IGMA Show 2013 Review
The International Guild of Miniature Artisans held its annual show in August this year. The Guild Show traffic seemed light probably due to many people on summer vacation which gave me a chance to do some shopping of my own. Buyers who decided to skip this show missed out on some great purchasing opportunities! Besides that fact that you did not have to elbow your way in to see a table, there were also no lines to wait to pay for items which allowed for more browsing & buying time! I found a few amazing buys and I was first to get them! First was Miyuki Kobayashi's fantastic koi fish in a bowl. For any of you familiar with her work it is usually scooped up and sold out in a matter of minutes! I kid you not! However, this time I got just the fish I wanted. An adorable speckled goldfish known as a shubunkin. I decided to name my little fish Confetti, his Japanese name is KonpeitÅ which is a japanese confetti candy. Note to self, must try to make konpeito in miniature. It was a real treat to see Miyuki here at the Guild Show representing her own work and others as part of the Japan Miniature Artisans Guild.
Speaking of food, I can never seem to get enough and I am always drawn to my fellow foodies. I picked up a few prized items from the very talented Ann Caesar, The Kitchen Captive. An amazing american pie filled with blueberries and cherries. a wonderful cherry pie with a unique twisted lattice and a pedestal dish filled with butter curls, croissants and strawberries. Since Ann does not sell online, finding her at one of the few shows she vends at was special occasion.
Next I visited a brand new dealer Elizabeth Murta from Betinha Murta Miniatures. She traveled from Florida to be here and what a delight! Her colorful creations in cold porcelain were amazing and I had to have a polka dotted plate in almost every color she offered. They will be the perfect backdrop for my bakery items! I had to have the darling tea set she made in cheerful, sunny yellow. Just look at that tiny butterfly, what nice touch. She also had some darling shoes and handbag sets which i meant to buy and forgot to go back. I'll have to get that next time.
Finally I selected an adorable nutcracker from Ginger Landon Siegel which is going to be part of my Christmas hutch display backdrop. He is just too cute! Ginger has such a variety of sizes and different nutcracker designs that it was hard to choose. I also wished I picked up one of Ginger's new items, a small scale victorian tub they were fabulous! Ginger, let's talk!
I wanted to take a few classes but the ones I was interested in were both filled and the one that was available conflicted with my booth set up time. Maybe next year...
I was able to sit in for the Guild's live auction which was rather interesting for the historical items offered. There was some good wine and delicious chocolates in addition to the amazing selling prices for many of the items on the auction block.
The International Guild of Miniature Artisans held its annual show in August this year. The Guild Show traffic seemed light probably due to many people on summer vacation which gave me a chance to do some shopping of my own. Buyers who decided to skip this show missed out on some great purchasing opportunities! Besides that fact that you did not have to elbow your way in to see a table, there were also no lines to wait to pay for items which allowed for more browsing & buying time! I found a few amazing buys and I was first to get them! First was Miyuki Kobayashi's fantastic koi fish in a bowl. For any of you familiar with her work it is usually scooped up and sold out in a matter of minutes! I kid you not! However, this time I got just the fish I wanted. An adorable speckled goldfish known as a shubunkin. I decided to name my little fish Confetti, his Japanese name is KonpeitÅ which is a japanese confetti candy. Note to self, must try to make konpeito in miniature. It was a real treat to see Miyuki here at the Guild Show representing her own work and others as part of the Japan Miniature Artisans Guild.
Speaking of food, I can never seem to get enough and I am always drawn to my fellow foodies. I picked up a few prized items from the very talented Ann Caesar, The Kitchen Captive. An amazing american pie filled with blueberries and cherries. a wonderful cherry pie with a unique twisted lattice and a pedestal dish filled with butter curls, croissants and strawberries. Since Ann does not sell online, finding her at one of the few shows she vends at was special occasion.
Next I visited a brand new dealer Elizabeth Murta from Betinha Murta Miniatures. She traveled from Florida to be here and what a delight! Her colorful creations in cold porcelain were amazing and I had to have a polka dotted plate in almost every color she offered. They will be the perfect backdrop for my bakery items! I had to have the darling tea set she made in cheerful, sunny yellow. Just look at that tiny butterfly, what nice touch. She also had some darling shoes and handbag sets which i meant to buy and forgot to go back. I'll have to get that next time.
Finally I selected an adorable nutcracker from Ginger Landon Siegel which is going to be part of my Christmas hutch display backdrop. He is just too cute! Ginger has such a variety of sizes and different nutcracker designs that it was hard to choose. I also wished I picked up one of Ginger's new items, a small scale victorian tub they were fabulous! Ginger, let's talk!
I wanted to take a few classes but the ones I was interested in were both filled and the one that was available conflicted with my booth set up time. Maybe next year...
I was able to sit in for the Guild's live auction which was rather interesting for the historical items offered. There was some good wine and delicious chocolates in addition to the amazing selling prices for many of the items on the auction block.
I was unable to attend the Friday evening festivities because I had to go back home for part of my booth display and I got caught in some bad traffic. I missed out on what sounded like a great time from those who attended.
I briefly looked at the few Guild School prototypes on display for next years classes. The two items that really spoke to me was Deb Mackie's amazing tooled leather saddle (what a show piece!) and Bob Hurd's copper sink. Although I have not yet decided what classes I want to take, these will be a consideration. Yes, I will definitely be going to The Guild School in 2014! It is summer camp for grown ups.
