(Ursula Brown)
Bits and Pieces of Magic
by Pam North
How wonderful it can be when one has the imagination and talent to conjure up one’s own visions of a variety of worlds and fantasy realms. Ursula Brown, a resident of South Yorkshire, England, has the creativity, the eye, and the nimble fingers to make an entire universe of cunning miniatures, all of which conjure up glimpses of fairyland and dreams. A master of using polymer clay, she has been creating her miniature art for over ten years. “I was inspired over a decade ago by a lady from Scotland’s ‘wee OOAK’ on eBay, and ever since I’ve found that miniatures are the way for me,” she said. The spectrum of her tiny creations includes pieces of whimsical furniture with accessories, teapot cottages, holiday-themed items, and many other clever objects, many with a distinct British style.
“I can remember making things from a very early age, from dresses for my dolls to desktop tidies - anything really. I always was drawing and using my imagination for all sorts of crafts. I was good at art at school; it was my favorite subject.” She has no formal training in the miniature field, but attributes her facility at involving herself in it as simply, “I’ve always been artistic, so I find it easy.”
After working as a finance administrator for twenty years in an office (“not the career I wanted, but it paid the bills,” she remarked), then made “redundant” (her term) in her career just over a year ago, she simply changed her focus, making the creation of her miniatures evolve into her new career from what had been her hobby. It was a change that suited her, and one that went smoothly and happily.
Her family is fully supportive of her endeavor. “My mum  is my biggest fan,” Ursula said, and also expressed a secret wish that her daughters someday might make miniatures with her.
She absolutely loves envisioning and constructing miniatures.  “You can turn anything you can imagine into a miniature, and you can realistically collect them. You can create in any venue: fantasy, Victorian times, little keepsakes, whatever you like. I love making things in miniature form because the possibilities are endless. I can make a house or a dragon, whatever pops into my head.”
Inspiration comes to her easily. “Just looking around at everyday things is what I find beautiful, and then to be able to create something from that into a perfect little piece.”
She finds it easier to do a quick sketch of her ideas first. All her pieces are handmade and painted by her. The scale is a variety of 1:12 and 1:48, depending on the item, all of which are made from polymer clay and painted with acrylics. Her pieces aren’t named, but she makes a sincere effort to only make one of them, so that each piece is unique. “I just think of a piece to create and work from there. It’s almost like a little fantasy world where I can fashion any image into miniature form. Every piece I make I learn from, and hopefully this helps me come up with even more fun ideas. The pieces almost never turn out exactly as I have initially envisioned, but sometimes they work out even better. I hope that I can do this forever!”
Her workplace is a spare room, with a desk and work bench, and everything around her that she needs. She cites her most valuable tool as her cocktail stick, saying, “It’s slightly blunter on one end, and I use it for every piece and for the majority of my work.”
She finds her biggest difficulty in working in miniatures is holding them while she works on them. “I also find it quite hard to see the detail, as some parts are so tiny, and I have had to buy magnifying glasses. I always have to make sure that the tiny pieces are secure and won’t break off. “I once found a lost piece in my cup of coffee!” she laughed.
She sells her pieces mainly on Etsy, and also at the York Dolls House & Miniatures Fair, which is held twice a year about an hour’s drive away from her at the York Racecourse in the United Kingdom. “That is very exciting for me,” she commented. “I think seeing the items in person is much better.” Her prices per piece range from £8 to £250. She sells nearly all her work, simply because she doesn’t have the space for it at home, although she confesses to having found herself unable to part with a few pieces. “I’ve made some air-dry clay sculptured ladies, which I love, and have kept. One day I may produce some to sell.”
She is optimistic about the future of miniatures, saying, “I hope people will continue to collect miniatures, as it’s a way of collecting something that, in reality, one may not be able to own, such as a unicorn or a dragon.”
As for what’s next for her and her creations, she has ideas for future projects. “I would love to make dolls and figurines, but I’m not that good yet ,” she joked. I also have a run-down doll house that one day I will renovate with my handmade items.”
Pleasing her customers with her creations is a great source of satisfaction for her. “The joy for me is their lovely comments when they receive my miniatures.”
Contact information:
Name: Ursula Brown
Business name: UniquablesByUrsula
Email: Ursulabrown765@yahoo.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/uniqueables?utm_medium=copy_link
Phone: 07941670614
Address: 7 Arundel Cottages, Treeton, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, S60 5PY