With easy access to just about any information in the world with a quick Google search or avid sharing on social media, it’s tough to find something new and exciting, especially with art. So when Tyler Thrasher‘s artwork appeared in my Instagram feed, it stopped me dead in my tracks. What black magic is this?!
One part alchemy, one part necromancy, these objets d’art are a wet dream for any chemist, entomologist, taxidermist, or general lover of dead things. Tyler repurposes salvaged bones and insects in a way I’ve never seen – artificially crystalizing various organic materials and birthing strange, alluring sculptural objects. Each crystalized object becomes a phoenix with its own unique characteristics, transformed and reborn into something new and darkly gorgeous.
We’ve seen tons of art with insects and crystals before, but what you are making is in a niche all its own. Can you tell us a little bit about how you make what you make?
I usually don’t decide the type of crystal or mineral I want to grow until I have the specimen or object I’m growing on. I have to take into account the shape, size, and color of the crystals – even the stain the chemicals will leave on the object; once I decide what chemical I want, I prepare a super-saturated solution and submerge the object into the chemical bath.
I don’t usually get a whole lot of say on where the crystals grow. I can try to manipulate growth by inserting seed crystals onto the object but for the most part, I don’t get complete and total control until after the object is crystallized and I can remove the undesired crystals by hand.
How did you come up with the idea to crystallize animals in this way?
This idea kind of spawned on me out of the blue. I have an extensive history with chemistry and its respective principles and applications. About a year ago I began to revisit a childhood fascination with crystals by incorporating them into my 2D work.
One day my fiancé and I were walking through a mineral store, and I saw this bright blue mineral called Chalcanthite. On the label it said “Lab grown,” which blew my mind! I went home and did a lot of research on how to grow Chalcanthite. Once I had done an adequate amount of research, I felt fairly confident that my knowledge in chemistry would securely take me through the experiment.
I began thinking of all the things I could grow crystals on. As I was going through my art, I saw all of the crystallized insect drawings I had made – it happened to be cicada season, so I got a hold of cicada shells just to see what would happen and it worked! I had managed to grow crystals from the inside of the cicada shell out! That is pretty much where this whole thing began.
You draw and paint quite a bit as well. Is your artistic background something you’ve pursued for long?
I’ve been an artist for as long as I can remember. After I began to fully understand the purpose and function of art, I decided it was something I was going to make my livelihood with.
The process of growing crystals on an object seems to be mostly a waiting game. What do you do to get inspired about the next project?
Staying inspired can be tricky! There is a lot of free time in between the growth of crystals, so I do tend to sift through my other projects while I wait, as crystallization is my main focus at the moment. I hike and cave a lot as well, which ALWAYS keeps me inspired and looking for the next influence in my work.
We’ve seen you tackle everything from delicate insects to an entire alligator skull. Do you have a dream object to crystallize?
My dream object to crystallize at the moment is an entire fallen tree. I just swoon at the idea of filling a hollow log with crystals and making it one large wooden geode! That would just take a scary amount of chemicals and patience! Someday though!
I’ve noticed that several of your pieces (crystallized or otherwise) often have a gold ring drawn around them. Is there any symbolism behind the gold ring to you?
The gold ring definitely began as a purely aesthetic element. As I began to understand my work, and where it was headed a little more, the ring took on a different meaning. It became a symbol for the alchemical curiosity and nature in my work. To me, it still serves as a simple accent within my work, but I can’t help but bring a little bit of esoteric alchemy to the table.
Where do you acquire your bones and insects? Do you process them yourself (do you have a flesh-eating beetle colony in the basement)?
I do not have flesh-eating beetles in the basement, actually!
I get my insects and bones from a couple of different sources. I find a lot of the cicada shells and some of the cicadas while hiking. I’ve also found a few skulls while hiking, as well.
I gather a lot of my resources from taxidermists and fellow insect enthusiasts that pass on their deceased insects. There are also a couple of really awesome curiosity shops in Tulsa that usually carry what I need, and I love supporting them – Needful Things and Tulsa Obscura.
Any plans to crystallize human remains?
I actually get asked that a lot, and at first I was very iffy on whether or not I would venture down that path. To be honest, I don’t know if I will.
Human remains would be too obvious of a subject in my alchemical narrative, I prefer the challenge – finding alchemy in other objects such as animal remains, insects, and even drift wood.
I’m also a little terrified of the backlash that could happen. I wouldn’t want to come off as a Damien Hirst type of artist, either – bedazzling human skulls. I find it sort of tacky.
I like making things I can share with others. It’s much more enjoyable for me to work my chemical magic on more easily accessible objects. If I did manage to crystallize one, I don’t think I could legally sell it, and if not, it would just sit in a gallery somewhere making a gaudy and obvious statement about “death and the beautifully serene macabre nature of crystallizing a human skull,” which I don’t find very tasteful.
What do you hope to accomplish in the future? (Artistically or otherwise)
That’s a very hard question to answer! I don’t know what I have planned honestly, and if I’m being entirely frank, I never thought crystallizing dead things would ever be a part of my life.
I’ve learned to keep most expectations on my work at a minimum. It’s always making unexpected turns, albeit incredibly fun ones. I do have goals for my work as a whole. I would absolutely love to be featured in Juxtapoz Magazine or be invited to a show at ThinkSpace Gallery. I also think it would be fun as hell to travel and give talks on art and my experiences as a young artist. I’m lookin’ at you New Zealand!
