Carrie M. Becker, a St. Louis-based artist who once lived on a prairie and achieved national acclaim with her "Barbie Trashes her Dream House" series of photos, will debut a new body of work, Of Small Rooms, at William Shearburn Gallery in St. Louis.

Combining her talents as a photographer and sculptor, Becker concentrates on creating 1:6 scale hand-crafted dioramas of domestic interiors which are then photographed to appear life-size.

Becker's large scale photographs resemble old home interiors. "But I am not an urban explorer of abandoned buildings," she says. Instead, she creates the walls, floors, ceilings and props for cardboard dioramas that fit on a tabletop in her studio. She then scales, lights and checks on the camera angles, shoots and creates an illusion of buildings in "beautiful decay."

The photographs, which might show cracked plaster and rain-soaked surfaces, are actually wooded coffee stirrers, scrapbooking paper and quilted paper towels. She uses masking tape for window shades, and coffee to make any surface look worn.

"This predilection for creating tiny details may seem like an odd or maddening hobby to some," says Becker. "But the end goal is to create a universe that I alone have jurisdiction over."

Becker's previous body of work, "Barbie Trashes Her Dream House," went viral on the blogosphere in 2012 and was subsequently reviewed 52 times in 18 languages. Her work appeared in national publications such as Huffington Post, Newsweek, and Time.com. A few works from this series will also be featured in the June 5 - July 11 show.

Gallery Owner William Shearburn has championed young St. Louis artists including Tim Liddy, Andrew Milner, Sarah Frost and Cayce Zavaglia. He is pleased to give Becker her 665 S SKINKER SAINT LOUIS MO 63105 first show. "I was intrigued with her process. Her work reminds us a bit of New York artist James Casebere but has its own unique and creative voice. I am looking forward to introducing Carrie to collectors nationwide."

Becker grew up in Spanish Lake and Florissant, Missouri. She received her MFA in sculpture from Kansas State University and her BFA in photography from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. Becker is also the arts and events director at Mad Art Gallery in Soulard. Married to local sketch comedy writer and producer, Christian Lawrence of Bare Knuckle Comedy, she resides downtown with her cat and two ferrets. In her spare time she enjoys figure skating and is coached by the 1981 Worlds Pairs champion, Igor Lisovsky.