Karen Scates is an artist who has been
working in miniature for over twenty years. She learned woodworking from her
grandfather on their small farm in Woodburn,
Kentucky. Karen explains,
“Granddad instilled in me a deep
appreciation for fine craftsmanship and a true love of the beauty of wood. I’ve
been fascinated with scale models as long as I can remember, so a progression
to miniature woodworking seemed a logical path.”
As an amateur musician, Karen brings to the
world of miniatures what might be considered her specialty – miniature musical
instruments. She admits with a smile, “I’m a guitar player, so of course, one
of the first things I made in miniature was a classical guitar!” Karen makes
miniature dulcimers, bluegrass instruments, and Bill Monroe style mandolins out
of such hardwoods as walnut, maple and cherry. Her 1/12th scale
instruments have hollow construction and are made as much like their full-size
counterparts as possible with inlaid wood and bent sides. Using a lot of
magnification, Karen even has surgical instruments for tools.
Karen’s
miniatures can also be found at Warren
May Woodworker, Berea, K;, Appalachian
Fireside Gallery, Berea, KY; the Kentucky History Center, Frankfort, KY;
True Kentucky, Glendale, KY; Artique, Lexington, K;, the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame, Renfro
Valley, KY; the Mammoth Cave Hotel, Mammoth Cave, KY; Kentucky State Park gift shops, and Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea, Berea, KY.