Draco
Reliquary cabinet20247" x 7" x 23"Mixed media (Click for details)
A triad-cabinet reliquary, 'Draco' contains a common flying lizard specimen I found in a flea market in Paris one winter. With the thought that a changing climate might result in the disappearance of a being like this, I felt its value deserved to be elevated from trinket to more cherished symbol.
The evolutionary process of natural selection in ecosystems across the world, unfolding over millions of years, has produced an infinite variety of adaptations to life. In the case of this lizard, that means the ability to parachute from tree to tree on thin leathery "wings" (patagia), avoiding the danger of travel across a forest floor.
Lizards are "ectothermic" organisms...their body temperature relies on external sources. This makes lizards and other reptiles highly sensitive to the increases in temperatures that are unfolding in a wide variety of habitats across the planet.
So many reliquaries and altarpieces from across both hemispheres are really "microarchitecture" at heart - mimicking the essential features of full scale shrines and cathedrals. The tall spires, arches and pierced carvings of 'Draco' perhaps echo features seen on towering gothic churches of 14th-century France.
The beautifully figured maple board used for 'Draco' comes from my friend Terry, a gifted woodworker and musician.
Reliquary cabinet20247" x 7" x 23"Mixed media (Click for details)
A triad-cabinet reliquary, 'Draco' contains a common flying lizard specimen I found in a flea market in Paris one winter. With the thought that a changing climate might result in the disappearance of a being like this, I felt its value deserved to be elevated from trinket to more cherished symbol.
The evolutionary process of natural selection in ecosystems across the world, unfolding over millions of years, has produced an infinite variety of adaptations to life. In the case of this lizard, that means the ability to parachute from tree to tree on thin leathery "wings" (patagia), avoiding the danger of travel across a forest floor.
Lizards are "ectothermic" organisms...their body temperature relies on external sources. This makes lizards and other reptiles highly sensitive to the increases in temperatures that are unfolding in a wide variety of habitats across the planet.
So many reliquaries and altarpieces from across both hemispheres are really "microarchitecture" at heart - mimicking the essential features of full scale shrines and cathedrals. The tall spires, arches and pierced carvings of 'Draco' perhaps echo features seen on towering gothic churches of 14th-century France.
The beautifully figured maple board used for 'Draco' comes from my friend Terry, a gifted woodworker and musician.
