Episode 66: Storytime with Mike Pierce

Above, Mike and his wife Linda, both volunteers for numerous parks and battlefields, gearing up for a run.

Central Virginia-based modeler (and retired entomologist!) Mike Pierce has been an inspiration to your hosts since we first met him at one of the MMSI’s post-show critique sessions. He’s a modeler who’s always trying new things, and he tells great stories—both in his work, and in conversation. In this episode, we have a fine visit and hear more than a few of his tales.

Below: Some samples of Mike’s work, including several pieces we discussed, starting with his two versions of the “Where is Jefferson?” vignette, which he tackled twice in order to make the story clearer and more dramatic. We also see several of his moving depictions of enslaved people throughout American history.

Filling out the show, in our second installment of “Ask Barry,” we discuss the challenges of angles and arches, among other things. Jim is attempting a version of the scene below by Jean-Léon Gérôme, taking plenty of liberties with the weird perspective in the painting, and combining elements of his other works on a similar theme, as well as photos of actual hammams/Turkish baths.

Here’s a photo of the protractor Barry recommended, and the angle ruler with digital readout that Jim bought and then forgot he had in his drawer. Plus: Jim’s columns-and-arches in progress, and the solution he hit upon for making plastic look like stone. (It goes on too thick, but a test on a piece of scrap indicates that some light sanding after it dries will do the trick.)

Thanks as always for listening and checking out this blog!