This last weekend, my husband surprised the kids and I with a trip to OMSI. For anyone not living in the greater Portland Metro area, that stands for: Oregon Museum of Science & Industry. The exhibit currently on display is called “Exquisite Creatures Revealed”. The title is so appropriate as each display showcases the beauty and artistry found in the living natural world. Christopher Marley is the artist and naturalist behind these amazing collections. His love for the natural world is clearly visible when you look at the arrangements and compositions he’s put together. We had so much fun wandering around trying not to miss a single thing. If only nature arranged itself like this for us more often!
I was so excited they were allowing photography (non- flash of course). It was hard to narrow down which ones to feature today, but I settled on a few of the more reflective collections just because they are so stunning when seen in groups like these were.
It’s hard to believe these are not painted or manipulated outside of how they’ve been arranged. Are these things really this colorful in everyday life? Apparently so. The exhibit does such a great job of describing the origin of each creature (at least by country that is..). And if you’re like me, you’re probably wondering “how does one acquire all of these little critters anyways?”. To set your mind at ease, Christopher Marley insists all his “subjects” died naturally before being collected. You can read more about how it all works here. What I love most about this exhibit is listening to the reactions of others as they walk around the room. So many gasps and Ooooohs and Aaaaahs.
The natural world is incredibly ornate up close AND when seen as an overall collection. Many of these displays included critters from all around the world. And yet the colors interact and work together to create beautiful synchronized color palettes.
So much of what I’m inspired by lately has been the micro perspective. Up close and detail driven. So naturally I loved the groups of multi-colored collections showing off all of their little details. Almost like a parade of personality and variety that celebrates the diversity of each individual critter. A lesson for all of us humans to pay attention to and remember for sure.
One of my favorite groups of the exhibit featured layers of gorgeous metallic winged butterflies. These colors were almost unreal. Naturally reflective, they shimmered when put on display.
Needless to say, I can’t wait to try out a “metallic” nature-inspired pattern someday.
Unfortunately, this exhibit is only staying thru February 17th, so if you want to check it out you’d better hurry!
I think one of the biggest takeaways after seeing all of these amazing artworks was the beauty of the bigger picture. Here’s an artist who has collected from all over the world some of the most colorful and unique creatures and arranged them into unique categories. It seems so obvious and yet so overlooked. How often do we see arrangements in bits and pieces only later on putting them together in a cohesive color palette? Florists do this. Painters and Designers do this. Builders and Inventors do this. As do writers and creatives in all kinds of fields.
We “collect” ideas and repurpose them. We grab onto things that are singular in beauty, color or shape, and combine them with something else to create something “new”.
The “Creator” roadmap is within us all. What do I want to tap into next? What’s the macro vision I’m not yet seeing?
Something to think about.
