feather dioramas by chris maynard

‘crow feather’ by chris maynard

american artist chris maynard gives homage to nature through the plumage of birds with his ‘featherfolio’ work. by applying various techniques spanning the disciplines of art, design and craft maynard carefully sculpts mini dioramas of the the flighted creatures – using feathers as his canvas. maynard uses small eye surgery scissors, forceps, scalpels, and magnifiers to arrange the cutouts of feathers that have been used with permission from private aviaries and zoos.

maynard says of his work:

‘feathers are structural wonders, serving many functions. they also suggest important universal themes. feathers are my medium. they are an ultimate achievement of nature and a pinnacle of wonder. after feathers perform their functions on birds, they are molted yearly but keep their beauty and complexity. I want to show feathers in a different light, off the bird.  I enjoy highlighting aspects of a feather’s form, pattern or color. if I am successful, I hope to convey some intimate sense of the bird that grew the feathers… feathers are one of life’s perfect wonders; with this in mind, the three dimensional forms, colors, and shapes are preserved as they were on the birds they came from.’

‘pigeon feather’

‘peacock feather’

peacock feather detail

‘crow feather’

crow feather detail

‘pigeon and parakeet feather’

‘bittern feather’

bittern feather detail

‘turkey feather’

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions’  feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.