About Jill
Baltimore City
Jill Orlov’s sculptural practice is a culmination of her architectural background and her embrace of working with metals. Miniature scenes and vignettes are thoughtfully yet subtly storied with cultural issues and socially fraught topics. Techniques of welding and soldering, incorporated with carefully selected vintage objects, are used to create these magical worlds. The same heavy-duty techniques at this size disclose the delicate, elemental connections… more
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Julia's Kitchen in a Box
Inspired by the iconic kitchen of Julia Child. Steel furniture and appliances welded and shaped into miniature replicas of their full-scale counterparts. Includes vintage wooden box, copper plumbing parts and copper mesh, brass escutcheon pins, and handmade paper books. Glass and cast metal place settings from other artisans.
12" tall x 20" wide x 9.5" deep
12" tall x 20" wide x 9.5" deep
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Julia's Kitchen in a BoxJulia's Kitchen in a Box 20" wide x 12" tall x 9.5" deep Miniature, to 1" scale, handmade kitchen replica of Julia Child's Cambridge, Massachusetts famous kitchen. The furniture and appliances are welded and shaped steel parts, not castings. Tablecloth is heat treated copper mesh to achieve a yellow color. Pots and pans are solid copper plumbing parts and vintage solid brass escutcheon pins. Knife block is solid wood. Knives are metal with a patina to look like wood.
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Julia's kitchen looking leftView of Julia's Kitchen in a Box from right hand door
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Julia's Kitchen looking rightJulia's Kitchen view from wall oven
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Julia's Kitchen close upJulia's Kitchen - view from left hand door
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Julia's Cambridge kitchenJulia's actual kitchen in Cambridge, Massachusetts
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Julia's Cambridge kitchen looking towards pot rackJulia's actual kitchen in Cambridge, Massachusetts, showing her famous copper pots on the peg board
Office Coffee Table
Miniature room made of welded steel with an office theme set on steel rails within a weathered steel table frame and under a thick glass top. All miniature books are handmade to create a custom color palette of autumn leaves. Other materials used include bicycle spokes, rusted/heavily patina'd farm tool fragment and jewelry findings.
19" wide x 40" long x 24" tall
19" wide x 40" long x 24" tall
French Dining Room in a Box
Miniature formal French style dining room set within a rustic wooden toolbox. Seating for ten, long table, sideboard and operable French doors, all using welded mild steel.
Sideboard cabinet handles made from jewelry links. Real wax candles adorn cast metal dollhouse sconces flank a large frame along the back wall. Other accessories include glass and cast metal dollhouse place settings.
10" tall x 30" wide x 8" deep
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French Dining Room in a Box.jpgFrench country meets modern industrial in a miniature vignette of a room. Welded steel dining room set within a vintage wooden tool box. All in 1:12 scale
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French Dining Room in a Box - sideboard focus
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French Dining Room in a Box towards doorMiniature French Dining Room in a Box zoomed in to place you in the room
BOOKcases
Bookcase within a book! Library sculpture could be stand alone or a bookend. A full scale rusted steel open “book” revealing a miniature bookcase. The book "pages" are made of vintage newspaper print plates. Handmade mini paper books with miniature accessories line the miniature shelves.
8.5" tall
8.5" tall
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BOOKend pairPair of miniature bookcases within 8.5 inch tall "books". Made of mostly steel; rusted steel for the "leather" book cover, vintage newsprint plates for the "pages" and paper miniature books.
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BOOKend with real booksReal books for reference next to my miniature steel bookcase within a full scale "book".
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BOOKend openCloser view of miniature bookcase within the open "book"
Sofa Table
Pick a classic novel to read on the loveseat in front of a roaring fire. Glass top is approximately 14 inches x 48 inches x ½ inch thick. Overall height is 36 inches. Materials include mild steel protected with an oil based sealer, glass candlesticks, wax candles, paper books, copper mesh “carpet” and “fireplace screen,” and vintage newspaper print plates.
