It’s a small world for local artist
Susan Mattinson appearing on CBC Gem’s Best in Miniature
From the moment she was first introduced to the world of miniatures, Susan Mattinson knew it was a small world after all.
It was four years ago when the 35-year-old Springhill native and Truro resident first came across some miniature items for sale at a craft shop. After doing some research, she found a whole world of miniatures among enthusiasts around the world.
An ordained Presbyterian minister, Mattinson jumped into the hobby and is now putting her talents up against the best in the world in an international miniatures’ competition. She has been chosen to participate in the new CBC show Best in Miniature, in which contestants have only a few hours to build a home by hand in 1:12 scale.
“It’s amazing to be chosen. I was really surprised,” Mattison said. “I’ve only been making miniatures since 2018. When I showed up, I already knew half of the participants from seeing their work online and kind of looked up to them and their work … I was a little starstruck and a little overwhelmed to be in that type of company but I really enjoyed the experience.”
Hosted by writer and stand-up comedian Aba Amuquandoh from CBC’s This Hour Has 22 Minutes, the series welcomes 11 artists from around the world, competing in the ultimate challenge of building their dream home in miniature form – fitting shrunken down real-life items into rooms recreated with painstaking detail.
Judged by U.K. miniature expert Emma Waddell and esteemed designer Michael Lambie, precision and design technique will save the competitors from elimination. Week after week, the competitors will battle it out to see who stays in the game until only three remain for the grand finale. The winner receives $10,000 and the coveted title, Best in Miniature.
Along with completing a fully furnished dollhouse, there are other specialized challenges where competitors are tested on the abilities to take something from full size and reproduce it in miniature. Every episode sees a contestant eliminated.
“It was unlike anything I’ve ever done before,” Mattinson said. “I’ve watched these types of competition shows on TV … You don’t think the pressure is as bad as it looks and then you get on the other side of it and work with the production team. It’s incredible how many people it takes to run a show like that. It’s a whole different world that the average person doesn’t get to see.”
Mattinson, who also runs an Etsy store, has dabbled in all sorts of crafts over the years, including sewing, polymer clay, woodworking and painting.
“I’ve always been a crafty person. When I see someone do something artistic, I want to try it,” she said.
She currently specializes in miniature knitting and polymer clay work and loves the fact she has found an art form that draws on her previously acquired artistic skills. She loves creating miniatures from photographs and one of her most popular items is a miniature scene from The Chronicles of Narnia. She also loves to elicit emotion with her work and feels the show has helped make her a better artist.
She’s hoping to teach others what she has learned. Mattinson has developed an online presence through Nasus Miniatures and makes YouTube videos to help people get involved in the hobby.
She can’t say how she did in the show that was taped in Ontario.
“You’ll have to watch it to find out,” she said.
The show premiered on the streaming service CBC Gem on Feb. 11.