In The Big Picture, Melanie Wynne Waldman’s dioramas and clay figure scenes draw viewers in with the humor and wonder of the very small, while revealing a culture that is at odds with itself. With humor, fear, and exasperation, she focuses on the struggle between left and right-wing politics and how they affect everything in America, from religious expression to education, our environment and workplaces, and even our personal relationships. Using a cartoonish style influenced by stop-motion animation, Waldman sculpts polymer clay figures, paints illustrative scenes, and creates miniatures from wood, clay, metal, glass, styrene and more.  Her works are a cross between dollhouse scenes and small film sets, each construction depicting a contained world where character, props, and lighting combine to tell a compelling narrative.