This intricate art is fashioned from feathers

Where the rest of us might just see a feather, artist Chris Maynard sees incredible miniature artworks — all cut from birds' plumage. Maynard's brilliantly colored birds are cut from actual feathers collected from aviaries and zoos, and range in size from "as small as a pencil point" to four feet. Each piece can take as long as several days to complete. Maynard, who lives in Olympia, Wash., says he was inspired to create art by the death of his mother, also an artist: "It got me thinking that life is short and to get on with pursuing what inspires me most."

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