Name: Meghan Smith (Gone But Not Forgotten)  AM221  9/17/21
Gravely Speaking in Miniature

by Pam North

Meghan Smith has loved miniatures for as long as she can remember. “Holding something small and perfect in the palm of my hand has always filled me with a sense of wonder,” she remarked. “As a child I made my own miniatures out of cardboard, recycled materials, paint, twigs, rocks - anything I could get my little hands on. If I had glue, I was unstoppable when in the midst of my creative fervor.”
Miniatures became more meaningful to her over the years. “As an artist I love that miniatures allow me to explore so many different mediums and subject matter. In 1:12 scale I can make most anything my heart desires. As a miniature collector I love that miniatures span such diverse subject matters. They can be realistic or whimsical, historical, or modern. There really is no limit, and that keeps the hobby really engaging for me.
Her recent piece is Gone But Not Forgotten in 1:12 scale, made after she discovered the Creatin’ Contests held by HBS/miniatures.com, and she was its First Time Entrant Winner winner for 2020. She knew she wanted to enter the contest, but she was overwhelmed at the idea of doing a complete scene. “I have made dollhouses and furniture to go into dollhouses, but I never really got around to putting the two together into a cohesive vision.”
She settled on the idea of a cemetery, as she spends lots of time in cemeteries for genealogy research, or even just walking and getting fresh air. “Cemeteries are generally beautiful and quiet, and I appreciate the loss, love, and reverence that families pour into cemeteries to remember their departed loved ones. I portrayed an old cemetery but the flowers are fresh because people still care, remember, and visit. After the year that was 2020, I think that is a powerful concept.”
Meghan did a lot of research on what life/death were like in New England in the 1800s. “There were several pandemics like cholera and scarlet fever, but also the nature of hard living and harsh winters claimed a lot of lives. I tried to tell these stories through the names and dates in this cemetery.”
Various materials were used to make her piece. The bricks were hand-cut from heavy recycled packing material. The mausoleums are made from basswood, balsa wood, foam core, and paper. The platforms and stairs are from a product called FastMâché, which she used to hand-sculpt each stone. The door is basswood and chipboard with brass nail detailing. The tombstones are various wood scraps, balsa, chipboard and paper with brass nail detailing, and the landscaping is shake-on grass powder and spongy faux moss. Everything was painted with acrylics. The mausoleum and tombstone plaques were created digitally and printed on cardstock. The flower urns are filled with foam core, topped in tea leaves, then filled with flowers. The window is plexiglass, lead golfer’s tape, and gallery class paint. The purchased faux wrought iron fence is laser cut chip board
“The two biggest elements of this piece are texture and color,” Meghan explained. “I used various techniques to achieve each. For texture I used materials like packaging material, along with the FastMâché, which has an almost pitted concrete texture naturally. Color was multiple washes of watered-down acrylics on the stonework, with pops of saturated color, like in the red door. The most unique thing I did was to make my mausoleums and tombstones out of non-stone-like material. Instead of using paperclay or FastMâché or textured paint, I focused on recreating weathered granite by layering washes of watered-down acrylic paint. I finished off all stonework with a wash of various greens to add that mossy, aged look. It exceeded my expectations in regard to how crisp and clean it all came out. I have never worked with any miniature landscaping materials so that was an unknown variable. I liked the contrast of all the grays and greens with the bright lively colors of the door, window and flowers.”
Meghan finds inspiration everywhere. “Growing up on the coast of Maine has given me a great appreciation for the deep blues of the ocean, the grays of the stormy skies, the greens of the lush forests, the textures of nature, and in the stonework of old buildings.”
Always looking ahead, Meghan projected, “I have some wild and crazy projects planned. I intend to keep creating and sharing my work for as long as it brings joy to me and the community of which I am part.”

Contact information:
Name: Meghan Smith (Formerly Meghan Boos)
Business name: Dollhouse Smithery LLC
Email: Meghan.e.boos@gmail.com
Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/DollhouseSmithery; https://www.dollhousesmithery.com/
Phone: 207-217-1198
Address: 22 River City Drive, Apt D, Brewer, ME 04412