“My boxes tell a story,

and children relate to

them. But they make

older people smile, too,

because there’s a nostalgic element.”

Madame X by Bonnie Schewkes

a well-known chef, she made a box with butcher-block tables and minifoods; for art collectors, she has created tiny museum rooms. She even re-created a photo studio recently for a photographer.

Each box is a microcosm contain-ing rich, fabric-covered walls, period furniture, framed artwork and porcelain artifacts. Prices start at $100 and increase depending on the size of the box (9-by-9-inch being the smallest) and the materi-als used. “I’ve had clients request crystal fixtures, $500 miniature sofas and silk velvets from France,” says Schewkes. “It’s like decorating a home.” She prides her-self on the fabrics used to line the walls of her boxes and to upholster miniature fur-niture, and laughs as she recalls shopping for fabrics at high-end stores in Manhat-tan. “They’ll ask how many yards I need, and I’ll hold up the miniature couch,” she explains. “They’ll say, ‘That’s it?!’ ”

Though the shadow-boxer never went to art school, she considers her work an art form. “With every box, I’m painting a scene, but in a three-dimensional way. I get a feeling and try to express it, but I’m dealing with furniture and glue, not paint and brushes.” While one of her sisters is an artist, Schewkes’ mother was a collector, and she inherited the gene. “My parents didn’t have a lot of money,” the artist recalls. “But my mom loved antiques. We went to auctions once a week. It was either that or go out to eat—and we always chose the auctions.”

After graduating from Brooklyn Col-lege, Schewkes taught kindergarten, and in 1973 opened an antique shop, which she named County Line Antiques. Fifteen years later, she shuttered her store and became a fixture at the Columbus Avenue Flea Market. It was at that time Schewkes struggled to make her first shadow box: a 19th-century parlor room.

Despite the time and passion she pours into her projects, her response is immediate when asked whether she ever has trouble parting with the boxes she creates: “Never. I always feel I can create another one.” That’s the businesswoman in her talking, and then the artist chimes in. “But it will always be slightly different. Each one is a learning experience.” — Michele Shapiro

BoxerShadowArtist Bonnie Schewkes creates miniature masterpieces

n the same tree-lined, midtown New York block that houses the famous ice cream emporium Serendipity, a display of shadow boxes in the window of the Phyllis Lucas Gallery-Old Print Center offers a glimpse into miniature worlds from whimsical (a

Victorian sitting room where dogs gather for afternoon tea) to historical (the Oval Office). These dollhouselike boxes often grab the attention of the junior set, dwarfing any thoughts of fro-zen hot chocolate. “Kids like things that are closer to their size,” explains artist Bonnie Schewkes, a native New Yorker who has been creating shadow boxes for more than 20 years. “My boxes tell a story, and children relate to them. But they make older people smile, too, because there’s a nostalgic element.”

Schewkes has fashioned one-of-a-kind artistic confections for the likes of Demi Moore, Treat Williams and Carol Burnett. But celebs aren’t the only ones special-ordering the boxes. For

Bonnie SchewkeS

102 DECEMBER 2014 | watch! cbswatchmagazine.com