Shea Hembrey

Why you should listen

Shea Hembrey's art imitates nature’s forms, in an attempt to appreciate how humans have always appropriated and learned from forms in nature. An early fascination with birds (as a teenager, he was a licensed breeder of migratory waterfowl), led to "Mirror Nests," a series of metal replicas of bird nests exhibited at Cornell’s Lab of Ornithology observatory.

Hembrey works with focused concentration on a single project, letting his research into his subject direct the media and methods of the final product. He has produced works on folk and faith healing inspired by his healer grandfather, and his view of art was profoundly changed while studying Maori art while he was a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholar to New Zealand.

What others say

“I always thought birds were amazing crafters, but after this project I realize how fully amazed I should be.” — Shea Hembrey, Birdscope