The Beauty of Bones: Seeing the Art in Nature’s Remnants
Bones are more than reminders of mortality…
Collecting Bones
Exploring the woods as a kid, I would discover & collect countless tiny treasures. My favorite were often the bones. Like when I found a perfect sun-bleached possum skull or an entire chain of snake vertebrae—small, intricate, sculptural. I wasn’t collecting bones in a morbid goth-girl way—more like a "holy shit, these are beautiful art objects" kind a way.
These readymade sculptures are stunning on their own or grouped with other objects.
The Vanitas Still Life
We’ve been talking about Still Life—I like to call them Living Sculptures… Well, the Dutch were the ones who made still-life painting an important part of art history in the 1600s. Their exacting detail in representing everyday objects was unmatched.
A specific genre of these paintings, called Vanitas Still Lifes incorporated bones all the time. For these artists, paintings were meant to convey meaning and often teach moral lessons. So when they used bones—often skulls—in their Vanitas, they were symbolizing the fleeting nature of life. This deeper philosophical layer was a nod to the Latin memento mori—‘remember you must die.
Bones as a muse
For me, bones don’t convey a moral message or a warning that life is short. Instead, they are the beautiful, artful building blocks of life—an unseen treasure beneath our skin, revealing that we are incredible sculptural beings. When I’m out exploring, finding bones is like finding a muse.
I’m not sure what could be more inspiring than a giant hall chock full of skeletal sculptures. That’s why this amazing museum in Paris, The Gallery of Paleontology and Comparative Anatomy, is on my travel bucket list!
My Students Are the Best!
Huge thanks to everyone in California for showing up and shining so brightly in my classes this week. As I write this, I’m prepping for my final two workshops of this trip. I’ll be at Fiber Circle Studio tonight & my last class at MYSTIC Mill Valley tomorrow.
🐑 There are 2 spots left on Saturday if you want to snap one up! | March 8 (11-2)
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