Is the Miniature Scene Changing?

We had a very enjoyable day at Kensington last Saturday. It was good to see James Hemsley of Trigger Pond looking so well after having to withdraw from Thame last year through illness. We are looking forward to seeing him back at Thame in 2015.

We also enjoyed some of the European visitors work and looked at how the different cultural influences came through in style, presentation and content. These exhibitors are at the top end of the miniature scene and that is why they come to Kensington, but it also must be worth their while to do so.

This then raises the question, is the miniature scene changing? Quite a few fairs have closed or downsized over the last two or three years, and the reason must be that they have become or are not financially viable any longer. This may be because the organisers have allowed the quality of the fairs to be watered down, or it may be that the buying public have become more discerning, or it may be just that the buying habits of miniaturists have changed. Whatever it is, there does seem to be a shift in the way things are going, so it will be interesting to see how things go at Thame in 2015.