press
Jackson Hole News & Guide
Written By
Chris Maynard hasn’t been in the scientific field for years, but when the artist talks to you about the 55 species of pheasants that walk the globe and the character of their plumes, it’s hard to tell.
Maynard’s work is a mix of sculpture, collage and canvas. Feathers for him are an expression of emotion, not just a construction made of keratin. Their structures are insulated against water, sun and wind. A feather’s colors and patterns help hide as well as attract mates.
“They are always able to retain their beauty and their complexity even after they have been shed,” he told the News&Guide over the phone.
Maynard said feathers already have something of the essence of the birds that he’s trying to capture.
“Who doesn’t want to be able to fly?” the artist asked.
It’s more than just altitude that a feather represents to Maynard.
“They are symbols of this aspiration, so they become symbols of transformation, and hope. And, achievement, and getting from here to where we want to be.”
The Olympia, Washington native said he spent much of his ecology career mapping the flows of the Columbia River, claiming his scientific brain wasn’t much for creativity, but he did begin taking photographs. Most of his subjects were avian and the perspective was macro.
“Then my mother, a professional artist, was on her deathbed and she asked me what I was going to do with my life — I wasn’t totally dedicated to my career, and I didn’t form my self-identity around it.”
So Maynard switched, just like that. His large intricately carved feathers have been installed as large-scale installations in PBS Craft America in Los Angeles, Art X in Seattle and Early Birds Art Gallery, Knokke in Belgium to name a few.
Maynard mainly uses feathers from birds not native to North America, except for those from turkeys and grouse. One thing the artist said that he appreciates about his preferred medium is that it’s quite possible a feather in one of his works could be from a bird that still takes flight.
Adjacent to Maynard’s exhibit is a new show from British artist Jeremy Houghton, titled “Take Flight.”
As Diehl Gallery leans into its more wild subject matter this art season, Houghton’s work is the perfect lens to admire movement, whether your birdwatching binoculars are on hand or not.
The gallery press release said of this series that “Houghton’s latest body of work delves deep into the theme of flight and migration — both literal and metaphorical.”
In” Take Flight,” Houghton examines the complex patterns of migration that have shaped life on Earth for millennia.
“Expanding his gaze from flocks to herds, Houghton invites viewers to consider the rhythms of relocation that connect all living beings. As shifting geopolitical landscapes and environmental changes usher in a new era of global movement, his work captures the beauty, urgency, and resilience inherent in the instinct to move,” the statement read.
Houghton’s list of residencies is an impressive pedigree, including a number of royal, military and sporting communities, from those at Windsor Castle for HM Queen Elizabeth II to the Wimbledon championships, America’s Cup and the competitors at the 2012 London Olympic Games.
The two exhibitions work congruently with one another, not just because they share subject matter but because both artists manage to explore the concept of trajectory from a fresh and rootsy perspective, acknowledging that as viewers we never see the entire journey of an artwork — we are forced to find the essence of its creation without ever knowing exactly how it took shape.