Creativity Has No Boundaries

Two artist/naturalists I have recently become familiar with are Christopher Marley and Chris Maynard. These two artists create incredible and unique works of art using materials from nature. Think Andy Goldsworthy but vastly different.

Marley and Maynard both use natural history objects as their medium for artistic expression, as opposed to an illustrator or painter like myself who uses natural history as the subject of artistic expression. Both collect artifacts in sustainable and ethical ways and their works are equally mind blowing. The results, however, could not be any different.

Artwork © Christopher Marley. Photo by Kelsey McDermott.

I was fortunate to visit a show of Christopher Marley’s work at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland, OR last month. Marley traveled extensively at a young age studying art and design. Along the way, he developed a deep curiosity about the natural world. This led him to pair art and natural history in a way that fostered his eye for design. It is one thing to see Marley’s work in a book. It is an entirely different experience to see them in person, standing in front of a 6’ tall spiral of turtle shells of all sizes. Or lilac urchins arranged in a grid. Or butterflies displayed in a kaleidoscope effect with various species used based on their color and size. My jaw dropped. Viewed in person the art forces you to consider the effort that goes into researching, communication/correspondence, collecting, planning, arranging and, not at all the least, mounting and framing.

Click here to see more of his work.

I came across Chris Maynard’s work while wandering through the gift shop at the Alaska State Libraries, Archives and Museums in Juneau. I highly recommend a visit to this institution if you are ever in Juneau. His works were new to me and mesmerizing. Having a background in ecology and biology, his curiosity about feathers led him to solely focus on them, choosing it as the medium in which to explore an interest in art. Maynard’s work involves intricately and delicately carving avian feathers into imaginative, 3-dimensional sculptures; in effect, feather shadowboxes. These sculptures are bird themed, but sometimes the concept involves a different animal. I love looking at his works, savoring all the beauty they offer, appreciating the concept embedded in each piece. Their beauty is beyond words. You MUST see them for yourself.

Image © Chris Maynard. Click the image to purchase a signed copy.

Once you study them, your thoughts might wander into thinking about feather structure. Why don’t they fall apart once a small piece is cut from the intact feather? Feathers are a delicate object, are they not? Contrary to intuition, feathers are actually quite sturdy, made up of a calamus & rachis (the “spine” of the feather, if you will) and things called barbs, barbules and hooklets, keeping all parts attached to each other even when separated from their “spine”. Still, feathers were designed for flight, ornament, and warmth; not carving. Imagine the skill and focus needed to execute an incredibly delicate carving from one feather! Listen to him speak about his work to appreciate the process. There are several videos on his website, Featherfolio.

Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love, offers this advice: “If you don't have an obvious passion, forget about it. Follow your curiosity because passion is sort of a tower of flame that is not always accessible. And curiosity is something that anybody can access any day.” You can hear her present this idea in her interview on the TED Radio Hour. Here, though, I find it appropriate and relevant: how “curiosity” took two artists, using the same kind of materials, down exceedingly different creative paths.

Give yourself the gift of ten minutes of beauty today. Click through the links above.

Sandy McDermottJanuary 25, 2020Comment