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The MMSI announces details for "A Celebration of the Life of Shep Paine" at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 25
Following its 41st annual Chicago Show, which runs from 3 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 23 through noon on Sunday, Oct. 25, the Military Miniature Society of Illinois will host "A Celebration of the Life of Shep Paine," marking the loss on Aug. 1 at age 69 of one of its most celebrated members. Hosted by Shep's sisters Emily, Martha, and Diana as well as Shep's friends in the MMSI, all are welcome.
A formal program about Shep's life and work will take place from 1 to 2 p.m. in the ballroom at the site of the show, the Chicago Marriott-Schaumburg, 50 North Martingale Drive, Schaumburg, IL. This presentation will be followed by the continued casual mingling from 2 to 4 p.m. of his many friends from the MMSI, the modeling world, and the numerous historical groups of which he was a dedicated member.
Visit the MMSI on the Web here. And read Shep's obituary, the lead story on the obit page of The Chicago Tribune on Sunday, online or in the text of the message below.
Howard 'Shep' Paine, giant in world of art miniatures, dies
Howard Sheperd Paine, shown in this undated photo, elevated modeling to an art form and for six decades worked to spread the popularity of art miniatures around the world. (Lane Stewart photo)
By Joan Giangrasse Kates Chicago Tribune
The world of art miniatures has lost a giant.
Howard Sheperd Paine, an artist, author, military historian and collector of military artifacts, elevated modeling to an art form and for six decades worked to spread the popularity of art miniatures around the world.
Paine, 69, died Aug. 1 in his Northwest Side home in Chicago, five days after having a stroke.
"To every serious modeler, from age 17 to 70, this guy was a god — and not just here, but in far-flung corners of the globe," said Jim DeRogatis, a fellow miniaturist and author of Paine's 2008 biography, "Shepard Paine: The Life and Work of a Master Modeler and Military Historian."
"The time we spent together talking about his life, his work and the lasting bonds he made with people sharing his passion for an esoteric hobby that he single-handedly elevated to an art form were some of the best hours of my life," DeRogatis added. "It was my own geeky version of 'Tuesdays with Morrie.' "
"The time we spent together talking about his life, his work and the lasting bonds he made with people sharing his passion for an esoteric hobby that he single-handedly elevated to an art form were some of the best hours of my life," DeRogatis added. "It was my own geeky version of 'Tuesdays with Morrie.' "
Known as "Shep," Paine co-founded the triannual World Model Expo and championed the "open system" of judging for the Military Miniature Society of Illinois.
"Shep was the force behind bringing together a diverse and fascinating group of people every three years with often nothing more in common than their love of modeling," DeRogatis said. The next expo is scheduled for 2017 in Chicago.
Paine's work included elements of painting, sculpting, research and storytelling, sometimes incorporating mirrors and lighting to control the viewpoint or mood. Well-known collectors of his work included painter Andrew Wyeth, financier Malcolm Forbes and industrialist Ralph Koebbeman.Wyeth's pieces are on display at the Brandywine River Museum in Chadds Ford, Pa., while other works can be seen at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry, and the Pamplin Historical Park and the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier in Petersburg, Va.
"Shep and I have a 13-year age difference, and I don't think I really got hip to what he was doing until I was in college," said his sister Diana Paine. "I was like, 'Oh, Shep does this weird miniature thing, isn't it cute?' I had no idea about the level of artistry until he sent me a copy of one of his books, and then I went, 'Whoa, there's a lot more going on here than I thought!' "
In the early 1970s, Paine was commissioned by Monogram models to create how-to tip sheets. Those sheets are now collector's items, and many adult modelers claim that they were inspired to get back into modeling by reading the sheets they were given as kids.
In the early 1970s, Paine was commissioned by Monogram models to create how-to tip sheets. Those sheets are now collector's items, and many adult modelers claim that they were inspired to get back into modeling by reading the sheets they were given as kids.
"His tip sheets were sacred texts, beautifully written," said DeRogatis.
Paine was born to American parents in Berlin after the end of World War II. His family settled near Boston after his father's service ended in the Army Medical Corps.
Paine enlisted in the Army and served with the 3rd Armored Division in Germany from 1965 to 1967, rising to the rank of sergeant and for a time overseeing the company arsenal.
"That cured me of any desire to ever have a gun collection," he would later tell people.
Paine earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago in general studies in the humanities and remained in Chicago for most of his life. His interest in scale modeling began as a preteen, focusing on model railroading before shifting to toy soldiers and miniature tanks.
Paine earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago in general studies in the humanities and remained in Chicago for most of his life. His interest in scale modeling began as a preteen, focusing on model railroading before shifting to toy soldiers and miniature tanks.
He continued to pursue the hobby during his time in boarding school, the Army and college, and decided to try to make a career out of it after graduating from college in 1971.
"Frankly, I think Shep's greatest achievement was avoiding a nine-to-five job; that's where he really escalated in my eyes," his sister said. "Yes, he had to work for a living, but he was doing something he loved."
In 1972, he was contacted by Chicago area-based Monogram models, a premier maker of scale models, which wanted some dioramas for its military vehicle series. This resulted in a group of about 20 scenes.
From his earliest finished plastic figures through the end of his active period as a scale modeler in the mid-1990s, Paine sold every piece he completed. He considered his finest work to be his built-from-scratch box dioramas."Dioramas are so interesting because they combine so many elements in different forms," Paine told DeRogatis in his book. "You are basically telling a story without words. It's like silent movies, except you don't have anybody moving."
Paine possessed broad knowledge of military history, particularly uniforms and equipment of the Civil War, Napoleonic Wars and the two World Wars. He was an active collector of military antiques, specializing in the Victorian and Napoleonic periods.
Paine wrote dozens of articles for scale modeling publications and published four how-to books with Wisconsin-based Kalmbach Publishing, including "How to Build Dioramas," first issued in 1980 and re-released in 2000.
"Shep and I used to drive out to the Miniature Figure Collectors of America show near Philadelphia every year, and Shep would have his latest masterpiece," said retired Oak Park art teacher Joe Berton. "He'd be uncrating it out of the box, and there would just be a buzz in the crowd, waiting to see what Shep put out there. People were just so enthused, waiting to see whatever the latest creation of his would be, and they would be standing in line.
"But I think Shep's real strength for the rest of us has been his complete willingness to share his knowledge, his techniques and his skills. He was always willing to share what he knows: There are no secrets."
Paine is also survived by two other sisters, Emily and Martha.
Services will be private, but the MMSI is planning a "Celebration of Shep Paine's Life," open to the public, after the group's annual Chicago show in October.
Joan Giangrasse Kates is a freelance reporter.
Copyright © 2015, Chicago Tribune
