Some of My Favorite Artists Don't Have Thumbs

Everyone's got an artistic impulse. Some use it, some don't. But there's no denying that there's a part of us that just likes to make stuff - to rearrange the materials in the world so they better suit us. Maybe it's what we do to survive, or something we've got to do if we want to stay in the community. Maybe we just want to make our place look nice, or leave our mark on the world. Maybe we do it for love.

And when I saw "we," I don't just mean humans. I mean everybody. There are some very creative creatures out there who have a great eye for form, function and design. Here are a few examples:

(I took the liberty of titling a few of these pieces. I hope the artists don't mind)

Termite Mounds
Termite Collective - "Our Town" - Architectural Habitat - Dirt / Saliva

Chimpanzee Painting
Chimpanzee - "More Bananas Please" - Paint on canvas

Weaver Bird
Weaver Bird - "Goldsworthy Tribute" - Installation - Twigs / Found Objects

Pig Painting
Pig - "Technicolor Snout" - Paint on canvas

Tiger painting
Tiger - "You're Lucky It's Not Your Neck" - Ink on paper

Tent Caterpillar - Untitled Sculpture - Web / Twigs
Tent Caterpillar - "Untitled" - Web / Twigs

Spider Webs
Spiders (collaboration) - "Biggest Web Ever" - Webs / Twigs

Wasp Sculpture
Wasp Collective - "The Hive" - Dirt / Twigs / Saliva

Bower Bird - "Love on the Rocks" - Installation - Twigs / Stones

Bower Bird
Bower Bird - "My Nest is Berry Nice" - Installation - Twigs / Found objects

Bower Bird Nest
Bower Bird - "Any Ladies Out There Like Blue Shit?" - Installation - Twigs / Found objects

02.13.12 · Curious, Essays, Science

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