Bring Life To Your Miniatures

A 1:12 scale Edwardian lady doll, created by Lilli Bass, lounges elegantly on a green sofa, dressed in a purple gown.

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The term "doll" or "dollhouse" brings to mind the action of play to many, but for me and many others, it is collectible art. Fine art in miniature. When looked at like this, the idea of what "dolls" and "dollhouses" are, expand into a new territory all together!

For those deeply embedded into the miniature community, there often seems to be two camps of opinion regarding dolls in scenes. Either you collect/create dolls with miniatures or you collect/create miniatures only. In the miniatures only group, I have found they are deeply opposed to any dolls and feel like they take away from a dollhouse or scene experience. In the dolls with miniatures group, they embrace figures in their scenes and feel they help tell a story.

So, why would you want a doll/figure in your miniature worlds? Of course, as a doll artist, I want to convince people to put dolls in their scenes; I really feel it brings it to life!

Think about it, if you see a miniature scene with a doll/figure that blends in perfectly and compliments the scene as well as shows the scale and provides focus, it's pretty cool! In essence, it enhances the scene or dollhouse.

With that said, my porcelain figures are for display only. They are sculpted and posed to capture a moment, a gesture, a thought in time. And that is one of several reasons I consider them fine art. I choose to create them in porcelain because of the timeless, long lasting beauty of the material and this also makes them heirloom quality. The further act of sculpting the figures adds a personal and intimate touch to the process that other manufacturing processes can't recreate. There is no human finger print, no sculpt mark as precise yet imprecise as the human soul. I find that makes the end product unique and one of a kind.

I really could go on! Ultimately, I feel that my dolls/figures can bring a scene to life and are of a museum, collectible quality; that they are intimate and artistic creations. I hope you do as well and can see the art side of miniatures through my work.

All of that to say, I hope you choose to add dolls/figures to your scenes. Do it your way and bring life to your miniatures.