Artist Uses Twigs and Branches to Create Tiny Dancers

By
Jas Cilas
-

When people say they collect twigs and tree branches, we immediately assume they will use it for fire. However, there are people like British artist Chris Kenny who collect twigs and branches for a completely different reason.

For Kenny, twigs and branches are art material. By piecing them together, he creates tiny dancers, portraits, intriguing scenes featuring stickmen, and other minimalistic artwork.

Kenny, who studied art history at the Courtauld Institute, regularly shares his work on social media and has received positive feedback from internet users. He also sells some of his works as art pieces, and his creations found its way in art collections around the world. 

Check out some of Kenny’s twig work below.

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. St Severin Saint of the Day January 8th . Severin just appeared, from nowhere, in the town of Astura on the banks of the Danube. He told everyone to leave, saying “the Barbarians are coming” – they took no notice of the histrionic stranger and were subsequently annihilated by the Huns. Severinus moved on to Commagana and this time his warnings were heeded and the people survived. He evangelised throughout Bavaria building churches and founding monasteries. He sorted out famines and plagues. He encouraged a misstrust of the world and a fear of God. He set a strict example for his many followers, denying himself the most basic comforts: eschewing shoes, never eating before sunset, sleeping on a thin haircloth laid on the hard ground. Like many other holy men, he refused the chance to become a bishop, preferring austerity to admin. His prophetic powers allowed him to foresee his own death. He told his friends, prepared himself and died while singing ‘Laudate Dominum in sanctis ejus’ on January 8th 482, exactly 1538 years ago today. During a subsequent Barbarian attack, his body had to be dug up – it was incorrupt – and taken by cart over the Alps into Italy for safekeeping. Severinus enjoyed suffering to such an extent that he didn’t wish to leave purgatory as noted in number 29 of Martin Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses. . Severin is the name of the original masochist, the anti-hero in Sacher-Masoch’s novella, Venus im Pelz, immortalised in the Velvet Underground’s greatest song Venus in Furs. Here is the film of the song of the book: @lamplifeboatladder . #January8 #severinus #prophesy #bavaria #austerity #danube #noricum #sanseverino #klosterneuberg #purgatory #martinluther #severin #masochist #velvetunderground #venusinfurs @chriskenny.art www.chriskenny.co.uk

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. St Euthymius of Sardis Saint of the Day December 26th What do you do when the majority of your peers don’t share your views? Join them, keep quiet or bravely disagree? Euthymius liked icons when everybody else hated them. He voted to anathematise the Byzantine Iconoclasm and was consequently exiled to the island of Pantelleria. This was a shame because he had done a good job as bishop of Sardis and had secured a peace settlement with the Abassid Caliphate. He managed to return to Sardis but continued to be bullied for his beliefs by Leo the Armenian, Michael the Amorian and John Grammatikos. On December 26th 831, exactly 1188 years ago today, matters reached a head and Euthymius was whipped to death with ox thongs. Here is a Vita Icon of Euthymius, that is a portrait with scenes from his life: @lamplifeboatladder . #december26 #euthymius #sardis #iconophile #iconoclasm #Byzantine #abassid #leo #michael #johngrammatikos #icon www.chriskenny.co.uk

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. St Adela Saint of the Day December 24th Adela’s father St Dagobert II became king of Austrasia at the age of seven but was too little to resist a coup. He fled to Ireland and was thought to have died but he hadn’t. He had married princess Matilda and had five children including Adela. He then returned to Metz to reclaim his throne. Adela grew up to be a beautiful, eligible heiress; she married the nobleman Alberic and had several children but was widowed after a short time. There was no shortage of replacements for the dead Alberic but Adela decided to give it all up and become a nun. She founded her own convent at Palatiolum, now Pfalzel near Trier. She lived a life of quietude and reverence before dying on December 24th 735, exactly 1284 years ago today. . She gives her name to Ste Adele, a ski resort in Quebec. The purity of the snow reflects Adela's purity. See here: @lamplifeboatladder . #december24 #stadela #adela #pfalzel #trier #matilda #metz #purity #Quebec #skiing #steadele www.chriskenny.co.uk

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