The placement of a tattoo can be as important as the image itself. A poor location means that the design will bend and twist in strange ways, distorting even the best work. Marian Merl has a knack for for this aspect, and his monochromatic designs flow with the body, sometimes fading into it like a […]
Category: Birds
Melbourne-based artist Gerard Geer resurrects road kill and other naturally deceased Australian animals by transforming their remains into beautiful skeletal articulations. Among his creations are colorful crystallized skulls, hybridized masks, taxidermy sculptures, and bell jar curiosities. Through a sensitive and creative engagement with his materials, Geer offers us a view into a world where magical […]
Kirsten Holliday is the John James Audubon of the tattooing world. Focusing almost exclusively on florals and birds, the realistically rendered, naturalistic imagery sprawls across her clients’ bodies. They’re like flipping through the pages of one of his books, “The Birds of America,” as the portraits of creatures showcase how they interact in their natural […]
One thing that Andrey Lukovnikov’s colorful tattoos might remind you of are clipping masks from Adobe Photoshop. The combination of bold, busy imagery with a crisp edge mimics digital imagery—as if these bugs, birds, and feathers are concealing a larger part of an overall picture. And if you watch some of Lukonikov’s videos, it’s clear […]
Adrian Cox is a Missouri-based artist who paints “Border Creatures”—organic mutants who defy what we staunchly distinguish as “man” and “nature.” Sometimes they appear humanoid—humorously engaging in intellectual activities, such as painting and stargazing—but their bodies are engulfed with organic debris and sprouting plant life, signifying the messy processes of death and rebirth. In other […]
Warning: Contains nudity. Hybridity is the law of nature in the visceral, organic artworks of Caitlin Hackett. We featured her in 2012, but she has been busy in the years since, producing visionary paintings and illustrations of humans and animals embroiled in rituals of sacrifice and rebirth. As roots and fungus sprout from dying bodies, […]
The innocence of Erika Sanada’s animal sculptures is somewhat deceiving. They resemble gentle spirits with glowing white eyes and pale skin, but each one is plagued by dark dramas and terrifying anomalies; canines tear into each other’s flesh, small creatures lie dead, and bodies fuse and mutate. Naming her current body of work “Odd Things,” […]
Caitlin McCormack is a Philadelphia-based artist who crochets delicate skeletons using cotton string stiffened with glue. Her brittle creations—which include birds, small mammals, and bizarre hybrids—resemble archeological specimens, pressed in the earth and decayed by time. They writhe, unravel, and cluster together, embodying both the despair of extinction and the persistence of memory. Images © […]
There are endless possibilities when creating with paper. More than just a surface to draw on, artists manipulate the ancient material into sculptures, collages, and even fashion accessories. The diverseness of paper lends itself to a myriad of stylistic approaches and exploration of themes. Some artists use collage cutouts to create mystical characters, while others […]
The art of taxidermy has been practiced for a long time; the ancient Egyptians embalmed and entombed cats, birds, and other creatures. Over the millennia, animals have been mounted as hunters’ trophies and museum artifacts. It is an odd practice, one that is traditionally pulled between human pride, symbolism, and a desire to memorialize deceased […]
