This article was originally written by Elizabeth Hunter for SWNS — the U.K.’s largest independent news agency, providing globally relevant original, verified, and engaging content to the world’s leading media outlets.
Artist Karen Bones, who lives in Fife, Scotland, spent years working as a freelance illustrator, moonlighting in local bars to help support herself. Then, after the COVID-19 pandemic hit, she found herself with more time on her hands — and came across another artist’s work online that inspired her. That’s when she began the next chapter of her career: crafting intricate miniature sculptures of famous pubs and venues.
“It was someone that I’d seen online that does them, and I discovered that he 3D-prints them,” Bones told SWNS. “I wondered if I could do it myself, just using rudimentary materials rather than a 3D printer.”
Her first sculpture was of a hotel and cafe called Coorie by the Coast. She presented the piece to the business, and it quickly started gaining attention. “It’s just such a beautiful building, and then I gifted it to them as a thank you,” said Bones. “They put it behind the counter, so everyone saw it when they came in.”
Soon, Bones was receiving commissions and creating miniature replicas of her favorite buildings in her hometown of Glasgow as well — from the city’s oldest pubs like The Laurieston and The Scotia to iconic concert venues like the Barrowland Ballroom.
Bones, who has a degree in illustration from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, spends between two days and two weeks on each piece, working from reference photos to painstakingly re-create each detail. She uses as many recycled materials as she can, including coffee stirrers, straws, lids, and beads. “Building the base can be done in a few hours, but it’s building up all the layers on top of that and the tiny wee details that take time,” Bones explained.
As for inspiration, Bones has no shortage of possibilities to choose from. “The ideas come from anywhere I go,” she shared. “I’m an absolute nightmare to go on holiday with now, because I’ll go and my phone will be full of interesting buildings!” She added: “When I wander about, I look at places now with a new eye — places that I walked past a million times.”
Bones also often receives touching requests from people asking her to re-create wedding venues, family homes, and buildings that are no longer standing. She then shares her work on her Instagram account.
Her favorite piece is the sculpture of the Barrowland Ballroom — a stunning re-creation of the famous venue, with working lights in the shape of its iconic sign.
“It’s so iconic, and it’s the one that everyone recognizes — and it’s the first one I had that was lit up, which was really tricky to do,” Bones explained. “I’m from Glasgow, so I have a real connection to a lot of the places.”
Her sculptures can be seen across the city, in the window at The Laurieston or behind the bar at King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut.
For Bones, each piece is a labor of love, and she hopes to continue creating sculptures for years to come. “I’m loving what I’m doing,” she said, adding: “I like the fact that I can make something from people’s memories that they can have to keep. It doesn’t matter if it’s a council house or a stately home; they’re all done with a story behind it and a part of me in it.”
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