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      Cut from Found Feathers, Minuscule Silhouettes Become Intricate Symbolic Works

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      Art
      #birds
      #feathersDecember 3, 2021Grace Ebert“Gull Flight” All images © Chris Maynard, shared with permissionEquipped with surgical knives and scissors, artist Chris Maynard (previously) carefully slices exquisite silhouettes of birds, people, and tiny stars from individual feathers. He cuts the naturally shed materials, which come from private aviaries and zoos, into metaphorical scenes of change and transformation: figures hatch from eggs, a flock of seagulls flies into a perfectly round arc, and still developing chicks nestle into the barbs. “Feathers are symbols of our aspirations,” the artist tells Colossal. “Like a lot of us, I want to fly but I can’t, so I use feathers to try to capture an essence of flight.”To see how Maynard extracts such intricate shapes, head to his Instagram where he shares more about his process and a variety of recent works.“Journey”“Acorn Woodpecker”Top: “Worm Food.” Bottom left: “Entwine.” Bottom right: “Goodbye”“Undulation Reflection”“Another Creation Story”“Embryo III Flight Training”
      #birds
      #feathersDo stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member and support independent arts publishing. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, help support our interview series, gain access to partner discounts, and much more. Join now! Share this story  More

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      Abstract Clusters of Feathers Ruffle Across Vibrant New Murals by Adele Renault

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      Art

      #birds
      #feathers
      #murals
      #painting
      #public art
      #street art

      June 4, 2021
      Grace Ebert

      Artscape, Sweden. All images © Adele Renault, shared with permission
      Belgian artist Adele Renault (previously) has an unparalleled ability to turn an urban nuisance into an extraordinarily beautiful creature. Her oversized pigeons grace walls in cities around the world, creating public artworks that celebrate her favored subjects in the exact locations they’re often overlooked and disregarded.
      A few years ago, Renault began what she calls “wandering in the macro world,” a venture that shifted her focus to the individual feathers she’s always found most alluring. “The texture is more dazzling and intriguing than showing the whole thing,” she says. “The feathers have become my own language in a way. I now create them without photo reference, more like a meditative practice that creates textures and softness as a result.” Her murals have since strayed from portraying full birds to focusing instead on clusters of plumes and the individual barbs that sprout in layers and tufts.
      Although Renault is dedicated to realistic forms, her more recent artworks play with color, injecting bright rainbow hues where she previously focused on naturally occurring blues and purples. The vibrant feathers radiate with an oily, iridescent sheen and appear to ruffle on the wall, a trompe-l’œil effect she achieves by meticulously coating either oil or spray paint to create depth and shadow.
      A few of Renault’s smaller works on canvas are on view at Moberg Gallery in Des Moines through the end of June, and she’s currently preparing for a solo show in Belgium that’ll feature her Plantasia series, which similarly extracts minuscule details from leaves. You can find out more about her practice in Gutter Paradise, which was published late last year, and follow her on Instagram to stay up-to-date with her latest projects.

      New Brighton, UK (2021)
      Northwest Walls, Werchter (2019). Photo by Dan Verbruggen-Ausilio
      “Gutter Paradise 11” (2019)
      Right: Silverlake (2019). Photo by Asato Iida
      Urban Art Fair Paris. Photo by Alex Geoffrey
      London, Maryland. Photo by Marian Medic

      La Brea, Los Angeles (2021)

      #birds
      #feathers
      #murals
      #painting
      #public art
      #street art

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      10,000 Pigeon Feathers Cascade from a Bookcase in Kate MccGwire’s Latest Installation

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      Art

      #birds
      #feathers
      #installation
      #video

      August 11, 2020
      Grace Ebert

      “Discharge” (2020), mixed media installation with pigeon feathers, approximately 480 x 70 x 370 centimeters. All images © Kate MccGwire, shared with permission
      Based in west London, artist Kate MccGwire is known for her serpentine feather sculptures and discomfiting artworks that coil and ooze in every direction. A recent installation follows in that tradition as it pours down like a massive gush of water from a built-in bookcase. Composed of approximately 10,000 pigeon feathers, “Discharge” stands nearly five meters tall and cascades to the floor in feathered ripples. While the plumes lining the main chute are in shades of gray, those at the bottom are lighter, evoking the ways water appears white when it crashes.
      The delicate feathers are sourced ethically from pigeon racers who collect the plumes in August and October when the birds molt. MccGwire sorts the materials in her studio, separating the ones that curve left from those that bend to the right, before arranging them in captivating, color-specific patterns. “When visitors see the piece for the first time they are drawn to the phenomenal scale, rhythmic patterning, movement, and perfection of the piece,” she says of the mixed-media installation. “But are often perturbed and revolted when they understand what the material is,” which is exactly her intention. By juxtaposing the raw materials with the finished artwork, she asks viewers to consider the everyday beauty that’s often overlooked.
      “Discharge” has been exhibited in an evolution of configurations in South Korea, Berlin, Paris, and now, Harewood House in West Yorkshire until August 14. Take a video tour of the current exhibition—which also includes a massive feather rug and encased sculptures—and find more of MccGwire’s voluptuous projects on Instagram.

      

      #birds
      #feathers
      #installation
      #video

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