This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
Looking for a knock-out gift for the science geek in your life? Look no further. If you like art and you like science, these artists, all featured on Symbiartic at one point, have gifts that will impress even the most jaded gift recipients...
Made With Molecules
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Raven Hanna, PhD. left life in the Ivory Tower to make jewelry and clothing inspired by chemistry. Give dopamine to your love, caffeine to the coffee buff, and oxytocin to your mother-in-law. Each piece comes with a little card explaining the molecule and its role in biology. We highlighted Hanna's work in "Happiness on a Chain: Is That An Oxymoron?"
Miniature Strandbeests
Mechanical Walking Critters by Theo Jansen
Theo Jansen has spent his life perfecting what he calls an alternate life form. His Strandbeests are wind-powered, larger-than-life creatures that roam the beaches near his home in the Netherlands. Miniature versions of his beasts are available in kit form. We featured Jansen's Strandbeests on Symbiartic in November 2013 in "This Skittered Across My Thanksgiving Table."
Insect Lab
Weird and Wonderful Insect Sculptures & Prints
Artist Mike Libby creates tiny sculptures using insects and antique watch parts. His sculptures are also available as limited edition prints, or you can buy the whole collection in his richly printed coffee table book. We singled out Insect Lab's work for our SciArt of the Day pick on September, 11, 2012.
Light Paintings from Darius Twin
Fossils and animals painted with light by Darren Pearson
Artist Darren Pearson takes a photographic technique that dates back to Man Ray - painting with light - to create eerie prints of fossils, skeletons, and more. We wrote about Pearson's light paintings in November 2013 in "What Artists Know About Light That Physicists Are Missing."
Generative Design by Nervous System
Jewelry, Lighting, and Housewares
The designers at Nervous System write computer programs to generate patterns based off of natural structures like coral aggregations and interface patterns. The resulting objects are printed in resin, metal or cut from wood. We haven't featured them on Symbiartic yet, but stay tuned... we will.
Douglas Henderson PaleoArt
Classic PaleoArt Prints & Originals
Paleoartist legend Douglas Henderson doesn't want me to promote his prints, but I can't help myself! Henderson is back online with a new website and tons of affordable prints of his work. You can also support his latest self-funded campaign, the mysterious MudPie Project, and buy original lithographs as well. We featured Henderson on Symbiartic in September 2012 in "SciArt of the Day: Best. Dinosaur. Art. Ever."
SciArt from SciAm's Blog Team
by Katie McKissick, Glendon Mellow, and Alex Wild
And last, but certainly not least, consider the diverse sciart produced by our very own Scientific American bloggers! Katie McKissick is a quirky, fun science cartoonist with three self-published books hot off the press. Glendon Mellow is an artist in awe of science and has calendars and smartphone cases adorned with flying trilobites and other intriguing critters. Alex Wild sells prints of his insect photographs that will make you reconsider your position on the beauty of bugs.
Happy shopping from all of us at Symbiartic!