Echo Mines
Studio & Shal Mines

 Echo Mines Studio is a small,
independent art studio based in Bedfordshire, England.  The Studio
embodies the ethos of finding damaged items and looks for objects that and show
beauty in imperfection, impermanence and incompletion, reclaiming and repairing
them, and granting each item a new lease of life while retaining its original
form. 

Shal Mines has always been inspired by the patina,
damage and wear that can be found on items, especially those that really shouldn't
have survived. Shal looks to draw on the influences of Wabi-Sabi and other
mixed-media art forms to juxtapose together items and concepts which give these
items a life they could never have had. Often finding the most damage items
that for what ever reason they have survived and not been discarded, then
giving them a new purpose as a work of art.

About Shal Mines:

 

Shal Mines is an English mixed media artist based in
Bedfordshire, England. She has developed her skills over the last 15yrs to become a mixed media specialist and recently a propmaker to Cosplayers and Escape rooms  making props and costumes via commission for various companies and individual Cosplayers.

 When she's not doing that she is
using her skills to repurpose items of yesteryear to create stunning, unique
works for exhibitions and galleries to further her career as a Professional Artist.

 Shal discovered that she was born with a spectrum disorder called Aphantasia (the inability to visualise with the mind’s eye). She discovered this while studying her BA in Art and Design. This realisation allowed her to understand her artistic
process in a way she never could before and opened up her design process to
create individual, striking works.

 As her studio begins to flourish, Shal continues to re-evaluate how she'd like her studio to move forward. She currently spends her days
creating intricate book carvings, repurposed artworks, custom leatherwork and cosplay props. Regardless of her direction, the goal will always be to retain the usefulness of past items while juxtaposing them with an artistic flair that is truly unique.

Manufacturing Info :

Here at the Echo Mines Studio we are just a bunch of dust bunnies and love to make item from really broken and damaged items that for some reason have managed to avoid ending up in the bin. We embrace the idea of Japanese aesthetic philosophy Wabi-Sabi: the idea of finding beauty in imperfection, impermanence and incompletion.

So we make items that may be up to and over 150yrs old. Even though every item is inspected we cannot guarantee what is in the original construct of the materials we use. So we can only advise that if you do suffer with allergies to certain materials that you contact us first before a purchase.

Please note also that all our items ( unless stated ) are not toys and are for display purposes only. The vast amount of art works created at the Mines are paper or book based or leather with a smattering of what ever wonderful item we found while down the Mines.