Mariah Morton Cisneros
“Creativity requires input, and that’s what research is. You’re gathering material with which to build.”
— Gene Luen Yang
I generally start my work by researching the history of a specific religion or culture to spark my inspiration and bring to life the different legends and myths from around the world. From the Aztecs feathered snake God to the six legged stallion of Odin of Norse mythology I explore all of the beasts and the stories behind them. Through my work I want to showcase the similarities and differences of cultures through their mythos.
Athena's Portal
Year: 2019
Dimensions: 16.5"x8"x5"
Material:
Whether a sign of wisdom or of death the owls silent flight and eerie screeches are a favorite of mine. The connection to Athena particularly strikes a chord, it is said that she kept an owl at her side in her blind spot allowing her to view the whole truth. In this piece the circle or “portal” represents my view out into the world, the owl stands ever watchful for lies and deceit. Hiding in the back the mouse is a part of me that is scared of the hurtful meanings that can come from the whole truth.
Untitled
Year: 2021
Dimensions: 16"x13"x5"
Description:
My latest and greatest bronze piece, this dragon is a continuation of my loop series.
The Watcher
Year: 2018
Dimensions: 12"x13"x 9"
Materials: Ceramic, Natural Stone
Description:
This piece was inspired by my love of the mythical, specifically dragons. The material is water based clay and finished with acrylic paint. The base is natural rock and was found after the piece was fired but before the paint, and was shown to me by my professor as an option and it felt perfect for the piece. I wanted to create a wet Savannah feel with a drake that is relaxing in the rain but watching attentively for its next meal. One of a kind.
Crawl
Year: 2019
Dimensions: 7.5" x 5.5" x 6.5"
Materials: Bronze Splatter, Wood
A beetle crawls along, it's wings stretching in their iridescence. This piece turned out better than I could have hoped, different from my other bronze splatter pieces being more simple. Because the bronze was smaller I wanted to bring the focus to the beetle by placing it on a plain block of wood with small tacks.
Dragon Tears
Year: 2019
Dimensions: 20"x15"x 14"
Materials: Bronze Splatter, Marble
Dragon Tears was created as a project for unconventional materials. It started out as just a exploration assignment but quickly turned into a piece that's inspired me to make many more and really delve into a different unconventional medium and the assignment has allowed me to grow as an artist and see the potential in any material. The material I used was Bronze splatter that drips from the molten Bronze that is been cast into a mold. The splatter was chosen at random and then arranged in several different ways before it was welded together.
The Lyndwrym
Year: 2019
Dimensions: 5"x 15" x 26"
Materials: Bronze Splatter, Wood
This was my most intricate piece to date, there was not much of a plan when building its form, mostly made up as it went along. It became surprisingly balanced as the ball was attached, and continued to keep its harmony from top to bottom.
The Serpent Dragon
Year: 2019
Dimensions: 4"x1.5"x 3"
Materials: Bronze
Small Dragon head in bronze medium. This was my first official piece cast in bronze also my first mold making experience. I plan on adding more onto it in the future.
Wind Walker
Year: 2019
Dimensions: 10"x6"x 8"
Materials: Bronze, Wood
Griffin in a bronze medium, this piece really challenged my skills in paying attention to animal anatomy and what made sense in a mythical creature.
Born Again
Year: 2019
Dimensions: 9.5"x 14.5"x 4.5"
Materials: Bronze Splatter, Wood
Born Again was slightly harder to find the right pieces for. It needed to feel more light to convey the appearance of flight, so instead of filling out the wings completely I left it open and elevated the piece from the base to create space and a greater depth.
Tattoo Booklet
Year: 2017
Dimensions: 22" x 11"
Materials: Digital
This was part of a Production Design School Project where I created a booklet on a specific subject of our choosing. (images not original) The booklet is meant to feel very clean cut and edgy while keeping the creativity feel of tattoos.
Wild Wonders Rebrand
Year: 2017
Materials:Digital
Experimental Re-Brand School Project
Re-Designed an existing logo including business cards, stationary and website. The business is educational for both children and adults. I wanted to keep the feel of the brand fun but bring it into the modern age.
Booklet Design
Year: 2018
Dimensions: 22" x 11"
Materials: Digital
Three spread booklet design centering around Venetian Masks and Carnival. I kept the design intricate like the masks but dark and mysterious.
Baboon Gaming Brand Design
Year: 2018
Materials: Digital
My take on a fun branding project for a (made up) gaming company. I let myself be more loose and a little care free on this project, which resulted in possibly one of the brands I had most fun with.
Dynamic Type
Year: 2017
Materials: Digital
One of my first tries at typography, using dynamic type to create a poster for an event. Images are hand painted with water color and treated with an inverted filter.
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