Nerds Republic

We get that insects and other crawling beasties might not be your favorites. But when they’re made by hand out of glass, they become infinitely more charming. And that’s why we love the work of Nikita Drachuk, who runs Glass Symphony over on Etsy.

The shop sells these adorable, lifelike figurines.

They’re the right amount of creepy-crawly, but they’ll stay put on your shelf.

And if spiders and insects are still too creepy for you, even in glass form, there are plenty of other critters to choose from.

Drachuk uses a technique called lampworking to create his animals.

It involves heating rods of colored glass until they become soft and malleable. Then, using a variety of tools, he bends, stretches, and molds the glass into any shape.

And we do mean any shape.

Differently colored glasses are also used to create stunning patterns and textures.

They’re even more impressive when you consider that most of Drachuk’s pieces are only about two inches long.

And this little rat is even smaller, not counting the tail.

But they don’t have to be complex to be impressive.

(via Colossal)

You can see much more of Drachuk’s work on his Etsy shop, and maybe even pick up a critter of your own!

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Starting in 2013, the people of Sydney, Australia, began to notice something a bit odd around their city. There were some strange (and often very funny) signs popping up in public spaces. They probably made a lot of people smile, but most people didn’t have a clue who was behind them.

That person is Michael Pederson, and he uses his background in art, film, and music to inspire his funny, conversational signs. Take a look at some of his work and try not to smile.

Okay, this one is a little unsettling.

Because they’re exposed to the elements and to other people, many of Pederson’s pieces don’t last more than a month. But that’s okay, he says. In that time, plenty of people see them, and there’s something nice about the fleeting nature of this public art. It teaches people to look more carefully, but also not to take anything for granted.

With signs like this, half the fun is how official they look. Some people might not have even noticed this!

If you’re feeling stressed, seriously try this. It works! It’s public art and a public service.

So why do all this if the pieces aren’t even going to stay put? For Pederson, it’s more about helping people notice their surroundings. “I think we travel through urban space without really seeing it most of the time,” he explained. “I like the idea of interfering with the overly familiar background blur.”

Admit it. You’ve needed this.

And we’ve all been in situations where we’ve wished for an emergency exit.

(via BoredPanda)

You can see more of Pederson’s work on his website. We recommend looking through the whole thing.

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You would be hard pressed to find anyone who wouldn’t agree that photographer Kirsty Mitchell is dedicated to her craft. Her project Wonderland, which sees fantastical, opulent costumes in beautiful natural settings, took her six years to complete.

Mitchell began the project after the death of her mother in 2009.

She created this collection in her honor.

The series, which Mitchell describes as a “storybook without words,” was inspired by the memory of her mom, Maureen’s, love of books.

Mitchell worked slowly and carefully, sometimes waiting up to a year for the right weather and plant growth to roll around.

The various seasons show the passage of time.

The characters were inspired by the fairy tales that her mother read to her as a child.

She made it her mission to channel Maureen’s amazing spirit.

Mitchell’s friends helped her stage the shoots.

No additional makeup artists or stylists were used in the production of this collection.

With a background in art history and fashion, the eccentric photos came together in what Mitchell describes as a “natural process.” She channeled the joy of her memories and the pain of her loss to create them in a natural, intuitive way.

Although the project stemmed from sadness and grief, it helped Mitchell heal.

She’s aware that there’s an air of sadness in some of the photos, and she allowed it to remain.

She wants every photo to feel authentic.

(via Ufunk)

You can see much more of Mitchell’s photography on her website, including the rest of Wonderland, and you can check out her other collections while you’re at it. If you love this series, order a copy of the photo book through Mitchell’s Kickstarter.

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You could say that the artwork of Nikolai Tolstyh is collaborative, since he uses the natural beauty around him to color his pieces — and we mean that literally.

Tolstyh cuts out the silhouettes of various animals from white paper, and then hunts down the perfect backdrops to fill them in.

He usually chooses backgrounds that resemble the natural coloring of the animal.

He used fallen leaves to mimic the feathers of this little owl.

Pockmarked wood is reminiscent of this beaver’s favorite pastime.

By placing the outlines over natural backgrounds, Tolstyh invites us to see our surroundings in a totally new way.

The idea is relatively simple, and Tolstyh says that he’s inspired by the beauty of nature, as well as by the practice of turning one thing into something else entirely. “I was inspired by nature,” he says, “and its colors [and] unusual textures. If you use your imagination, you can easily see a fox in [a] yellow bush and [a deer in tree branches].”

Depending on where he holds the paper, the images change in color, texture, and pattern.

The possibilities are endless!

By peering at the world through a cutout, we see things in a whole new light.

Tolstyh’s art challenges us to take stock in things that we normally take for granted.

(via My Modern Met)

You can see more of Tolstyh’s cutouts, as well as plenty of beautiful photos from his walks through nature, on Instagram.

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