Painter in the Spotlight!
You may have noticed (I hope!) how much the website has changed recently, a monumental effort for someone like me, who understands granite far better than web design (but hey, "necessity is the mother of invention", as we say where I come from!).
In short, the website was structurally and aesthetically a disaster, so I rolled up my sleeves and tried to straighten things out a little, discovering some rather arcane and mysterious concepts along the way, such as SEO, for example.
That said, I am not here to praise my own work. Quite the opposite: I am launching a new feature born from the desire to give proper recognition to the wonderful community that, for reasons still mysterious to me (but very much appreciated!), continues to follow my projects year after year: Painter in the Spotlight!
While updating the website Gallery, I realised just how much time and effort many of you have dedicated to painting my (our!) miniatures, and I also realised that simply gathering your painted models into a collage did not really do justice to your work. So I came up with the idea of a small monthly feature in which I choose a piece based on the DPF universe that I come across online, and give it a prominent place on my website.
Of course, it is not quite the same as getting a follow on Instagram from Fumika Baba, but I thought it might give you a little extra incentive to remain loyal to the cause of Inneath!
The idea is to name one Painter in the Spotlight every month, and then, at the end of the year, decide together who deserves a generous prize (a very generous prize!), something along the lines of a Grand Gala for Durgin Paint Forge miniatures.
Naturally, since this year is already drawing to a close, I would say that everyone who has contributed one of their models to the Gallery on my website so far should be eligible for the 2026 prize. What do you think?
I have also added a VERY HANDY form to the Gallery that you can use to send me photos of your painted models. Everything should be much easier to manage from now on, and I will no longer run the risk of missing one of your emails (along with the inevitable guilt that follows).
With that said, enough chatter.
Let me introduce the very first Painter in the Spotlight: Bartosz Pielak, with his incredible diorama, "Check for Traps!":
I have always found large, ambitious dioramas irresistibly fascinating. I consider them a kind of pinnacle of our hobby, and they are a medium I still have not managed to explore through a dedicated project of my own.
Creating a diorama as complex as Bartosz's requires more than just painting skill. Above all, it demands a clear vision, fierce determination, and the patience to give proper attention to every single element of the composition.
From the very first moment I saw this piece on Instagram, I knew I wanted to contact Bartosz and ask if I could feature it on my website!
I asked Bartosz to share a few words about his work:
Once I saw the amazing sculpts by Matteo I had an idea for this diorama in my mind for the longest time, and multiple different versions of it. In the end I decided to create more vertical composition to show the depth of the pit we all D&D players didn't notice at least once
The result, perhaps unsurprisingly, speaks for itself: a scene of pure classic fantasy, with that blend of fairytale wonder and darkness that perfectly captures the world of Inneath. There are so many little details and hidden gems to discover that I could spend hours looking at it, and I have to say it is genuinely moving to see my miniatures at the heart of such an ambitious project!
A huge thank you to Bartosz for sharing this project, which will proudly take centre stage in the Gallery throughout the month of November.
If you would like to take a look at more of his work and give him a well deserved follow, head over to his Instagram page:
What about you? Have you ever built a diorama, or are you thinking about making one?
If you too want to carry the torch of Durgin Paint Forge high and earn yourself a place in the Valhalla of painters, all you have to do is paint one of my miniatures to the very best of your ability, send it to me using the form at the bottom of the Gallery page, or tag me on Instagram or Facebook!
Bona!
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