Why I Draw and Paint Skulls and Bones

Skull PaintingsPainting InspirationSkull DrawingsSkulls and BonesArtist Process

Jul 12

*a page from my skull study sketch book*

There are many polarizing opinions about skulls and bones. Some people feel they have dark or morbid undertones, but to me, they are just bones. Structures that live beneath the skin, an armature.

Every bone and skull is unique and when you truly sit and examine them, you’ll find that they are incredibly intricate and fascinating to study up close.

***Sketchbook drawing of a toad skeleton I found in my garage***

Why do I draw/paint skulls and bones?

Originally, I started drawing skulls while my daughter was young because I could set one up and work on drawings of them as time allowed. Initially, I didn’t have a great understanding of animal skull anatomy, so I dove headfirst into researching and studying them to have a better understanding of skull structure. This lead me to reading articles on Osteology, and I was very fascinated by the amount of information that can be obtained from studying bones and skulls.

By analyzing and studying bones, visually and chemically, we can learn about the life of an animal or past human. From regional information—based on mineral content—to age, sex, afflictions and injuries. A capsule of information that gives us insight, allowing us to build a snapshot of how they lived, and possibly died.

**Bones contain stories, therefore, I decided to tell stories with bones.**

My work has always had an underlying theme exploring the cycle of life. Bones are a pausing point in that story, allowing us to reflect upon existence as a whole and consider death as a motivator for life versus an ending.

Incorporating animal skulls and bones into my work allows for a deeper symbolic exploration of the animal kingdom and our connection to it. Different cultures have assigned deeper meanings and symbolisms to specific animals and regarded them with a deep respect. Worshipping them.

Skulls and bones themselves are works of art. I have skulls of animals that I will never stand face to face with, and quite honestly would be terrified to do so.
These Moose vertebra are massive. The weight alone of these three bones is not only surprising but an eye-opening consideration of the immense weight the entire skeleton of this animal would weigh.
They’re also incredibly beautiful the way they fit together and the articulation with which they move.

Holding the skull of an animal, or human, in your hands, turning it over and examining each area inspires an appreciation for these mystical underlying structures.
This close up view allows me to study them, understand the structure, marvel at it's design, feel the weight, examine each terrifying tooth, and wonder endlessly about the life of that animal.

It’s a rabbit hole I fall down, willingly. Trying to imagine these animals and how they lived, if they ever crossed paths with a human. Sadly, how they died.

I have a great respect for each skull in my collection, which sits now around 145 animal skulls. I’ll never know most of their lives before they came to me, but I feel a stewardship over each one. To treat it with dignity and revere them as works of art.

Even though I have over 20 years studying them, there's always more to learn, and I'm fascinated by each new skull added to my ever-growing collection. They're all uniquely different, yet they all supported the same thing... life. We cannot have life without death, it's cyclical, it's essential, and it's eventual.