If you spend enough time with Anke Bezuidenhout, you begin to see the world a little differently. Details sharpen. Textures matter. And suddenly, the tiniest things feel like treasures.
At first glance, it is easy to underestimate the power of something small. A paper flower the size of a fingernail. A teddy bear no taller than a matchstick. A book so tiny you need a magnifying glass to read the story inside. Yet in the careful hands of Anke Bezuidenhout, these miniature marvels become worlds of patience, imagination and joy.
Anke lives in Durban North with her husband of 20 years, Eugene, and their two cats, whom she proudly calls her children. By day she teaches Afrikaans Additional Language to pupils from Grade 4 to 9 at Maris Stella. By night, and often over weekends, she disappears into a world measured not in metres, but in millimetres.
“I’ve loved anything small since I was little, the smaller the better,” she says. As a child, she collected surprise-egg kits, carefully assembling each tiny treasure while her brother happily claimed the chocolate. She still keeps many of those early pieces in what she calls her treasure box.
And her love of miniatures never left her, it simply grew more refined.
Eugene took her to a show hosted by the Durban Association of Miniature Enthusiasts (DAME) when it was still held in a school hall, some 30 years ago. She was captivated, but lost contact details afterwards and, as she puts it, ‘sulked for three or four years’.
Years later, she found the club again at a show in Westville and finally joined. She has now been a member for four years and is still, she says, learning every step of the way.
DAME has been nurturing miniature artistry in Durban since 1992. What began with a small group of enthusiasts meeting in a member’s home has grown into a vibrant community of around 35 members. They meet on the last Saturday of every month, except December, to host workshops, share techniques, exchange ideas and, importantly, eat cake.
Members work in wood, clay, paper and mixed media, creating everything from period roomboxes to delicate flowers, furniture and fully dressed dolls. Visitors to their exhibitions often find themselves bending low over tables, peering into impossibly detailed rooms where no two walls, roofs or stories are alike.
“It’s one big family,” Anke says. “Everyone supports your kind of crazy.” While many miniature artists focus on furniture or architecture, Anke’s heart belongs to books.
“I love reading,” she explains. “So I thought, why can’t I make real miniature books?”
She now creates tiny, fully readable books complete with stories and illustrations. Some feature tales written by her pupils, which she then binds into miniature editions for her dream project, a grand, old-fashioned library conservatory inspired by Beauty and the Beast.
Space may be limited in real life, but in miniature there are no such constraints. Shelf after shelf can be filled with stories, each one carefully folded, glued and stitched into place.
She also makes jointed mini teddies, intricate flowers and realistic pieces that do not always turn out perfectly, but always teach her something new.
One of her favourite projects was a themed club challenge inspired by cinematography. Anke took it literally and built a Minion cinema from scratch, even incorporating a tablet as a working screen, a kiosk with lights and a popcorn machine.
Working with polymer clay for the first time proved testing. A tile cracked in the oven, clay split because it had not been conditioned enough, and foil cores created air bubbles that left the characters oddly lumpy.
“I can tell you exactly what not to do,” she laughs.
Yet every imperfect Minion became part of the final display. For Anke, mistakes are not failures, they are teachers. “I’m still learning and not getting it perfect,” she says. “But that’s the fun.”
For those who dismiss miniatures as child’s play, Anke is quick to respond.
“It’s an art form. Yes, children can make miniatures, but this is one level up. It’s all in the detail and the time that goes into it.”
DAME workshops provide a base structure or concept, but members are encouraged to add their own flair. Techniques are shared openly. Advice flows freely. Beginners are welcomed warmly, even if they initially feel overwhelmed by the standard of work on display.
“You’ll feel inadequate at first,” Anke admits. “Then, when you finish your piece and feel immense pride. You leave thinking, ‘I did it. I can do this.’”
Anke’s ultimate ambition is to build a working carousel complete with carved horses, music, lights and movement. She already has the music box. The rest, she says with a
grin, may require some assistance from Eugene on the technical side.
Until then, she continues folding paper into flowers, stitching bears barely three centimetres tall, and chasing ideas down the Pinterest rabbit hole.
Her advice to aspiring miniaturists is simple. “Don’t give up. Ask for help. Start over as many times as you need. Add as much detail as makes you happy.”
In the world of DAME, tiny things build big friendships. And in Anke’s hands, even the smallest creation carries a story large enough to fill a library.
2026 DAME World of Miniatures Show
The Durban Association of Miniature Enthusiasts hosts its next exhibition on May 30 at the Westville Country Club.
What to expect:
• Miniature displays in wood, clay and paper
• Member-created roomboxes in various eras and styles
• Traders selling kits and handcrafted pieces
• Demonstrations and workshops, some bookable on
the day
Everyone is welcome, whether you are curious, creative or already a seasoned miniature maker.
Details: You can follow the Durban Association of Miniature Enthusiasts on Facebook or
email durban@miniatures@gmail.com
A simple starter kit for miniatures
If you are tempted to try your hand at miniatures, you do not need a studio full of equipment. Start small.
Basic supplies include:
• Craft knife and cutting mat
• Metal ruler
• Fine tweezers
• PVA glue and a quality craft adhesive
• Acrylic paints and fine brushes
• Cardstock and paper
• Sandpaper and cocktail sticks
Add patience, good lighting and a sense of humour, especially when pieces disappear onto the floor.
Miniature mishaps and lessons learned
- Never open superglue with your teeth
• Keep coffee away from your paint water
• Do not sneeze while holding a 1:44 scale paving stone
• Practice really does improve results
• Ask for help
• Beware of Pinterest, time vanishes there
