Chris Maynard carves feathers into intricate art, highlighting their natural beauty. His unique method of sculpting feathers into detailed scenes and displaying them in shadow boxes accentuates the patterns and colors of the feathers themselves, inviting the viewer to look more closely at the beauty around us. For Maynard, 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 in slightly altered but still retaining their innate natural qualities, he encourages people to see feathers in new ways, promoting beauty and new connections.” He works with feathers from turkeys, parrots, peacocks, and other birds. A conservationist at heart, Maynard’s feathers are legally obtained. Many of the feathers are naturally shed which means that the birds they came from may still be alive today. "Once a feather has finished its life as part of a bird, I believe it still has much to offer" explains Maynard, "the essence of a bird is inherent in each of its feathers. In carving and arranging a feather into a thought-provoking scene, I use an individual feather’s unique qualities in order to celebrate the bird that gave us the feather". Shadows are integral to each piece, so lighting changes the way each piece appears. This means that there are endless ways each piece can be seen, depending upon the intensity and angle of the light source. Since feathers are universal symbols of flight, transformation, achievement and hope, Maynard’s art speaks to many people who long for these qualities as well as people who revere birds. Maynard’s work is included in private collections and featured in publications in North America, Asia, Europe, and Australia. His 2014 book, "Feathers, Form & Function", highlights his work and tells stories about what feathers are, what roles they fill for birds, and why people find them alluring.