Birds, Bones & Boards

Art Director Javier Pérez Turns Everyday Objects into Whimsical Illustrations Ecuador-based illustrator Javier Pérez mixes everyday objects with line drawings to create this fun series of photo illustrations for his Instagram account. The Beauty of Death: Catacomb Saints Photographed by Paul Koudounaris In 1578 a network of underground tombs containing the remains of thousands of early Christian martyrs was discovered in Rome. Many of the skeletons were removed and sent to Catholic churches across Europe where they were carefully reassembled and enshrined in costumes, wigs, jewelry, crowns, gold lace, and armor as a reminder of the heavenly treasures that awaited in the afterlife. Photographer Paul Koudounaris was granted unprecedented access to photograph these macabre shrines and has collected his work in a new book titled Heavenly Bodies.   Artist Morgan Herrin Transforms Construction Grade Lumber into Surreal Classical Sculptures Based in Richmond, Virginia artist Morgan Herrin transforms the most humble material—laminated construction grade 2x4s—into spectacularly detailed figurative sculptures. The resulting works are a fascinating juxtaposition of material and subject matter that require up to a year of labor to produce. The Deep: Animator 'PES' Creates a Murky Underwater World with Metallic Tools American director and stop-motion animator PES just released his beautiful 2010 stop motion short The Deep on his official YouTube channel in high definition. The murky underwater world of fish, seaweed and other aquatic lifeforms is created entirely from old hand tools, nut crackers, calipers, film lenses, faucet knobs, chains, and skeleton keys—the exact opposite of what you might expect to animate sea life with—demonstrating why PES is clearly a master of his craft. Light Goes On: A New Light Painting Stop Motion Video About a Skateboarding Skeleton by Darren Pearson Light painter Darren Pearson has created this new stop motion short that follows the adventures of a skateboarding skeleton. In the making for nearly a year, the video involves over 700 individual photographs that were painted in camera using a small flashlight. Cut Feather Shadowboxes by Chris Maynard Artist Chris Maynard has converted an obsession with feathers into these fascinating shadowboxes. Maynard acquires his feathers from zoos and private aviaries and then carefully cuts and places them in these delicate arrangements that play with aspects of light and negative space. New From the Colossal Shop: Chocolate Decadence from Brooklyn Using the highest quality ingredients in their small, handmade batches, Brooklyn's Mary & Matt celebrate the chocolate bar as a perfect pop object. Fudge the numbers with the Chocolate Pie Chart or get salty with the Art Print Bar, a limited-edition salted dark chocolate bar wrapped in its own silk screened poster. You can get the best of everything with the Neapolitan Bar or ease into different flavors with the Chocolate Gradient. Check them all out at the Colossal Shop (free U.S. shipping with all orders over $75)!