Chris Maynard's Cut Feather Shadow Boxes

Chris Maynard is an American artist who works mainly with a scalpel, cutting shapes from bird feathers. He has been making things from feathers, he says, since he was 12 years old, but only began showing his work in 2010. Maynard is just as interested in the biology and conservation of birds as in art. Working with feathers seems to be his way of getting as close as possible to the wonder he sees in birds.

Maynard says,

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.

More at This is Colossal and Maynard's web site.