(Aurea Segura)

Furniture Perfection

by Pam North

Aurea Segura has had a long career in art, and has exhibited her paintings in Barcelona and San Francisco. She has painted large murals for international conferences, and also has combined her art career with work in interior design. She has studied restoration techniques in Rome, learning how to imitate marble and other materials. Now she is working with Aurearte Miniatures, has a shop in Mercantic, a collectors market in Barcelona, Spain, and her specialty is unique upholstered and hand-painted miniature furniture pieces.
Miniatures wasn’t an area she had focused on until she helped her mother with her dollhouse. “We painted the house, covered the walls, selected the flooring, and then worked together on the decoration,” Aurea explained. “She’s really good at interior design, but couldn’t find the pieces of furniture to match her scenes. That’s when I suggested working on her existing pieces of furniture to make them unique and a match for her taste. I started upholstering and hand-painting her pieces of furniture, and then went on to buying my first dollhouse and doing the same thing. My friends and family always said how beautiful and unique those pieces were, and I decided I wanted to share that with the world. So I started Aurearte Miniatures, began going to international dollhouse and miniature shows, and started selling on Etsy.” She also has a shop in Mercantic, a collectors market of vintage and antique items in Barcelona. She sells nearly all her products, keeping only one special creation. “One thing I can’t bear to part with is the first miniature painting I made. It’s a portrait of my dog, Goldy, a beautiful Shih Tzu with shiny patches of blond hair.”
Her family always has supported her, encouraging her to travel to miniaturists’ shows. Her daughters helped her set up her online shop on Etsy, and an Aurearte Miniatures page on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
She occasionally makes special consignment items, such as a baby crib for a museum in Carmel, California, and also a canopy bed for a museum in Mexico. “Those two pieces of furniture were very elaborate; the use of special silks and the shades of different colors made them unique.”
Combining home and miniature life has been relatively easy for her. “Being an artist, I always have worked in my studio at home, giving me more flexibility, allowing me to be there whenever I feel the inspiration. My workplace is a cozy space that I’ve created in the attic where I have lots of natural sunlight all day. Natural light is always the best when one is trying to get the perfect color combinations and craft the smallest details, and so I tend to work in the early morning to take advantage of it. My studio is my special safe place; when I go there it’s like entering another world. It’s a space for inspiration, and whenever I’m there, my creativity runs wild. The key to unleashing that is having all the materials needed in one space. Once one has the tools, one’s creativity can run free! I’ve always found inspiration in the 18th century and Louis XVI’s France, and in Jane Austen’s novels. However, now I’m finding inspiration in nature. Looking out my window and seeing the blooming flowers and the birds flocking in the spring really inspires me!”
Miniatures have become Aurea’s passion. “What I really love about making miniatures is the magic of creating pieces that will light up someone’s dream house. I put a lot of love and care into every detail when working on my pieces because I would like them to transmit that love. My thin paint brushes are the number one tool with which I work on the fine details of my miniatures., and if you look closely at my pieces you will understand why I cherish them. The biggest challenge involved in working in miniature is working at such a small scale. One must take great care of detail and be very precise and meticulous. Working on small surfaces such as the outside of a drawer of a nightstand or the armrest of a chair can be very challenging. However, it’s very gratifying to see the end results.

The future of miniatures seems bright to her. “There always will be miniaturists and miniature collectors. Miniatures bring back memories of a past time, often shared with loved ones, and they awaken the innocence within people. They also are the reflection of a dream, and we all need dreams in life.
I also have had support from a lot of people who have said great things about my work, and that’s what really makes it worth it for me. I am very grateful that I can be part of the dream houses of many of my clients. ”
Looking forward to new creations, Aurea is working on more collections inspired by nature, and also on children’s scenes. “I really enjoy creating children’s scenes as they remind me of the innocence of childhood and the happiness they reflect.”

Contact Information:
Name: Aurea Segura
Business Name: Aurearte Miniatures
Email: aureart23@gmail.com
Website: www.aureart.com
Phone: +34 687666164
Address: Av. de Rius i Taulet, 120, 08173 Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona
Instagram: @aurearte_miniatures