Meet the Artist
Carisa Swenson
Carisa is a sculptor and textile artist specializing in art dolls. With a background in illustration and a passion for mythology and folklore, she melds these interests together by spending her evenings sculpting and stitching life into various mythical creatures…
The Spark: What started this piece? A moment, a place, an idea.
This piece was inspired by the Mexican card game of Lotería, with my reference being card #40, El Alacran (The Scorpion).
In the Studio: How did it come together? How long did it take, and what surprised you along the way?
Originally the piece was meant to look and be positioned like a scorpion with merely a humanish face. However, I decided to take myself out of my comfort zone and sculpt something more humanoid—given I'm more adept at creating mythical and realistic non-human creatures, this was a challenge for me.
Materials: What is it made with, and why those choices?
This piece was sculpted using "Magic Sculpt" an epoxy type clay, that has a working time of roughly 45 minutes. Metal clay tools, dental tools and even a sea urchin skeleton (used to create a texture stamp) helped bring out the character and surfaces of the piece.
Look Closer: What should someone notice when they see it in person?
The full spectrum of colors dabbed onto the Scorpion Woman's exoskeleton is more apparent in person than when just seen through a computer screen.
