QUAINT LITTLE PUBS

AND WHEN I SAY “LITTLE”…. IN PARTICULAR, KAREN BONES IS A SCOTTISH ARTIST EXTRAORDINAIRE who “started making miniature buildings as a natural progression.” 

Karen Bones and her artful miniatures. This and other images from her website, Bricks & Bones.

What with a bit of moonlighting in local pubs, Karen focused her artistic talents on recreating intricate miniatures of these establishments. Here are tidbits and examples gleaned from Bricks & Bones. I’ve added my own comments and occasional Internet sleuthing.

“Whether you’re moving from a family home,” she writes, “building a new one or just love your favourite pub…. let me recreate it for you in miniature.”

Vellore House, Linlithgow. 

Karen’s Methodology. “When I’ve decided on a particular building,” she says, “I take photos of it from every angle, to get the dimensions correct and the roof pitch just right. Then I take more photos of the smaller details that make the building unique. The more detail, the better, right?” 

The Bruce Arms, Limekilns, Fife. A 3D model. 

She continues, “The basic model is made from recycled cardboard with polystyrene inside to hold it rigid, the windows and doors are added and then the fun bit! All the tiny details, roof tiles, stonework etc is added before painting.”

After considerable research, Karen’s models begin with cardboard, a cutting mat, and lots of patience. Image by Karen Bones from BBC.

“Previously working on large scale paintings,” Karen notes, “this is a challenge for me, although it’s an enjoyable one. Once the colour is added, the building really comes to life. It’s then varnished and put on a plinth ready to go to its new (larger) home. Prices start at £250 for a 3D build and £195 for a framed front.”

Glasgow’s “infamous” Barrowland Ballroom.  

The Artist’s Bio: “I graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in 1994 (yikes!) with my BDes Honours degree in Illustration and Printmaking. I left Dundee and packed my bags for Hastings where I was a scene painter for a local theatre company and freelance artist.”

Here, Karen and I had similar aspirations: Early on, I hoped to get into theatrical lighting. Alas, I learned there were maybe a dozen experts in the world doing this. Besides, my artistic skills were—and are—miniscule.

A Pandemic Transition. “During the Pandemic,” Karen notes, “I lost my home studio to my husband who was forced to work from home and  I moved myself into the garden shed which I then converted into a (bigger) studio. Since drawing the surrounding area and, in particular, the village of Culross in Fife, I began to REALLY study the shapes of the buildings there and decided to try and recreate them in miniature.”

King Tuts Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow.

I especially like King Tuts: A fav of mine, Florence + The Machine, made a name there. 

Fortuitous Findings. “As my shed was full of cardboard,” Karen recounts, “I had the perfect material to practise with. Naturally, I was drawn back to the buildings of my hometown of Glasgow and the music and bar scene which is a huge part of my life. There were no shortage of subjects to choose from!”

The Garage Club, Glascow. (Not to be confused with similar-named venues in Barcelona, London, New York City, or Fayetteville, North Carolina.) 

Handbuilt—and “Crafty.” Karen writes, “Each one of my wee buildings is completely hand built from scratch using as many recycled materials as I can. They are by no means precise architectural builds, in fact, most people like that they are still ‘crafty.’ ”

The Wee Causeway, Culross. (Most definitely not to be confused with the “Wee Causeway, Fayetteville, North Carolina,” of which Google A.I. Overview says, “is a minor historical reference and likely not a current major landmark.”) 

Nor, apparently, to the best of my research is Fayetteville’s Wee Causeway associated with that city’s Garage Club.  

“From Council houses to stately homes,” Karen says, “each one has its challenges, but they are all a complete joy to make and I’m lucky to be able to recreate them for people.”

And we’re lucky to have Karen “make a home for us.” Thanks, Karen, for your artful constructions. ds 

© Dennis Simanaitis, SimanaitisSays.com, 2025