Morgen Bearse

A Tribal Tent

by Pam North

Morgen Bearse began collecting miniatures as a child of 7 or 8. She settled for common objects and found treasures to proudly incorporate into shadow boxes, while yearning for a big, fancy dollhouse to decorate. Now living in Cocoa Beach, Florida, she is currently a stay-at home-mom, and before that, a floral designer. Occasionally she refinishes vintage furniture for resale. 
“I’ve been making ‘real’ miniatures for just over 2 years,” she explained, “but I’ve always been drawn to making smaller versions of items. I can get lost for hours when I’m creating. Thankfully, my kids and husband help keep me grounded in reality. I don’t have any training other than watching YouTube tutorials, so I am still learning”
Her latest piece is one she calls Under African Skies, which was the Hobby Builders Supply’s 2016 Creatin' Contest’s Third Place Winner. “The tent symbolizes who I want to be - fearless, adventurous, following my passion. The Backyard Bungalow kit, the basis for each entry in the contest, was really cute. I wanted to push myself to think outside the box, however, so I tried to focus on just the basic shape. The peaked roof made me think of pole tents, and once I had that idea, I knew exactly what to do.”
Extremely frugal, she would rather build or alter something than buy it. “I find a lot of my materials at thrift stores. About 95% of the items were made (or purchased and then heavily altered to make them what I wanted), and the rest were bought and left as is.” Materials used for her project were: wood dowels for the beams; an old banana leaf placemat for the floor; broom bristles for the brown grasses; green faux grass; paper for the plants; small dowels and balsa wood for the furniture; gravel; potpourri for the dirt and small additions to the landscaping. The trunks were made from wood building blocks; fabrics came from old shirts and ties; wooden skewers were used for the spears; Fimo clay was used to make some of the artifacts and pottery on the shelves; masking tape to make the fabric for the bag, and vinyl for the chairs. “The brass hurricane lamps were purchased from miniatures.com. They didn’t light up, but I changed that. The glass element was removed by soaking the piece in hot water to dissolve the glue holding it. Using my Dremel and a tiny drill bit, I drilled a hole down through the center of the brass base. A drip of water where I was drilling helped keep it from heating up too much. The wires from a pico chip-sized LED lighting kit were inserted down through the drilled hole, and the light was glued into place at about the same height as where a real flame on a hurricane lamp would be. The glass was then glued back into place. The wire from the bottom can be threaded into or behind a piece of furniture to hide the battery pack.”
She purchased the rugs, but they were lacking the appearance of being well-worn and aged, as if they had traveled all over Africa. For that effect, she applied liberal amounts of watered-down craft paint in ivory, tan, and brown shades. She layered the wet rug between pieces of paper towel, and set something heavy on it to keep it flat. After it was dry, she used her Dremel and a sanding bit to make it look unevenly worn. She made small holes, and frayed the edges in some spots. After the sanding, she trimmed off the fuzzy areas that the sanding had caused.
“The hardest part of the piece was getting the beams to fit properly. Thankfully, a lot mistakes are hidden by the rope holding the beams together. It frustrated me to the point of not working on them until the very last minute! The piece turned out pretty much how I had envisioned it. The only thing that changed was the amount of furniture I thought I could fit into it; I had planned on a small couch and another table, but quickly realized that there wouldn’t be enough room.”
Her reason for making the project was her love of a challenge. “I don’t like doing what is expected. This piece came about by taking a part of me, or a part of who I want to be, and bringing it to life.” Another favorite aspect of it is that many of the accessories have hidden meanings for her. “For example, in every dollhouse I’ve made, I include a tiki, butterflies, and a bumble bee; these hold special meaning for my family.” What is most fun for her is the details. “That’s what brings the piece to life, and draws the viewer into the scene. I love creating a whole little world inside of a tiny space.” 
She plans on displaying Under African Skies in an acrylic box at her local library, so that she can share it with others.
She makes whatever captures her interest. “Right now, I really enjoy making flowers from paper.“My next project is going to be a greenhouse. I love making miniature plants, and am excited by the challenge of making them look as realistic as possible.”
“The future of miniatures is exciting.” she continued. “With the help of the internet, social media, and sites like YouTube, more and more Morgen Bearsartists can share their work, making miniatures more accessible and mainstream. People seem to be captivated by miniatures.”

Contact Information:
Name: Morgen Bearse
Email:  morgenflower@gmail.com
Phone: (321) 432-3021
Address: 445 Indian Creek Dr
Cocoa Beach, FL 32931