February 2024 - |
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Table of Contents |
Dragons |
Dragons? I do love fantasy, but I get even more excited about the amazing reality of the natural world. So when this month's Chinese New Year Invitational at Valkarie Gallery gave me the opportunity to create a paper dragon, of course I turned to one of the most impressive, awe-inspiring creatures I know, the pigeon-sized proto-bird Yi. I'd love to tell you why this little thing is so cool and is the best Chinese dragon ever. Hang on, I'm about to get nerdy. |
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Yi qi 8" x 8" My latest piece was created for Valkarie Gallery's Chinese New Year Invitational. 2024 is Year of the Wood Dragon, and I can think of no better creature to represent dragons than the surprising Chinese fossil Yi qi (roughly pronounced "eee chee") which means "strange wing". Why is this fossil so strange? Despite his appearance, Yi is not a pterosaur, but a dinosaur very closely tied to the origin of birds. Yes, this is basically a bird with membranous wings - like a bat or a flying squirrel. It belongs to a group of dinosaurs from the middle/late Jurassic known as the scansoriopterygids, which are either early paravians or related to the oviraptorids. This family is represented by five fossils in four genera. Each one has offered it's own surprising discoveries. |
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The first specimens of this family were described in 2002, both sparrow-sized juveniles likely belonging to the same genus Scansoriopteryx. They had long, curved claws on both the hands and feet, suitable for gripping branches and tree bark. Even more interesting were the elongated arms and fingers. The outermost finger on the back of the hand was especially out of proportion, and comparisons were made to tree-climbing iguanas and insect-probing aye-ayes. They were the first dinosaurs to be discovered with arboreal-lifestyle adaptations. Living in trees seems like a no-brainer. Why wouldn't that habitat be exploited by the dominant animal class of the era? In reality, it's more a question of preservation. Tiny, delicate fossils tend not to preserve very well. Fortunately, China has several wonderful lake bed deposits where fine sediment was able to settle slowly and preserve small detail, down to soft tissue including feathers, skin, and microscopic pigmentation cells like melanosomes that clue us in to the coloration of ancient life. |
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The same lakebed formations gave us Epidexipteryx in 2008, which sported the oldest-known display feathers, four ribbon-like feathers that nearly doubled (or more--the ends were broken off) the animal's length. The feathers of scansoriopterygids are notable in other ways too: they were fairly primitive compared to their older relatives. They lacked pennaceous feathers on their limbs, and their body feathers had never-seen before shapes that resembled a hair picks and paintbrushes (or splintered wood, to be honest). |
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When Yi was described in 2015, some of these mysteries settled into place around an even more unusual feature. Yi showed a long, extra spur of bony cartilage attached to the wrist. Even longer than the forearm, this extra styliform element supported a gliding membrane - preserved in patches between fluffy body feathers. The long fingers and lack of flight feathers suddenly made sense when they were attached to a different type of wing. When Ambopteryx was discovered in 2019, it added another genus with evidence of a styliform element and membrane. |
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Yi didn't have the capability of flight - it's muscle attachments weren't developed enough for that yet. This little gliding dino-bird may seem a little strange, but it's easy to imagine downy membranes stretched wide after a powerful leap. In fact, the existence of a creature like Yi in the pedigree of birds has been predicted several times. Feathered wings are really the exception |
| Upcoming Events |
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Dragon Spirit: February 7th - March 3rd Opening Reception |
Over 80 artists were invited to create work inspired by the Year of the Wood Dragon. All artists create work on the same 8”x8” panel, and the creativity and diversity of media in this show is unmatched. Many works are sculptural mixed media - including wood carving, embroidery, ceramics, and several paper artists. Join me at the opening today! The sounds of a live singing bowl performance will drift through the gallery from 5:30-7:30. |
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I'm pleased to announce that Sweet Oasis was one of eight works chosen by Loveland's Art in Public Places and the Art Advocacy Project to display on-loan for a year at Loveland's Public Library. The City has partnered with the Loveland Public Library and the Loveland Poet Laureate Program to create an interactive poetry element for the annual display. Eight local poets will write and display poems inspired by the eight works of art on exhibit. Images and words combine, each enhancing the other. |
Loveland Art in Public Places:
March 5th, 2024 - February 2025 Artist's Reception and Poetry Reading |
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Sculpture in the Park Patron Party Benson Sculpture Garden |
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Mark your calendars for the 40th anniversary! During the second week of August, art enthusiasts flock to Loveland’s Benson Sculpture Garden for the largest outdoor juried sculpture show in the country. Over 2,000 sculptures created by 160 national and international artists are featured during this weekend-long event. |
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Tiffany Miller Russell www.wildlifeinpaper.com |
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