(Jacqueline Mitchell - AM228)
An Australian Barbecue
by Pam  North
Tiny things are something that Jacqueline Mitchell has loved right from childhood. After a career as a trained dressmaker, tailor and milliner, and also teaching decorative finishes for furniture, she is retired now so she has the time to focus on miniatures.
She is descended from very early Scottish/English free settlers who arrived in Victoria in 1839, and one of Jacqueline’s recent pieces commemorates that; it is called Australia Day, done in 1:12 scale. “My ancestors were graziers who brought their knowledge and skills to Victoria, when there were more sheep than people,” she explained.” It was a tough life, but they were successful, and one of the original properties remains in my extended family’s hands to this day. The fact that I am urban bred (although my father grew up on the farm) does not interfere with the pride I feel in this great country. The 26th of January (the official date of Australia Day) is a public holiday, and many people celebrate with  backyard get-togethers like the one I have created. I modeled this on my own backyard, which includes most of the elements depicted, including a fernery with hanging baskets and numerous bird baths in both front and back gardens. The parrots are simple plastic toys I painted in the correct colors. We often have flocks of sulphur-crested cockatoos passing overhead, as well as beautiful green and scarlet parrots diving in the birdbath in the front garden. Pink and grey galahs and huge beautiful magpies are also frequent visitors. Our garden is designed to attract these birds, and succeeds even in this suburban environment.”
She made everything except items like a plastic dog which she painted to resemble her grandchildren’s Cavoodle called Baxter. “Whenever there is food around he sits quietly by the table waiting and hoping. The Andironack chair was a birthday gift from my English friend, which I had been saving for this project.”
Her husband made the actual room box from MDF (medium-density fiberboard), and she made the paling fence from very narrow craft sticks which were the right scale. The house/verandah she constructed from Foamcore, and the weatherboards were cereal packets. “The verandah roof is corrugated scrapbook card, and the screen door is cardboard with coarse net to create the flywire. The tree, which references a beautiful mature maple in my backyard, I made from a bunch of fake flowers with the foliage and flowers removed, and the wires bent to create branches. I then stuck railway moss in the right places to give the impression I wanted, and was quite pleased with how it turned out. The flippers are plastic, and the tiny thongs (flip flops) are from foam sheet and embroidery thread. The food on the table is Fimo clay, and the bread in the basket is air-dry clay. The the tiny jar of Vegemite was made from a tiny piece of dowel with a paper label copied from a real Vegemite jar. There is also the ever-present bottle of tomato sauce carved from balsa, as there is no Australian backyard barbecue considered complete without this vital ingredient. The actual barbecue is from a magazine picture, made from foamcore, covered with a piece of brick paper. The pavers are painted cardboard. and the grass sheet is from a hobby shop. I am quite pleased with the garden hose rolled up on the back fence.”
“The hardest part about making this miniature was the house /veranda,” she continued. “As it was intended to be entirely completed within the room box, I had to think backwards. I started with a rough drawing and a few measurements. I wanted a small timber-floored veranda, and a non-opening screen door. This was to save space, and also an open door is hardly correct as it would let in our famous Aussie flies! I needed a kitchen-view in the right scale to sit behind the door, and nearly went crazy trying to find a suitable one. I am not good with computer image re-sizing, so I had to go a very basic way, which involved leafing through endless magazines.”

Jacqueline made the piece because she felt that it was time for the Great Aussie Backyard to be represented in her miniature life. “I have a deep love of history and the home of my ancestors, which I have visited often, but I am a very ordinary sixth-generation Australian who was curious to see if I could produce this spirit in miniature.”
Her favorite part about her piece is that the scene it portrays is a familiar one for her, and she enjoys her friends’ reactions when they recognize it also. The most fun part to create was the surfboard, which she carved from balsa, then base painted white and added the flag. She lightly sanded it for the distressed look of being well-used and often left out to dry in the sun.
She has no plans to sell the piece, as she constructs purely for her own pleasure, and will display it.
She loves the compact creativity that miniatures foster, and finds inspiration from many sources. “Specialist magazines are helpful, and Pinterest has been a beacon during the pandemic lockdowns when my magazines were delayed for ages,” she commented. “What’s the most difficult in working in miniature is time; it keeps running away from me when I still have so much planned!”
Jacqueline views  the future of miniatures as quite bright. “There are so many talented people out there, particularly the younger ones who have such innovative ideas and skills. There always will be a future for miniatures as even people not involved directly in the hobby continue to be surprised and delighted by them. All the advanced communications also are positive, particularly for those who wish to market their creations.”
Asked what’s next for her and her creations, she replied, “Just pottering along in my own way making as much as I can. I seem to have acquired an enormous number of glass domes from all over the place, so I have plenty of ideas for vignettes in varied containers. I turn 76 this year so I better get a move on!”

Contact information:
Name: Jacqueline Mitchell
Email:jackimitchell@outlook.com
Phone:Local 9583 5784
Address:21 Tiffany Avenue, Cheltenham, Victoria, Australia.  3192