Artist Statement
My project consists of four animal skulls that I have repurposed into a new creation in order to continue honoring their life even after death. There is a moose, cow, and two deer skulls. They all have an insect drawn on them in ink and then got sealed with matte modge podge. After that, I glued moss, crystals, and fake flowers on them. I was very fascinated with how animal skulls look and function with their anatomy, and I was inspired to create something new with them. Instead of just leaving them to rot and sit there, why not continue treasuring their life and recycling their parts? I have ethically sourced them all, the two deer were found already long deceased on a private farmland. And the cow and moose were purchased from a licensed taxidermy business. It was quite a long process getting them prepped enough to be worked on. As I collected them all during the summertime and they needed to be cleaned and whitened. So I scrubbed them all with dawn soap because they were mostly degreased already, but they had accumulated a lot of dirt and cobwebs embedded in them. Once they were clean and dried, I made a paste mix of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda to whiten them. Regular bleach wrecks the bone, but the peroxide works well on them without damaging them. Overall, I am quite satisfied with how the project went and turned out. It was a lot of practice for me and required patience when I was trying to draw on a spot of the bone that was more porous instead of smooth. As well as getting the details and symmetry of the insects correct. Thank you for looking!