A California-based artist is weaving fairytale magic with her miniature wildlife scenes, rendered as wearable jewelry, as ornaments, and even in teacups.
Alexis Savopoulos, 25, has been fascinated with “all things small” since childhood. She now works from a home-based studio near the ocean in Orange County.
“I can become blissfully lost in the intricacies of nature, such as the micro-worlds of lichen and moss, or the wings of an insect, or dew on a spiderweb,” Alexis told The Epoch Times by email. “This is where I allow my imagination to soar.”
“Little moments of spending time in my garden or hiking in the woods have, over time, led to the desire to create little worlds from my own—often whimsical—imagination, through the freeing outlets of sculptures and paintings,” she said.
Alexis may be out in nature or in her studio when an idea for a sculpture strikes her. She will reach for her journal to make a quick sketch, before molding the beginnings of a sculpture from clay and paint.
Alexis has displayed the wildlife scenes in a variety of ways, including antique or shadow boxes, glass cloches, or burrowed inside lockets. She often adds “more of a story” to her scenes by adding handcrafted paper plants, preserved moss or lichen, and painted backdrops.
One sculpture can take anything between a few days to several weeks to finish, depending on its size. “My pieces speak of my awe of the gentle side of the forest and their inhabitants,” Alexis said, “and, more frequently as of late, creatures under the sea.”
Alexis recalls playing with clay for the first time around the age of 7. She says her biggest artistic challenge is sculpting complex, micro-miniature animals from clay or creating plants from paper that measure less than an inch in size. Some, she exclaimed, can be “ant-sized.”
“I am often asked if I create under a magnifying glass,” she said. “I sculpt with my fingers and the invaluable help of sculpting tools or tweezers, along with a serious amount of patience, which is not always easily found.”
She says “passion and patience” are key components of her work, but spending time among nature or watching wildlife documentaries strengthens her passion for what she does; there is always something to learn from the natural world.
Daily encouragement from family and friends, and the artist’s social media community, also helps sustain her journey in miniature art. Alexis has struggled with anxiety in the past; her quiet studio, the sounds of birds and wind in the trees, and an audiobook playing in the background makes for the most peaceful environment in which to create art.
“I still pinch myself when I think of how my little creations have gathered such a large community of admirers,” Alexis said. “Some of the collectors who display my pieces have shared with me that having my sculptures or paintings brings them a sense of calm and wonderment.”
For Alexis, the greatest satisfaction of all is in helping strengthen the bonds between people and wildlife.
“In a society that is moving further away from nature into a more consumerist and disconnected society, I find reconnecting with our forests and oceans through enchanting, wild little sceneries helps strengthen our relationship with nature,” she said, “and nudges us to return and help in small, but rippling, waves.”
