Tag Archives: arts

The Homecoming or, All the World’s a Stage…

Posted on January 23, 2016 by smallhousepress

 It’s late. Two dog-tired travelers are trailing roller bags. It takes a beat or two to register–their motel parking space is empty. The car is gone. That was us on October 30, 1995, just off the plane from Italy. The title quote–Sean O’Casey’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Miniatures | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Madama Butterfly and the Toy Theaters of Siena: The Davis Theater, Pt. 2

Posted on November 27, 2015 by smallhousepress

The illustration is of unknown origin. I have borrowed it from The Museum of Everyday Things website, an adventure not unrelated to toy theaters, and worth exploring.                       museumofeverydaylife.org             The … Continue reading →

Posted in Memoir, Miniatures, People | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Once Upon a Theater: The Davis Theater, Part 1

Posted on November 14, 2015 by smallhousepress

The roots of our miniature theater project are so old and intertwined it’s hard to know where to begin, so I’ll start with Once Upon a Time. Once upon a time—some 200 years ago, before the distractions of TV and … Continue reading →

Posted in Buildings, People | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Minis, Knitting, Rocket Science–When It’s Over, It’s Over, But Then It’s Never Really Over

Posted on December 7, 2012 by smallhousepress

“I can’t believe you were actually able to part with (the Greene & Greene house) after all that.  Do you ever go to Tucson to visit it?”– Question from Kathleen after my last entry. Thanks, Kathleen, that’s one of those big … Continue reading →

Posted in Memoir, Miniatures | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Why Miniatures?–Uncle Cecil’s Wheelbarrow

Posted on June 17, 2012 by smallhousepress

The other night I was eating out with friends in Portland, people I have known for years through my life as a poet. They had another friend along who was visiting town, one of those people who thrives on asking … Continue reading →

Posted in Memoir, Miniatures | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

The Garden Shed: Bird Poo 101

Posted on May 12, 2012 by smallhousepress

The Gardener’s Shed, project #33, marked the start of our official teaching career. Prior to that our “teaching” was more like the blind leading the blind, as those of you who took our early garage classes in Seattle can attest … Continue reading →

Posted in Houses, Memoir, Miniatures | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

It’s a Matter of Perspective: Pippen Hill, Part II

Posted on May 5, 2012 by smallhousepress

Making Pippen Hill was far more fun than should be allowed for a job. Almost everything we did was with new materials and methods, but the design was pliable, and organic, inviting experimentation. A house and shop for a puppet … Continue reading →

Posted in Houses, Memoir, Miniatures | Tagged , , , | 16 Comments

With a Little Help from Our Friends

Posted on October 8, 2011 by smallhousepress

Being our first commercial building, the 20thSt. Emporium required a jump-start for our learning curve. The three-story structure would include a 7-stool soda fountain and mirrored backbar. To show it off we wanted gold-leaf lettering embellishing the reflective surface of … Continue reading →

Posted in Bio, Houses, Miniatures, People | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Bear and the Secret Room

Posted on July 21, 2011 by smallhousepress

The third house we completed in 1979 we called the Bear River (there are a lot of rivers in our neck of the woods, but this is one we had an up-close and personal with–blackberrying one summer’s evening on a … Continue reading →

Posted in Houses, Miniatures | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

For the Love of Basements

Posted on April 24, 2011 by smallhousepress

Moving a dollhouse is a dicey undertaking. These cumbersome and unbalanced objects have a way of expanding incrementally and secretly during construction. While we learned early on to design a house narrower than our 28” studio doorway, we didn’t always … Continue reading →

Posted in Houses, Miniatures | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments