47th MDG Airman creates library of miniatures

Staff Sgt. Barbara Panama, 47th Medical Group uniform business office manager, inspects on of the clay miniatures on display in her office on Sept. 12, 2018 at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas. Panama has been crafting miniatures since she was 12, and says creating things helps her focus her energy and relieves stress. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Anne McCready)

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47th MDG Airman creates library of miniatures

Staff Sgt. Barbara Panama, 47th Medical Support Squadron uniform business office manager, is fascinated by classic literature, antiques, and things with historic value. As she makes her miniature clay books, Panama said she thinks about how books used to be made by hand, the specific details and the imperfections of the leather and stitching, and she thinks about the fact throughout history, owning a book was a privilege not all got to enjoy. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Anne McCready)

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47th MDG Airman creates library of miniatures

Staff Sgt. Barbara Panama, 47th Medical Support Squadron uniform business office manager, laid her art supplies out to create a miniature, on Sept. 9, 2018, at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas. She uses a broad range of assortments to bring life to her art, such as a pasta roller to smooth and compress her clay, and thimbles, which add texture. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Anne McCready)

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47th MDG Airman creates library of miniatures

Staff Sgt. Barbara Panama, 47th Medical Support Squadron uniform business office manager, creates a miniature book while her daughter, Ariana, who inspects one of Panama’s older figurines, on Sept. 9, 2018, at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas. One of the reasons Panama enjoys making miniatures is because it allows her to spend time bonding with her children. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Anne McCready)

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47th MDG Airman creates library of miniatures

Staff Sgt. Barbara Panama, 47th Medical Support Squadron uniform business office manager, separates and forms the amount of polymer clay she needs for a small book, on Sept. 9, 2018, at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas. She chooses to use polymer clay because it is malleable, mixes well with other colors of clay, can be cured in the oven, and can be painted. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Anne McCready)

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47th MDG Airman creates library of miniatures

Staff Sgt. Barbara Panama, 47th Medical Support Squadron uniform business office manager, uses a sharp edge to define the impression of pages a block of clay, on Sept. 9, 2018, at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas. From beginning to end, the process of making a clay book took Panama approximately two hours. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Anne McCready)

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47th MDG Airman creates library of miniatures

Staff Sgt. Barbara Panama, 47th Medical Support Squadron uniform business office manager, adds aging effects with an ink pad to the pages of her miniature book after it was baked, on Sept. 9, 2018, at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas. Panama finds inspiration from antiques, and although she doesn’t collect antiques herself, she enjoys replicating them in a smaller form. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Anne McCready)

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47th MDG Airman creates library of miniatures

As the clay pages are baking, Staff Sgt. Barbara Panama, 47th Medical Support Squadron uniform business office manager, rolls green clay through a pasta roller to smooth it out and condense it together, on Sept. 9, 2018, at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas. She uses a pasta roller because it effectively compacts the clay. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Anne McCready)

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47th MDG Airman creates library of miniatures

Staff Sgt. Barbara Panama, 47th Medical Support Squadron uniform business office manager, wraps a clay cover around the finalized pages of the model book, on Sept. 9, 2018, at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas. Panama enjoys making not only books, but also faces, inspired by science fiction, fantasy and movies she’s seen. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Anne McCready)

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47th MDG Airman creates library of miniatures

Staff Sgt. Barbara Panama, 47th Medical Support Squadron uniform business office manager, dabs gold ink onto the corners of her miniature book to give the impression it used to have a decoration on it that wore down with time, on Sept. 9, 2018, at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas. To add to the realism of her art, Panama uses items, like a thimble, from around the house to add texture to her creations. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Anne McCready)

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47th MDG Airman creates library of miniatures

Staff Sgt. Barbara Panama, 47th Medical Support Squadron uniform business office manager, places a polymer clay sculpture of a book in the oven to cure and harden it, on Sept. 9, 2018, at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas. Once she bakes her creations, they last longer without being misshapen. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Anne McCready)

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47th MDG Airman creates library of miniatures

Staff Sgt. Barbara Panama, 47th Medical Support Squadron uniform business office manager, paints the beginning of a tree onto the cover of her clay book cover, on Sept. 9, 2018, at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas. Panama is especially interested in creating miniature books, each being unique in size, decoration and texture. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Anne McCready)

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47th MDG Airman creates library of miniatures

Staff Sgt. Barbara Panama, 47th Medical Support Squadron uniform business office manager, creates miniatures as a hobby and stress-reliever. Her collection spans from her home, where her children admire her work, to her office at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, where her creations start conversation. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Anne McCready)

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47th MDG Airman creates library of miniatures

Published Sept. 13, 2018
By Airman 1st Class Anne McCready
47th Flying Training Wing

Staff Sgt. Barbara Panama, 47th Medical Group uniform business office manager, inspects on of the clay miniatures on display in her office on Sept. 12, 2018 at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas. Panama has been crafting miniatures since she was 12, and says creating things helps her focus her energy and relieves stress. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Anne McCready)