Miniature marvels on display

BY RAFFY BOUDJIKANIAN

raffy.boudjikanian@transcontinental.ca

A treasure trove of tiny wonders will greet visitors at the Holiday Inn hotel near Pointe Claire on March 29 and 30, as the Miniature Enthusiasts of Montreal hold their 28th annual show.

"Some people say you need a lot of patience," said West Islander Pierre Marinier, also president of the Enthusiasts' club. Marinier fell in love with the idea of recreating homes in miniature sets back in 1981, after visiting the first show held by the then-fledgling club with his mother. "We were so enthralled with what (organization co-founder Phyllis Fowler Cowan) was doing," he said.

Marinier's Roxboro home is decorated with the results of years of work he has put into his craft. In his room, a recreation of an authentic Ontario-style cabin, reproduced in an empty aquarium, tops a night table. A stickler for authenticity, he pointed to each of the small furniture pieces within the cabin. "That armoire is authentic Louix XIII," he explained about one piece. Nearby, his mother, Monique Marinier, showed the tiny kitchen utensils on display in an open drawer. "They're authentic," she said.

Usually, all miniatures are reproduced an inch to the foot, according to Marinier, and that is part of what helps them guard an authentic look. Another key aspect in that regard is to use as carefully crafted a piece as possible, rather than just throwaway cheap ones. "Some people say 'oh I got this for a few dollars it's so great,' " said Monique, but a single piece that looks rougher or unfinished compared to the rest of an ensemble can upset the whole look.

It can become a rather intensive hobby, especially as the pages of the calendar turn toward the show dates, but Marinier said it is a "labour of love" for its practitioners, even when they stay up late at night to work on their pieces.

There are 54 Miniature Enthusiasts of Montreal right now, with more than half of members from the West Island. The club remains relatively small here. Marinier said that the hobby itself does not have roots in French culture, but is rather a German, Danish and English practice, which is why it may never have gotten off to a big start in Quebec.

Those who practice it do so with love, however. "Some (of our members) are very high level," said Marinier, in certain cases paying several hundreds of dollars for one piece of furniture because of higher quality, like drawers that "slide in like butter." Marinier has even seen miniatures with functional plumbing.

"Buy less, with better quality, and you will be much more satisfied with the end product," he said as advice to beginners.

Some members of the club also use small dolls to bring the miniature sets to life, but Marinier said the figures are more of "an afterthought." There are other tricks to make your miniature set look alive, such as leaving a small cup of coffee or tea on a kitchen table, or glasses near an open book.

The Miniature Enthusiasts of Montreal meets every fourth Thursday of the month at the Parish of Resurrection of Our Lord in Lachine. Annual membership fees are $35 for full members and $17.50 for associate members (those who live in the same household as a full member).