Inside Miniature Dioramas, Flying Saucers Drift Across Extraterrestrial Landscapes
All images © A House of Wonders, shared with permission
Inside Miniature Dioramas, Flying Saucers Drift Across Extraterrestrial Landscapes
December 6, 2024
ArtCraft
Jackie Andres
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Within the confines of a small, ovoid frames, Caroline Dewison, of A House of Wonders, crafts miniature scenes laden with remarkable detail. Building upon previous mystical vistas inspired by the woodlands surrounding her studio in Warrington, England, the artist’s most recent ventures forge a deeper path toward the otherworldly.
Hovering above minuscule streams and valleys, UFOs contrast sharply against Dewison’s hand-painted nature scenes. The artist has been fascinated by the possibility of beings on other planets since childhood and continues to explore this speculation.
“In my lifetime, it’s gone from there being just us to scientists finding hundreds and thousands of exoplanets, many with the possibility of life,” she explains. “I would like to think that we’re not alone.” Within each diorama, the flying saucers are cleverly affixed to jut outward from two-dimensional backgrounds, furthering a sense of depth.
Along with revisiting her lifelong interest in the extraterrestrial, the artist has also rekindled her relationship with automata. She relishes problem-solving and the logistical aspects of constructing kinetic pieces, sharing, “I love working out how to create a moving piece of art and really enjoy engineering the mechanism to add life to my work.” As a result, the tiny UFOs make a dynamic appearance as well, rotating and drifting above foreign crop circles and thickets of pine.
While Dewison still mainly works with laser-cut plywood, Jesmonite, acrylic paint, clay, and a 3D-printing pen, she is also working on constructing new designs for frames.
A busy year is ahead of the artist. Dewison’s work is currently on view as part of Small Works | Big Impact at Momentum Gallery in Asheville, and later this month, her dioramas will be featured in the Oddities and Curiosities Expo in Melbourne with Beinart Gallery. Find Dewison’s miniatures for sale in her shop, A House of Wonders, and keep an eye on Instagram for new work, upcoming shows, and more.
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