From Sarah & Curt for Martijn - Renaissance Baker - Gift Shop (30 Points)

Hello Everyone

As I was talking with Curt about my next entry, which would be the Library Gift Shop, we had an Eureka Moment! and decided to collaborate on a vignette to honour our Tuesday Minion.

Martijn’s commitment to educating us on all the tempting Dutch/Belgian baked goods has been a wondrous addition to our Tuesday mornings.

I found a terrific figure of baker and oven on MyMiniFactory then a quick Google search of 17thC Dutch Paintings for inspiration.

Jan Steen, 1658, The Baker Oostwaert and His Wife

Steen has painted a very happy and prosperous baker - those loaves of bread look fresh, delicious and made with skill and care.

The vignette that Curt and I have created depicts baker Oostwaert working hard at the ovens, this is the action shot “before” the Steen portrait.

We decided that I would paint the oven and the body of the baker, while Curt would do skin tones, the baking tray, highlights/effects, basing and clean up any messy bits left by me. 😇

(Full disclosure… soon after beginning painting Oostwaert, I dropped him and broke off the bakers peel … yes, there were tears and graciously Curt printed off a second figure with stern instructions to be very, very careful.)

I really wanted to replicate the muted tones of the bakers clothing in the Steen painting. We used Vallejo paints - pale grey, silver grey and pale blue. This was my first attempt at using such a soft palette and I’m really pleased with the results!

Our hardworking baker is wearing a head wrap and chin wrap … I suppose to absorb the sweat from the ovens heat … though he could also be quite health conscious and ready to mask up if necessary.

The brick oven was a relatively quick paint job. After some black primer, I then used a dove grey craft paint, followed by a nice red/brown Curt mixed up using the dove grey layer as the mortar between the bricks. Curt assisted in painting the scorch effect on the brick which looks very cool.

This is the Gift Shop entry and will soon be packed up and sent overseas to Martijn … Curt and I hope the baker Oostwaert and his never ending supply of stroopwafels keep good company with Martijn and the rest of his toy soldiers!

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I’m not sure how to score this …

1 28mm figure = 5 points

Oven = 1 point

Gift Bonus = 20 points

Total = 26  30 points

Curt suggests we simply split the total score between us (13 each). but we leave final adjudication to Martijn’s more than capable assessment.

Thanks for visiting and seeing our work!

- Sarah & Curt

Wow, Sarah and Curt, what a wonderful surprise! The vignette is a great find by itself, and very fitting to represent the Jan Steen painting. And then the painting is awesome too, you have worked together so well to create this little masterpiece. From the oven itself  to the baker in his plain and simple working cloths it is all very well done. I am very glad that you have liked my little stories and I am truly deeply honoured to be gifted this remarkable vignette. Thank you both!

As the scoring goes, your suggestion is reasonable but modest. Let's award a couple of extra points for the oven and for sheer awesomeness to make it 30, split between the both of you. Excellent work!

Martijn