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Inside Artists’ Studios: Small-Scale Views

Looking at the studio of an artist offers a way to understand his or her working process. Some artists
have created detailed, small-scale versions of spaces representing their own studios and those of other
famous artists. A scale model has exactly the same shape as the original object, and all the same pro-
portions, but a different overall size. Looking at models of these studios can teach us not only about
the artists’ influences and materials, but also about scale, ratio and proportion.

Look at the photo with artist Lori Nix

assembling one wall of her miniature
studio. Can you see the tiny books on
the shelves? Now look at the same
wall in the photo of the finished stu-
dio. (Hint: It’s on the right.) Because
the objects in the room are all created
on the same small scale, it is hard to
Artist Lori Nix works on her model studio. know their actual size without Lori
Photo by Cynthia Ehlinger/ Bruce Museum standing beside them.

Article written by the staff at Bruce Museum

Lori Nix (American, b. 1969) • Lori Nix Studio, 2013
Chromogenic print, 42 x 69 in. • Courtesy of the Artist • © Lori Nix

Did you know? Get Creative!

To describe how much an object has been scaled
down, ratios are often used. For example, if a
model has a scale of 1 in.:1 ft., it means for every
one inch that a particular part of the model mea-
sures, the corresponding part of the real object
measures one foot, or 12 inches. This ratio can be
written as 1:12 or 1/12.
Make a scale model of your bedroom by creating your very own diorama! A diorama is a
three-dimensional representation of a scene or place, usually created by placing objects in
front of a painted background.
You will need:
A shoebox; ruler; pencil and paper (to record your measurements); crayons, markers and/or
colored pencils; construction paper; scissors; glue; and fabric scraps.

Directions:
1) Color the bottom (inside) of your shoebox to match one wall of your bedroom. Turn your
shoebox on its side, with your newly created wall facing you – you’re looking into your room!

2) Use the 1:12 scale to build a model of your bed. (Helpful tip: an average twin bed is 3 feet
wide, 6 feet long, and 2 feet high.) Then finish decorating your room with other scaled down
objects.