Connie Sauve  (Hittin’ the Dusty Road)
by Pam North
 make?  Dolls, pretty much anything in any medium.
I first became interested in miniatures in high school.

What do you do for your career? Make miniatures

What does your family think of your interest? Love it.
Who is your biggest fan? My husband

Is it easy combining home life and miniature life? Yes. I have my own separate studio, no kids and a very understanding hubby.
 
Inspiration for Connie can come from anything - a scene, a miniature item, or simply from her imagination.

She likes to keep most of her miniatures, parting only with her dolls or other items she makes specifically to sell. In the past she has sold her dolls at shows and on her website, but she rarely sells her dolls anymore. She also used to teach miniature doll classes.

She works out of a large studio in their our guesthouse.

Several of her dolls are in museums (Kansas City Toy and Miniature Museum in Missouri, and the Kentucky Gateway Miniature Museum), and she has had several exhibits of her work at the Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures in Tucson.

Working in miniatures offers her much satisfaction, particularly diversity. “There are so many mediums that I can work in - painting, woodworking, building, dollmaking, metalworking, furniture building, landscaping - whatever my heart desires.” She has  taken classes for many different of them, usually at Guild School. “I enjoy every aspect of the hobby. I have tried a lot of different crafts and art forms, and it’s the only hobby that has kept my interest over the last 40 years. that’s because I can make anything in miniature, in any medium.”

What is your most valuable tool or what tool could you not live without? Probably tweezers. But now that I’ve gotten older, my different magnifying glasses 

What’s the biggest difficulty involved with working in miniature? Having too many projects and ideas.

What do you think about the future of miniatures? It seems to be a hobby for older people; young people don’t seem interested in handcrafted hobbies.

As for what’s  next for her and her creations, she plans to keep on making her personal miniatures and projects.

One of her recent projects is a 1:12 scale piece she calls Hittin’ the Dusty Road.

She saw some vehicles in stores and then at the Guild School, and they inspired her. It all came together as a 50/50 mix of miscellaneous pieces she had collected and pieces she had bought, and turned out exactly as she had envisioned. “I just had the idea and needed to make it,” she explained. While the barbed wire of the fence was the most difficult part to execute, she had fun making Granny and settling her on the 
What was the hardest part about making this miniature? Barbed wire
What’s your favorite part about this piece? Granny at the rear of the truck bed, and filling the back of the truck with the various items. She has no plans to sell it, preferring to keep  and display it.

Her plans for what’s next for her and her creations were simply stated:”Whatever I’m in the mood for on any given day.”

Are there any other artists whose work is included in this piece? no
What materials did you use to make this? misc
Can you share your technique for creating the piece(s)? Not in this project
Did you use a unique process or unconventional method for creating any of these pieces?  no
Did you encounter any insurmountable difficulties?  no
Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know about you or this piece?

Contact information:
Name: Connie Sauve
Business Name: The China Doll
Email: cmsauve2@gmail.com
Website: www.thechinadoll.com
Phone: (209) 329-8978
Address: 17400 S. Placita Palmilla -, Sahuarita, AZ 85629
https://conniesauveamericanainminiature.shutterfly.com