b'He loves working and buying pieces from other miniaturists; he also commissions special pieces from artists he has worked with in the past; surfs the Internet; and occasionally makes his own. This is particularly true when I need to achieve proper depth perspective in the roombox. In these cases I require a piece of furniture that may be less than 1:12 scale to make things look right. Known as forced perspective, this is a technique that employs optical illusion to make an object appear further away, closer, larger, or smaller than it actually is. This technique is often employed in art, filmmaking, photography, and architecture to alter depth perception. It can make the difference between a room that looks true to scale and one that looks a tad off. Its a skill rarely understood or achieved by miniaturists. In addition to forced perspective, Robert loves creating spaces within a space; those lovely little inviting nooks, crannies, and doorways that draw you inward. Creating a space which has mystery associated with it is exactly what I am striving to accomplish, Robert admits. When two different people look in one of my boxes, I want each one to walk away with a different experience and narrative. I also enjoy filling the space with various objects that shouldnt necessarily be there. I use them as emotional triggers to try and invoke a subconscious response. Ask Robert where his concepts originate and he has no clear answer. He begins with a blank sheet of paper on which he sketches a basic floor plan. From there he creates scale drawings of the floor and wall spaces. Once he has a set of drawings firmly in hand, hes ready to begin construction. His workspace is set up in about 800 square feet near his home. With numerous power tools, two table saws, a drill press, sanders, and shapers, Robert surrounds himself with photos of his past works mounted on the walls for inspiration. For him there is no typical day. He may work for eight to nine hours some days; not at all on others. Much of the time hes mulling over solutions for a particular design dilemma. The thinking and vision stuff actually takes longer than the actual hands-on construction, says Robert. Many of my construction steps are counter-intuitive. For example, I generally begin at the rear of the box and 10'