Paradigm Gallery + Studio will be taking my work to Art Basel, Miami, in December and also hosting a solo show in Philadelphia in March of 2016. Beyond that, I will have a small solo show in Portland, Oregon at Antler Gallery in the fall of 2016.

What’s the best way to purchase your work?

My work can be purchased online through Paradigm Gallery + Studio. Additional works are currently available through Thinkspace Gallery, Los Angeles and Hashimoto Contemporary, San Francisco and the Delaware Center for Contemporary Art, Wilmington. For works at these galleries, inquire for a price-list as they’re not listed on their web shops.

Other activities you enjoy?

When I’m not in the studio, I like to enjoy family time with my wife, dogs, and cats. Cycling, camping, and fishing are some of my hobbies.

Motto that keeps you creating?

“They don’t finish themselves.”

Want to dive into more of Philadelphia-based Drew Leshko’s miniature worlds? Check out his website, latest blog posts, and follow along on Instagram, which Drew uses to show daily process images as well as a vehicle to promote work to a new audience.

A photo posted by The Daily Miniature (@dailymini) on Jun 3, 2015 at 1:29pm PDT