Carmen
Santa Fe Opera 2022 Season
Directed by Mariame Clément
The Team
Scenic and Costume Design by Julia Hansen
Lighting Design by Duane Schuler
Photography by Curtis Brown
Scenic Art Apprentice: Rachel Schlager
Scenic Charge: Mark Edlund
Lead Scenic Artist: Hunter Lloyd
The Ghost Train Skeleton
This project was one of the Scenic Artist Hunter Lloyd’s many hand-carved sculptures in the production. I was charged with the process of preparing the large skeleton sculpture for paint by achieving a smooth bone-like texture. Initially, I covered the entire foam structure with a combination of cheesecloth and glue to protect and maintain the shape of the delicate material. Then, different kinds of paste were layered on, and sanded down, to achieve the smooth, hardened texture seen in the final product.
The Rollercoaster
The process to texture and apply paint to the rollercoaster tracks was quick compared to some of the other pieces we created for Carmen. Starting with the structure the carpentry team built, we covered most of it with a paste to prepare it for paint. The paint process included a base coat of greenish color, then we layered texture and depth on top with an array of sponges and brushes. Most of this was done on the ground before the tracks were raised into their positions. As you can see below, however, sometimes touchups were needed after this point. So we occasionally had to get on the lift or ladder to add finishing touches.
Corrida de Toros Barricade
These barricade sections for the bullfight scene in Carmen were relatively simple but there were many to get done since they connect in one big line across the stage. The application involved a staining technique since we wanted to see the texture of the wood. Before that started, we sanded a bit of the wood down so it was safe to touch and the application could be applied smoothly.
