I don’t have a ton of patience when it comes to small fiddly things that aren’t gaming miniatures or models; perhaps that’s why I’ve always been fascinated with other people’s paper craft and miniature art of all kinds. Since I have a super nice set of manly X-actos that I no longer use due a number of horrific injuries, I always keep my eye out for people doing incredible things by cutting and creating negative space. If you think paper craft just isn’t hard core enough, check out Chris Maynard’s cut feather art. He painstakingly uses ophthalmologist tools to cut tiny flocks of birds, right into the barbs of feathers. The results are shadow boxes worthy of a place in any gallery, or in your nightmares if you’re the victim in a b movie horror flick.
Cut Feather Art: Shadowboxes That Create Flocks From a Single Plume
I had a really hard time choosing just a few of these cut feather art masterpieces (you can probably tell.) Have you ever tried to cut a feather? Downy fluff shoots everywhere, the barbs detach from each other and it looks like the bird you attacked for its plumage had alopecia. If you’re lucky enough to keep it in one piece, then you’ve still got to figure out an amazing design, and then you’ve got to avoid giving yourself a grotesque kitchen wizard tattoo with all the little bits that are just waiting to jump into the thousand little cuts you’re probably going to inflict on yourself. I guess what I’m saying is, I’m super impressed with Maynard’s work. It walks a thin line between ethereal beauty and a creepy perpetual worry about your eyes being pecked out. Plus, there’s wasp paper worked into some designs. I’m not too keen on the potential suffering for that art; I’ll leave that to the insane genius artiste who seemingly has no fear of death by evil insect.
This is actually only about half of the works that Maynard has posted; head over to his site to see more of these incredible shadow boxes.
