Chris Maynard: Soar

Chris Maynard’s art challenges the way we look at the natural world by calling attention to one of the most common and complex natural objects: the feather. 

Maynard carves feathers into intricate art in order to make their natural beauty more noticeable. His work highlights the patterns and colors of the feathers themselves, inviting the viewer to look and look again. For him, feathers represent flight, transformation, and a bridge between our present lives and our dreams. 

“We want to fly but cannot.” he says. “But birds can, so their feathers become symbols of this yearning. Feathers are perfect by themselves.” Presenting them slightly altered but still retaining their featherness, he encourages people to see feathers in new ways, promoting beauty and new connections.

Grouse tail feather, Chris Maynard, Craft in America
Chris Maynard, Witness, Capercaillie, 2023
Photo: Courtesy of the Artist
Mute swan feathers, Chris Maynard, Craft in America
Chris Maynard, Skagit Swans 2, 2024
Photo: Courtesy of the Artist
Blue and gold macaw tail feathers, Chris Maynard, Craft in America
Chris Maynard, Hyacinth Redone, 2024
Photo: Courtesy of the Artist
Chris Maynard, Craft in America
Chris Maynard, Little Red Swallow Study, 2023
Photo: Courtesy of the Artist
Chris Maynard, Craft in America
Chris Maynard, Guillemot Star Study, 2023
Photo: Courtesy of the Artist
Chris Maynard, Craft in America
Chris Maynard, Bugbird 2, 2024
Photo: Courtesy of the Artist
Chris Maynard, Craft in America
Chris Maynard, As Below So Above, 2023
Photo: Courtesy of the Artist

Virtual Gallery

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This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.