Brady Bunch Stair in a Box
A miniature vignette of the classic television show set within a vintage mid-century modern wooden desk drawer. The iconic artwork and furniture, such as the flat file cabinet and the Mondrian-like back wall, re-imagined in steel and copper...in miniature. The warm grey steel of the instantly recognizable "Mike Brady stairs" complement the weathered and rusted steel which represent the stonework of the fireplace and built-in planter. Materials include cold rolled steel, rusted/heavily patina'd steel, wood, mid-century modern wood drawer, live air plants, jewelry chain, wrist watch parts, found key, earring and a metal clothes pin. Glass bottle and pottery vase from other artisans.
19" wide x 19" tall x 7" deep
19" wide x 19" tall x 7" deep
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Brady Bunch Stair in a Box.jpgA miniature vignette of the classic television show set within a vintage mid-century modern wooden desk drawer. The warm gray of the furniture replicated in steel and those "Mike Brady stairs!!" complement the weathered cast iron of the fireplace and built-in planter. Live air plants. Glass bottle and pottery vase from other artisans.
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brady close up toward credenza.jpgClose up of the diorama Brady Bunch Stair in a Box
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Brady stair zoom.JPGZoomed in angle to place you IN the Brady Bunch living room
Game Room in a Box
Miniature billiards game room in a vintage wooden box. A miniature vignette made of welded steel. Each piece is 1:12 scale including a "to scale" billiards table, dart board and stools with a drink rail. A moment in time is captured. Did the players just walk away in mid game?
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Game Room in a Box.jpg
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Game Room zoomed to bar stoolsA miniature version of a classic billiards room, complete with dart board, bar stools and green glass lamp hovering over the mid-game table. All made with mild welded steel. Accents include antique elixir bottle as the light fixture, copper mesh pockets lined with brass rivets. All made to scale 1" = 1'-0".
Back Bar Cart
Full scale bar cart on casters with miniature "back bar" as the "drawer front". Frame is industrial in style with square tube steel framing. Rusted patina'd panels enclose the cabinet and drawer sides. Cart top and lower shelving is all solid black walnut with a natural oil for a rich finish. Other materials include LED lighting, salvaged metal and vintage watch face, frosted marbles, and miniature glasses and bottles. Inspiration came from the vintage James Joyce back bar in Baltimore that was shipped from Ireland.
38” wide x 23-5/8” deep. Overall height is 37-1/4”
38” wide x 23-5/8” deep. Overall height is 37-1/4”
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back bar cart updated-square.jpgFull scale bar car with miniature back bar as drawer front. The miniature scaled back bar is modeled after the historic James Joyce bar in Baltimore. Fabricated mostly of steel, the cabinet and drawer sides are rusted panels of steel giving it a look of leather. The bar top and shelving (of the full scale parts) are solid black walnut. A well is carved out of the top for rolling objects such as lemons and limes. The drawer front is back lit allowing the glass bottles to glow. The globe light fixtures are also functional on a separate light source with LED bulbs.
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back bar drawer front updated.jpgClose up of drawer front (without LED lights on)
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back bar drawer front lit and pulled out.JPGClose up of back bar drawer front with LED lights on
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back bar drawer front lit front.JPGFront view of drawer front back lit with LED lights
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back bar - james joyce - reference photo1.PNGReference photo of back bar at James Joyce bar in Baltimore
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back bar -james joyce reference photo2.PNGReference photo of back bar at James Joyce bar in Baltimore
Nightstand - Furnished Furniture
A twin bed with a sheet softly folded back. The bureau/dresser has a tilting mirror, spinning globe and an operable drawer. A tiny coffee mug rests on the miniature nightstand.
Nightstand with a miniature bedroom vignette set within the frame of the legs. Glass top is 20 inches by 22 inches by ½ inch thick. Overall height is 26-3/4 inches. Materials include mild steel protected with an oil based sealer, glass, copper sheet, aluminum, bass wood, acrylic painted seed (the globe).
Nightstand with a miniature bedroom vignette set within the frame of the legs. Glass top is 20 inches by 22 inches by ½ inch thick. Overall height is 26-3/4 inches. Materials include mild steel protected with an oil based sealer, glass, copper sheet, aluminum, bass wood, acrylic painted seed (the globe).