Bio - Shelly Acker

Name:   Shelley Acker Location:  Kentville, Nova Scotia Working in minis:  20+ years Camp Mini Ha Ha attendance:  2006-2009; 2011-2019 Blog: Website:  https://freedomminiatures.com/

Shelley is owner of Freedom Miniatures, a brick-and-mortar and on-line miniatures store in Kentville, Nova Scotia.  She is an enthusiastic supporter of Camp Mini Ha Ha, reluctantly missing being a participant in 2010 😥.  When not creating miniatures, Shelley loves to spend time creating in the kitchen.   

What other types of artistic/craft pursuits do you follow?

I find that working in miniatures allows me to indulge in a variety of artistic pursuits, in small scale, of course.  Next on my list of things to try is working with an airbrush and learning how to solder.

How and when did you first become interested in the art of miniatures?

This is an often-asked question and one for which I don't really have a good answer.  The best I can do is say that at some point I realized I liked small things! No matter what medium I was working in, I ended up doing things that were small, or finely detailed.  Eventually I found a pattern for building a dollhouse and from there, it just continued to grow.

I was not someone who had a dollhouse as a child, or even played with dolls much.  Even now, I prefer not to populate my creations.  The dollhouse I started more than 20 years ago has moved on to a new home that appreciates it more than I did.  My preference is to build vignettes or single room structures.  I love putting the details in place that make a scene look lived-in and tell a story.

A few years after I discovered the world of miniatures, I was introduced to a couple of local women who were also crazy for small things.  They eventually led me to a Saturday workshop in Harbourville at one of the early Camp Mini Ha Ha's in 2005.

Two years ago, I took a big leap and stepped firmly into the world of miniatures when I decided to open Freedom Miniatures.  It may just be the best decision of my life!

What most inspires your artistic endeavours?

Many things have been my inspiration for what I create.  Some times it is an image while other times it is a concept.  Whatever the inspiration, it must hit both my head and my heart in order for me to complete the project.  I need to be able to "see" the finished project in my head, and feel it in my heart.  While projects often "tell" me how they want to look in the end, essentially I try to capture a feeling and moment in time.

What are your favourite things to make in miniature?

My favourite things to create are scenes with tons of details in them.  It means they can take a long time to finish but it is the journey of creating them that means the most to me.  So my miniatures have evolved into scenes where the space has been lived in, or is being lived in, with lots of "stuff", wear and tear plus dust and dirt where it makes sense.  I like to try new techniques and supplies to achieve a realistic look - there is lots out there to try!

What real-life piece, scene or building would you most love to try in miniature?

Right now, I would like to play more with making dioramas that include buildings and landscaping.  It could be a gritty city street with an empty lot next to a store, or a cabin in the woods.  I recently saw an image of the Writers' Museum in Edinburgh, Scotland - that inspired me as well.  I would love to try to reproduce that building.

Do you have a favourite miniature project from Camp Mini Ha Ha?  A favourite project that was not part of Camp?

Different projects are favourites for different reasons.  My longest held love though, is the Mad Scientist's Lab.  I started this at Camp Mini Ha Ha in 2011.  The project was to make a country kitchen in a wall-mounted box with a drawer for real-life keys and such at the bottom.  Somehow mine went in an entirely different direction and I created a three-level Mad Scientist's Lab using hundreds of parts of old electronics and other bits and pieces.  What made this project so special was that, while at Camp, other Campers participated in the creation of the things in the lab by piecing together this and that.  It was a collaborative project and the memories of that experience make the finished project extra special.

Would you like to share some of your favourite Camp Mini Ha Ha memories?

Favourite memories....how long do you have??

All the best memories have to do with laughing and learning.  One of the special unique features of Camp Mini Ha Ha is the fact that everyone, for five days, is working on the same project.  Everyone puts their own twist and interpretation on their project so the opportunity to learn new tips and tricks is unparalleled. 

And the laughter - the best thing about Camp.  Well, it might be tied with that feeling you get when you see Camp friends again every year - those moments when you get to say hello again on the first day are kinda special!