This artist uses crystals to turn nature into beautiful works of art

Some say there is no greater beauty than that which you can find in the natural world. Artist and chemist Tyler Thrasher obviously believes this to be true, and has capitalized on the concept by crystallizing various specimens found in nature. The results are beautiful works of art.

Thrasher finds some of his unique materials on hikes. He has worked with everything from cicada shells to alligator skulls. Don’t worry—Thrasher doesn’t hurt any animals in the process of making his stunning creations. He only uses animals that are already deceased.

Check out some of Thrasher’s work in the video below:

Thrasher sells his unique creations on his website.

When asked about his work, he admits to realizing that his passion is a little bit more difficult to explain than your average job. “It’s a very weird full-time job,” Thrasher told The Daily Dot back in 2015. “Whenever someone asks me what I do, I can’t just tell them, ‘I crystallize dead sh**.’”

Despite the fact that Thrasher was initially resistant to the idea of using social media to promote his work, he eventually realized it was an important tool in helping him reach a wider audience. “If you want your stuff to get noticed, you have to kind of appeal to bigger people because at some point your friends and family don’t cut it anymore,” Thrasher said.

He now has 130,000 followers on Instagram, and his feed is filled with amazing pieces. Check out this beautiful, crystallized dragonfly:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BavD7IXlh_8/?hl=en&taken-by=tylerthrasherart

This snake skeleton is truly stunning:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWdXXkSly5x/?hl=en&taken-by=tylerthrasherart

You’d never guess this scallop shell was once on the ocean floor:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BS7BGhBgMnj/?hl=en&taken-by=tylerthrasherart

Thrasher has created a Kickstarter account to raise funds to produce a book, “The Wisdom of the Furnace,” which will feature his work from the past two years, with a focus on combining chemistry and art. With just under three days left in the campaign, Thrasher has already raised over $52,000, well over his stated goal of $18,000.

What a cool way to combine nature, science and art!

[h/t: Insider Science]