Aileen McPherson
Art and Visual Culture
10/09/2017
How to look at a feather
How does one describe a feather with the scientific and the layman so any being can understand, not only what a feather is physically but also what it means emotionally. We shall start at the bottom and when we reach the end we will stop. The part of a feather that attaches to the bird is called the calamus, or hollow shaft much easier to remember, now as you move your eye upward there is the rachis which is the entire length of the feather and a continuation of the hollow shaft, why not just call it the upper shaft, now right above the hollow you have the downy barbs, these tend to be the softest part of the feather and the smaller the feather the more down it has, these smaller insulation feathers are perfect for making pillows, onward above the downy barbs are the vanes, the main body of a feather, which run all the way up on both sides of the rachis, sometimes they are symmetrical or even in shape and size, while others are asymmetrical or uneven, the vanes are comprised of barbs, barbules, and hooklets, now these cannot be seen with the naked eye, after seeing this diagram, I laughed and asked why didn’t they just call it crocheted keratin, because a feather is made entirely of keratin, and it is all of these elements that make up a satiny smooth feather, so why is this important, maybe it’s not, however for a scribe the feather with its hollow shaft grave another way to put ink to page and an advancement to the modern pen was created.
On writing, one of my many favorite authors is Lewis Carroll, and his riddle “Why is a raven like a writing desk?” for me it was, because they both hold quills, and resound loudly both good and bad news, it is the feathers use as a quill that I love the most, any feather large or small can be transformed into a writing instrument, it is merely the width of the snip at the tip of the hollow shaft that decides how much ink will be drawn up after dipping into an ink pot, the lines obtained by a quill can be as gentle and moving as a koi in a pond, to scratchy and harsh as if you had let a chicken on your desk, and is based on the fluidity of movement along with the weight of the hand guided by the artist, that creates the finest of lines to the broadest of strokes.
It is for me the simplicity of this writing device that helps me to find an inner quiet, a calming place, where I can light a candle and be transported back to some great library transposing stories, writing the next declaration of independence, or merely a simple monk writing in their daily diary, whatever my flight of fancy may be, a feather in my cap, a pot of ink by my side, and paper to awaken or stem the tide of the ramblings and rants from the mind inside, and on occasion it serves the purpose of keeping fingers busy by rubbing and spinning between the thumb and forefinger, and with the flick of a wrist it can be mightier than a fist, however whatever my choice, wherever my imagination takes me, I am comforted in the knowledge I have learned to use one of the oldest and sometimes messiest writing instruments in human history. Later we can discuss metal worked dip and fountain pens, the children of the quill.
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