(Bonnie L. Cross – My Minka)

A Peaceful Japanese Retreat

by Pam North  

Bonnie Cross lives in the country near a very small town in northwest Pennsylvania, and as a hobbyist, she makes a wide assortment of miniatures, mostly 1:12 scale. She attributes her interest in all things small as beginning while she herself also was very small in early elementary school, where she enjoyed duplicating her art projects in miniature. Self-taught, with no formal training in crafting miniatures,she nevertheless has managed to pick up relevant skills as she went along, and now cites her most valuable tool as her Craftsman bolt-on power tool set. She is fortunate to have a workroom that is well-equipped with a desk, work bench, table, and one wall with shelving filled with supplies. As she is now retired and recently widowed, she can devote more time to her hobby, but family is important to her. Her husband, Vince, had been a major source of support and encouragement, and he is greatly missed. “He was my biggest champion,” she said, “along with my son, Mike. Mike is my photographer. My sister, Sharon, and my three grandsons also are great fans of my hobby.”
One of her recent projects was her entry in Hobby Builders Supply’s 2018 25th Creatin’ Contest. The basic #92018 Three Gables House unfinished kit, a required component of each entry, was a compact and completely enclosed structure in raw form, with large front windows, a recessed front porch, and a removable roof panel to give access to a spacious, open interior, ready for whatever the contestant desired it to become. Bonnie’s entry, titled My Minka. is her version of a Japanese house. “I love the general simplicity of the Japanese design,” she explained, and that Asian ambience and serenity is beautifully executed in her piece, which captured the contest’s third place award. Using the required basic kit purchased for the contest, along with additional necessary wood products for completion, she successfully created her concept, with about 90% of the piece either completely made by her or adapted to suit. “The Japanese roof tiles were purchased from Japan for me by my husband, Vince, before he passed away. He was not able to see the finished piece, but I am sure he would have approved,” she shared. One unique, unconventional process she used in her house’s creation was soaking the outer corners of the roof panels in a container of hot water to get the necessary curl required for a Japanese roof, and those curved roof corners were probably the most difficult aspect about the ultimate authentic appearance of her project. “I love the character of the design, and wanted it to be unique, and it turned out just as I had envisioned it from the start. I think one of my favorite parts of this piece is perhaps the raised indoor fire pit, and the most fun I had was making the Japanese tea ceremony setting.”
Bonnie hasn’t felt like parting with any of her creations, particularly My Minka, so she has no plans to sell the house, preferring to keep it because of the connection to her husband, and she displays it in her living room. If she had to put a value on it, she says it would be approximately $2000.00.
Working in miniature can be intricate and painstaking, and Bonnie was in agreement with that fact, saying, “The thought processes needed to replicate an item into miniature form and have it appear realistic is the biggest difficulty, but probably is the most rewarding part. I love the process of recreating an item in miniature and achieving realism. That gives me a feeling of accomplishment!” She finds inspiration in the world around her, and also from her travels over the years. “I guess the main thing that I can say is that I love this hobby, and I get great satisfaction from the creative process!”
The future of the hobby is a topic important to all miniaturists, and Bonnie shared her concern as well.         “It is my hope that more young people become involved to ensure that this is not a dying hobby!”
Always looking ahead in her craft, Bonnie is now seriously considering what her entry in this year’s Creatin’ Contest will be, and additionally is finishing a miniature bio-chemistry lab for her grandson.

Contact information:
Name: Bonnie L Cross
Email: bonmini02@verizon.net
Phone: 814-392-6208
Address: 8700 Hanlin Cross Rd. - Union City, PA 16438