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Hand painted 'Poppy People' titled 'Eat More Butternut' by Buckinghamshire based artist, Julie Watson

Original miniature art pieces, wooden stand, poppy head/stem and acylic paint

Height 10cm

Diameter 3cm

Working from a bureau in her spare room, Julie feels quite at home. Her home is the house that her grandparents bought brand new in 1926 and Julie moved into in 1993.

Surrounded by furniture that her Grandad built and a small garden that her Nan planted, Julie has more than enough room to create her tiny Poppy People.

Not formally trained Julie decided that her Art A level was all she needed to enjoy art, both as an observer and part time dabbler. Visiting friends at uni and immersing herself in their uni experience was inspiration enough. After visiting the ‘Beyond the Page: South Asian miniature painting and Britain, 1600 to Now’ exhibition in 2023 Julie decided that painting in miniature would fit well into the small space she had.

After growing and drying her poppies Julie uses 000 brushes and Oscar, her cat even donates the occasional whisker for painting the minute details. The acrylic paint is that used by wargamers on their intricate models. Each poppy person is mounted on a slice of a branch which has been foraged on local walks. They are cut and drilled in Julies grandad’s workshop.

Julie says that one of the joys of creating Poppy People is that you really do not know who to paint until you look at the size and shape of individual poppy heads. It could be Phillipa Perry, Yayoi Kusama or Mary Quant. If a famous person doesn’t come to mind Julie draws inspiration from vintage marionettes, Kabuki performers or Russian dolls.

A word of warning – Poppy People do not like damp/steamy environments. They prefer to be kept warm and dry and away from people or pets that might play with them or eat them!