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GENE
GILL'S Landmark Miniatures are one-of-a-kind. The artist will not
duplicate a piece and he will not mass-produce one.
The
models are carefully researched. This includes a personal visit to
the original landmark for on-site sketches, measurements, and photographs.
Back in the studio, the artist utilizes his resource materials to hand-craft
each piece in mixed media. The media includes the traditional
wood, sculpey, styrene, as well as whatever else may work. And it
is not unusual for some miniatures to contain from 10,000 to 20,000 individual
pieces.
When
all construction is finished, the model is totally hand-painted by the
artist to emphasize the intricate architectural details and to unite the
various materials, so they appear as one. The final step is to secure
the miniature to a wooden base inside its own protective Plexiglas cube.
Most
people ask: "How long does it take to make one?" This depends
on how complicated the architectural design is and how much exterior detail
is involved. Notre Dame took 4 months and the U. S. Capitol took
6 months to complete. But in general, the artist can complete an average
Landmark in 2 to 3 weeks, working 10 hours per day and 7 days per week.
Because
the replicas are quite accurate and the scale is so small, Gill is able
to currently produce only 6 to 8 Landmark pieces per year. |
