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| David Winter History |
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Introduction
David Winter Cottages are highly detailed miniature houses and other buildings, styled after traditional British village life. They are individually designed by talented sculptor David Winter, who began creating the collection in the late 1970s through his collaboration with John Hine.
History
David Winter was born in December of 1958 in the town of Catterick, Yorkshire. He was the youngest of 3 children born to Faith Winter FRBS (Fellow of the Royal Society of British Sculptors). It was at age 20, while helping in his mother’s studio, that David was introduced to John Hine. John had commissioned Faith to produce some heraldic plaques and David had been the one to complete this project.
Although the heraldic plaques did not prove to be as popular as John hoped, he was impressed by David’s skills and attention to detail. They continued to collaborate on several other ideas and produced their first cottage in 1979, The Mill House. Their contrasting characters, the quiet unassuming artist and the charismatic marketer, complemented each other perfectly.
John and David began producing the cottages in the coal shed at the back of David’s parents home. They offered them for sale through select stores in Great Britain and they were received with instant acceptance. By 1981 larger premises in Borden were found to house the growing business and number of craftsmen.
With experience, the skills of David and his fellow craftsmen improved and the quality and intricacy of the cottages increased. This was reflected in the increasing levels of demand both in Great Britain and in newer markets, particularly the US. Collector demand frequently outstripped expectations and ability to supply sufficient quantities.
The Collectors Guild was created in 1986, providing the most enthusiastic of collectors a means to acquire exclusive guild pieces and be guaranteed the opportunity to acquire pieces through a one-per-member redemption certificate program.
The partnership between David Winter and John Hine to produce and market cottages lasted for 17 years. In December 1993 John Hine Ltd was acquired by Media Arts Group Inc. Unfortunately the business (John Hine Ltd) went into receivership in late 1996 and ceased trading by the end of 1996.
During 1997, Enesco took over the production and distribution of the cottages. This arrangement lasted for almost 5 years before coming to an end in December 2002. From 2003 onwards, David Winter cottages have been distributed through The Friends of David Winter. This organization comprises 3 key individuals; David Winter, Martin Perry of Harmony Kingdom and Kevin Pearson of Kevin Francis Face Pots.
David and Martin have more recently produced miniature animal sculptures as well as continuing the cottages theme.
Production
One of the things that make David Winter cottages so collectible is the artistry in each one. The design, molding and painting is all done by hand in Great Britain, using well trained craftsmen, the highest quality materials and stringent quality controls.
Each cottage is made from crystacal. This is a form of gypsum, quarried in Britain, filtered, dried and ground. It is converted into a paste by adding water before being poured into a mold.
The production process begins with David creating an initial cottage from wax. From this wax original, a master sculptor creates a durable master replica from which the molds are made. The white gypsum cottages, fresh from the molds, are then passed to the painters to complete. The cottages are checked for quality at each stage of the process and discarded if they do not meet the required standards.
© 2008 Woolvey LLC |
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