There are some extraordinary architects amongst the animal kingdom. Our fellow mammals include many a burrow-digger or nest builder. The beaver is somewhat notorious for his ability to shape an entire landscape, redirect rivers, create lakes with dams and harvest and employ large numbers of trees. The beaver lodge is also extraordinary; a dry and cozy space with only underwater entrances.
The birds, of course, are the nest-builders par excellence, from little round, mud swallow's nests to giant flat eagle's aeries. One of the most handsome and amazing sort of nest are those woven by the weaver birds. For instance, in southest asia the Baya weaver's hanging woven nests, which are can be individual or in large colonies, are suspended often from thorny palm or acacias to make them inaccessible to predators. Southern Africa's sociable weaver builds huge, communal, multigenerational complexes. My favorite is the bowerbird; the males build bowers to attract the females and decorate them with coloured objects they find or pilfer. I was introduced to the bowerbird by David Attenborough's wonderful description.
Such beautiful, organic nests have inspired human copycats to make some very whimsical achitectural spaces, with little more than the branches and vegetation employed by animals. Consider the high-end nests built by South African advertising-creative-director-turned-nest-maker Porky Hefer, who is inspired by weaver birds. Biomimickery in tree houses and even additions to homes!
Jason Fann builds nests for people as extensions on homes, and even the Treebones Resort, where you can spend a night one of his nests.
Jason Fann builds nests from tree branches from mainly eucalyptus trees in forests local to him in Big Sur, California. He weaves them together (with some counter-sunk screws to hold the structure) and builds spaces large enough for say, eight people to sit, or a couple to sleep - including in the Treebones Resort, a sort of treehouse nest hotel.
Philip Dougherty makes sculptural works directly from living trees. They allude to nests and other examples of animal architecture, as well as human activities like basketmaking. He too weaves branches and twigs together.
Philip Dougherty works directly with living trees to make works of architectural sculpture (via webecoist)
The Great Swallow by Benjamin Verdonck
The Great Swallow, a 2008 Rotterdam performance piece and sculptural human-sized swallow's nest by Benjamin Verdonck, takes biomimickery of nests to astounding and perhaps absurb heights.
Anna Emilia Laitinen is an illustrator from in Leppävirta, a small town in Finland. Her work is full of nature, movement, contemplation and magic. You should check out her portfolio. I appreciate how she comments on each of her pieces.
Parlor, 2009, 22 x 20 cm. "A tiger with two different eye colors reads in his parlor. An album illustration for Lars Ludvig Löfgren."
Brewing Tea, 2009, 36 x 34 cm. "Making tea is a delicate process. It needs warmth, fresh water and the right timing. Today it is jasmine tea."
Spring Is Coming, 2009, 25 x 18 cm. Ink on paper. "Spring comes always like it was first hiding somewhere."
Wolves Carry A Village, 2008, 27 x 58 cm. "The landscape is changing at every wolve´s [sic] step. A poster illustration for Holmes."
There are some themes I've remarked upon in other contemporary illustration; nature, nostalgia, quilts, birch trees, wolves, tigers, villages and magic. She reminds me of Julie Morstad, but has her own unique style. I am particularly taken with the empty spaces, which seem to allow the view an entry to place the scenes in their own imagination.
Since we were just talking about pareidolia, you should check out the delightful wunderkammer of leaves and other tree parts, by children's illustrator Christopher Niemann from the NYT Abstract City Blog. We've got 'seeing things in clouds' and 'seeing the Hawaiian Island chain in other things' - it's a whole theme going.
Creature Comforts featured the work of LA artist Sarajo Frieden. This is someone who knows about textures, lines and colour, has a good sense of humour, and a whimsical thing for the birds. See what she has to say about colour:
Some of her work incorporates embroidery, like this:
stitched bird 4 (7.5”w x 11”h framed: 11.5”w x 15”h)
lady leaving chair (7.5”w x 11”h framed: 11.5”w x 15”h)
pinktree (gouache, collage on paper 28 1/2″w x 22″h)
green journey 2 (gouache on paper 23 3/4″w x 15″h 2005)
Recurring images include the "mini me", birds, trees, people dressed as cats, mushrooms, water, silhouettes, ship and gems. Which leads me to ponder, what is it with all the crystals in contemporary art, anyway?
jewelled bush (gouache, collage on paper 22.25″w x 24.5″h 2007)
Crystals appear frequently in a stylized network of lines and explicitly as gems.
These are the work of NYC artist Ramblin Worker (Steve MacDonald), whom I first found years ago on www.craftster.org. He also combines drawing and painting and sewing. For the record, most of his work does not contain disembodied puma heads- I just happen to really like them. Beyond the multimedia, these artists have something in common in their exuberant colours, lines and nets, and layering of pattern (as well as boats and natures as subjects). Some of the tapestries (I can think of no better word) are incorporated into 3D sculptural pieces.
Today, I discovered the mammoth, quixotic, colourful, and otherworldly portfolio of Kevin Hooyman, thanks to my love for you is a stampede of horses. Really, you must look at it for yourselves. Leave a trail of breadcrumbs so you can find your way home.
Also, here is a sculptor after my own heart: Renee Adams. She works in a variety of media to produce creatures or life-form like objects like the drawings of Ernst Haeckel in 3D. Perhaps these are botanical, or animal, micro-organisms, hybrids, mutations or aliens.
Muffed Ruff
Wood, polymer clay, flocking, mixed media 5" x 6.5" x 6.5" (2008)
Tufted Lollee
Wood, polymer clay, flocking, mixed media 20" x 9" x 9" (2008)
Crowned Polylyp Glass, polymer clay, wood, flocking, mixed media 9" x 5.5" x 5.5" (2008)
Flinderspindle
Polymer clay, shoe polish, leather, wood, map pins 8" x 7" x 7" (2008)
