Ships, Folk Art, and Whimsey in Bottles

I started making landscape scenes in bottles two years ago after being struck by the idea when it randomly popped into my head. Initially it seemed like a gimmick, but I knew there was the potential for interesting work. I have since become fascinated by the interior space of the bottle, and by the light that filters through the glass to reach the contents.

I grew up making model railroads, and have reused those skills in this work. Most of the structures in my scenes are made to the scale of 1/32”, or 1:384. I am currently working on some larger bottles using 1:220 scale. I have lived in southern West Virginia for three years and take inspiration from this region’s landscape and its dramatic and tragic industrial history. 

Bottles by Ole Bye

Bottle ID: 870	Bottle ID: 871	Bottle ID: 872
Bottle ID: 873