European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 21, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Many americans love to collect hummed Llad Roi Andry Jwdavid Winter cottages. The latter Range in Price from $14lo $300. Whan artist David Winter attn Germany recently to promote sates Tome folks stood in line Tor hours to Gat their cottages autographed. Its photos by  Lewis or. Whether Rhonda Boyd of Bodinger Ever Sells her cottages would depend on How badly she needed the Money she said As an Assembly line of collage packers and unpack ers moved her through the autograph process which averaged 150 persons an hour. According to Jon no Suart promotions manager Tor the company the resale Market Tor David Winter cottages has t really started up because most collectors still Are buying As Many pieces As they can. However one 6-Inch cottage that originally sold for about to and was discontinued in 19b5 recently passed Between . Collectors for a tidy $2.000. At a plate and collectible show in South Bend ind., earlier this year a collector uttered a raffle Winner $5,000 for his prize of an Early Winter creation called coaching fun said Harry Hine company safes spokesman. The Lucky raffle ticket Holder turned the offer Down. Hine and Suart say Hoy Ean l explain their customers mania Over he Little houses. Had anybody said eight years ago that we would have such a following we would have suggested an Asylum for him Hine said. Snarl speaking for Winter who recluses to be interviewed said the Day they understood the people s fascination with the collages would be the Day they ceased to be fascinating Hine agreed saying if anyone does know please Don t Tell  european concessions Branch manager Judy Wolff estimated the cafes gift shops sold about 5,000 cottages for Winter s six autograph sessions in West Germany about 200 customers were even turned away during weekend signings at Rhein main a and Kaiserslautern despite Winter s extra half hour at Rhein main. Membership in the David Winter cottages collectors Guild probably Best illustrates the cottages raging popularity. In the club s first six months it attract Era 18,000 members who worked out $55 each to receive a quarterly 60-Page Magazine and the privilege of being Able to buy two pieces each year made solely for members. David win Lar married lamer of two comos from a family of artists. After College he worked a couple years with his Mother Faith Winter who among other achievements was commissioned recently by the British parliament to sculpt lord Downing an Honor that comes around every "100 years or  Suart said. When Winter joined John Hine Ltd in 1978, to designed heraldic devices a pet Hobby of mine s that did t work and hand spun decorative tiles. Snarl said. The literal collage Industry began in 1980 when Hine heard irom a London shopkeeper hat miniature collages sold like hoi cakes. He promptly asked Winter to sculpt one. Winter s original Mill House had real lace and match Slicks in it. Lacr his work evolved into its present purely plaster torm although he is now Twining Back to include parts that cannot to cast such As a Metal railings along the stairs snarl said. Since Mill House the number of cottage making companies leaped from two to 143, Suart said and they re All copying David. David Winter collages is now the generic name especially in 1he United states Tor miniature  Winter patterned his first collages alter ensling buildings such As Shakespeare s Birthplace. Now he crawls them from his imagination with the help of a Lull Lime researcher who ensures their architectural authenticity. The sculptures take form in while modelling Wax into which Winter cuts each individual Root tile and Cobblestone. Alter he finishes the Mode in anywhere lion a week la several months depending on his mood it is passed to Mold makers who pour a Silicon rubber Mold around it. It s called the lost Wax method because after the Mold is poured the original is dug out in pieces Suart said. So the Mold makers had belter get it on the first  next a hard plastic like resin collage is folded which is used to make other holds. The final products Are made from Crys Liaf a Pla slur like medium made from British Gypsum. The Crysteal comes in a Talcum like powder which casters mix with water then pour into one piece holds where it hardens in about 25 minutes. After it is pulled from the Mold it is dried for about 24 hours Tho cottages Are never fired. Studio workers then file Down burs and fill in areas thai May have lost detail in the Mold. Next the Headquarters in Gordon Hampshire arms out the collages among about 5,000 artists throughout the United kingdom for painting. The company continually runs advertisements looking for people who would like to paint houses in their Homes. Anybody can try snarl said. It s something we encourage. We want to have As Many styles of painting As  but while the collage makers seek diversity in painting style they discourage too much variation in color selection. They used to offer painters More latitude but they were having to destroy too Many cottages because they were coming Back in very very strange colors snarl said. The company weeds out unsatisfactory painters in the first two Days of tryouts. Those who survive those iffy Days then train or up to iwo months. Snarl said he did not know How much palmers received for each piece but said it varied with the size and level of painting difficulty. Snarl also refused to reveal any sales figures for 1987, saying i always evade thai question. People like to feel thai theirs is  he did say however that the company has 80 different cottages in its current Range has retired 40 holds and has produced Only one limited edition. John Hine and David totally believe a limited edition is nine pieces anything Over that is a Sham by the producers who do a limited edition of say 5,000, we Don t limit them that Way. We do limit them in a Lime Frame snarl said citing the example of a Christmas edition thai was in production Only about live months. The company sold ils one limited edition for Charity. Through a program called Tho House that Jim fixed in which children can ask for their dreams to be fulfilled a Litlo girl asked if her Molher could someday Walch David Winter collages being made. 01 course the company granted her wish they then went one step further to Model a House alter her Mother s. Just 250 copies were sold Lor 200 pounds each about $338 with the proceeds of 50,000 pounds about $84,500 going to a London children s Hospital. Although the cottage company won t limit production they will limit Winter s autograph sessions at least until 1990. Snarl explained that when Winter is out smiling is customers and answering the hundreds of broken record queries about whether he has writer s cramp yet he s nol in the studio sculpting. While the Young company average age of its 800 employees is 26 enjoys a very Large Home Market its works arc most popular with americans snarl said. Shelia Lee who manages the Hanau Wedgwood shop where the cottages arc sold said she thinks they re even More popular with american men than Wilh the women her husband Lor one begged her to have a collage autographed Lor him while he was in the Field another Man however patiently wailed for his wife outside the Hanau shop on the Day of Winter s signing he watched As a mob of women lore through boxes and wound through lines around the China displays. It just goes to show you How contagious these things can  to said they re Cuta. I Tike them they re cute Lille things to collect dust  september 21,1988 the stars and stripes Page 15