THE WONDER OF LIFE

Before reaching for a rolled-up paper the next time an eight-legged visitor is crawling on the wall of your home, take a closer look. That little bugger has beauty well beyond its capabilities to creep.

Nature has been an inspiration for home interior trends for a few years, with glassmakers and tapestry artists blending octopi, spiders, butterflies and flamingos into their designs at a growing rate.

Where some may see creepy-crawlies, Pheromone gallery artist Christopher Marley finds exquisite magnificence. Those with entomophobia, or the fear of bugs, might have their distaste of pests squashed in light of the intricate splendor of Marley’s prints and plates featuring beetles, bugs and butterflies.

“Insects are the embodiment of design economy. (They are) sleek, minimalist and frighteningly efficient,” Marley said. “If the objective is to highlight nature’s hidden design marvels, they can hardly be improved upon. Most are simple enough in form to work well in elaborate compositions, yet there are others that function as stand-alone sculptures. Not to mention that their variety is nearly endless.”

There are more than 30 million species of insects spanning the earth, yet the Entomological Society of America says only about 1 million have been categorized and named. No aspect of the natural world, whether it be animal, vegetable, mineral or arachnid, is pushed aside when Marley is deciding on his next design.

“In the past, I have tended to keep the medium of each piece pure, but lately I’ve been mixing elements and finding that I can still keep my compositions intelligible and dynamic without becoming a mess,” said Marley, based in Salem, Oregon. “I’m very excited about the new directions we’re heading in. Though my production pieces will always be a staple, I’m creating more and more one-of-a-kind pieces without a specific audience in mind, and it is incredibly liberating.”

His kaleidoscopic patterns of lustrous beetles, effervescent grasshoppers and shimmering scarabs inspire a sense of wonder about the natural world, the artist hopes, and an appreciation for beauty in small packages.

“My intent is to fan the flames of passion for the physical, natural world that humans innately possess, but is too often subjugated to the immediate needs of our virtual worlds,” Marley said. “Reconnecting with unexpected elements of nature tends to remind us of who we are and where we came from. It is a grounding, enlightening experience that I never tire of sharing.”

Marley has lived and worked in exotic, and urban, dwellings around the world. He has partnered with industries, scientists and hobbyists in dozens of countries to obtain an ever-evolving supply of brightly colored, many-legged specimens.

These aren’t backyard breeds you shoo away from your picnic table. While some of Marley’s iridescent bugs are wild-caught, some bred for their traits, others reclaimed, all, Marley said, are obtained in a way that is at least cost neutral to the environment.

“In the case of wild-caught insects, we offer an economic incentive to natives in many countries to preserve the habitat of the insect species we utilize,” he said. “When people in the areas of pristine environments and high unemployment find that they can make a living collecting a renewable resource like insects, they are incentivized to help keep that habitat healthy. In such cases, we are actually aiding in the preservation of the very species we are collecting.”

Turning to the natural world for inspiration was, well, natural for local photographer and artist Lindsay Hebberd.

“I have a beautiful garden I work on all the time,” said Hebberd, president of Cultural Portraits Productions Inc. “It’s like an oasis, and I go out there and find a lot of things to improve on, from my lighted (living) canopy, to the spiders, ‘Bling Birds’ and other art objects I create.”

She designs elaborate animals, from flamingos, to roosters, and dazzling insects for indoor and outdoor home decor on consignment.

“All of the artwork is one-of-a-kind original art,” she said of her recent work that includes “Spectacular Spiders,” “Designer Butterflies” and “Bling Birds.”

Hebberd, who has produced a 280-page photography book, “Las Vegas — Imagination to Reality,” as well as international photography books, has found more clients are asking for her insect and animal pieces than before.

Her nature-inspired artworks range from large pieces used in homes and garden landscapes, particularly her unique 6-foot bird with jewels and swirls of color, to the smaller bejeweled and bewitching spider and butterfly magnets, and pieces for floral arrangements.

“The Bling Birds I have as finished works range in size from 1 foot, to over 6 feet 5 inches tall,” she said. “I find people are really drawn to the insects and animals. It moves you.”

A more recent addition, her butterflies that move in the breeze, came from a difficult time in her life a few years ago. Her father had suffered a stroke. His health was failing. Hebberd and her mother began the long goodbye.

“He was dying, and I didn’t know what I could do,” she said. “I felt compelled to create something beautiful with my hands because that’s who I am, and when my dad was really ill, I decided I would design these butterflies.”

Each butterfly is hand drawn on both sides for viewing from any angle. She uses double-pressed card stock and wires so that the wings can be bent to please the viewer wherever they may land in the owner’s yard or home decor.

“A friend put some up (in her home), and they flutter when the air-conditioner comes on,” she said. “It really changed the space.”

Her bejeweled spiders fill the garden with light during the day and can twinkle at night with proper placement under outdoor sting lights.

“They are hidden jewels in the garden,” Hebberd said. “I have done them with crystals and put them in a (plant) canopy to create mood lighting. The gems catch the light where you wouldn’t necessarily see them.” She is meticulous in her research and design.

“I’m dreaming these. I wake up and have complete designs in my head,” said Hebberd. “There’s a lot of people who really appreciate being able to expand (art) to the garden. When you love your garden or your home … you think of ways that you can add to it … (with) a little more nature, a bit more beauty.”