Gypsy vardo : the painting

I had to make a choice for the colour and the exterior decoration of my waggon. First,  the colour : it's not so easy.

 

Obviously, the green "arsenic"is a real poison. I hate it ! I decided to stick to the yellow for the wheels and I changed the main colour to a bright pink.

My final decision goes to a mix between traditional overdecorated English vardo, and a more contemporary French style, overdecorated, with bright and vibrant colours and delightfully kitch interior. Overdecoration is the key to a good gypsy vardo !
A comment by Sanschichis made me see that she had already built and painted a wonderful vardo inspired by this type of waggon-fitting.
The pictures on the blog of Sanschichis HERE "Ma roulotte".
The french builder of new or renovated vardo with a personal gypsy deco HERE.

I definitively prefer PINK. I have fit the gypsy vanner horse in. This is the top of the front door.

 

Here is the lid of the back trunk.

 

Some blooming flowers for the front door.
 

 

 

And the design on the unfinished wheels.

 

The gypsy vardo : taking apart

 

I have made my homework, looking for clues about gypsy vans everywhere. I came to the conclusion that this traditional gypsy home pulled by horse is not so old.  They have been used by gypsies for only 150 years. They developed first in France and then were used in the 1820 s' in England by showmen travelling with fairs and circuses.
The name for the gypsies'waggon is VARDO. And if they are gypsy home, they are traditionaly made by non-gypsy coach-builders. We can find 6 main types of vardoes : Brush, Reading, Ledge, Bowtop, Openlot and Burton.

My Vardo is a Ledge, no doubt. A van with side and back windows, sloping walls, portable steps, front door wich opens separately at the top and the bottom, rack at the back and a raised roof called a mollicroft. The floor is narrow and both side walls widen out at knee-level via a ledge over the wheels.

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The maker of this Ledge has done a pretty good work : everything is true to a life size Ledge.

www.gerryvardoes.co.uk : Gerry builds a very complete range of vardoes you can choose of.

 

 

 

And now it's time to take all the pieces apart. I want to make some changes before I begin the painting. I have prepared a new door, the one I had was too thick. Same for the door of the cratch at the back. I have also changed the hay rack, to have a lighter one.

They are many informations and pictures at http://gypsywaggons.co.uk  and http://gypsyvans.com  : builders, collectors and painters of gypsy vardoes.

 

 

 

 

KDF

Yesterday it was the Kensington Dollshouse Festival. Always a great moment with magnificent miniatures and the "crème de la crème " of miniaturists. Lots of things to see and many ideas to get.
I have made my shopping - components for my own miniatures - and I have found some little things for my Curiosities Cabinet.

 

Two coral by Cilla Hallbert from Minst www.minst.com, they are nicely set and perfect in my display. In front of them, delicate tools by Danny Shotton : magnifier, scissors, penholder, razor. I don't know yet where they will go but I will find a good place. I plan a barber case.. soon.

 

Some bottles from Kastlekelm Miniatures www.kastlekelm.webs.com. I guess they will be better in my magical shop "Aux Dragons Azimutés". I can't resist a goblin brain or a dinosaur bone.

 

And last but not least, I have now an unfinished gypsy wagon.

 

 

One of the models made by Gerry's vardos www.gerrysvardoes.co.uk. I wanted to find a place for a gypsy fortune teller with crystal ball and tarot, this time I have a good one. Now I need just one more year to finish it the way I want it.

 



Tinysaur

 

I've found the perfect addition for my cabinet : a model Triceratops so tiny it can stand on my 1:12 scale table in the curiosities cabinet.

 

It's so tiny, I have to use my magnifier to punch out the pieces and my supertiny exacto to cut them out.

 

 

Now I have a wonderful Tinyceratops in my cabinet. If this is not a curiosity !

 

Moccasin

My new collection of moccasin, native american shoes. Now I will work on the tomahawk and the peace pipe for my cabinet of curiosities

After summer

After a busy summer in the 1/1 world and after one more moving, I'm back in the  miniature world. I will just tell it with some pictures.

 

I have made some painting and new upholstery for my chairs. We all need something to sit on after all this work. That's in the real world.

 

 

My magical shop, "Les dragons azimutés", was still packed. After two years, my dragons are back on the housefront and the pets from the magical world are taking some fresh air under the shopwindow.

Now, back in London in my new work place, I just finished a whole bunch of ballet shoes and I'm working on a new model of indian mocassins. That's the prototype.

 

Provencal village

I've made three paintings of small provencal villages with the typical ochre colours of the walls and the blue of the shutters. The style is  Naïve painting. The trick is I've added some reliefs in the roofs and the landscape.