So What’s with the Skulls?

Why skulls?

This is a question I am often asked. If you meet me I am a cheery, happy-go-lucky person so the skulls don’t seem to fit my personality. It appears kinda dark. I love painting skulls. I think it has a very Pirates of the Caribbeany feel. They are also funky and look good in any living space. A skull in a kitchen, bedroom, office or bathroom? YES!

I paint to let out my emotions. They flow through the end of my paintbrush. While going through a difficult season the skull paintings were comforting. They looked back at me and seemed to say, hey we’re at rock bottom too. We get it. We are tired. We are a bit eerie. And painting them just made me feel better.

Strip us all down and have the most basic part. Our bones. Our bone structure. It all is the same no matter our language, skin color, accent or hair length. We all have skulls. It’s basic. They protect our minds. And yet I turn this into somethings else. How do I take a basic element of the human body and tell a story?

I love the creativity I can have with color while painting a skull. I get to have fun with texture and vibrancy. If you hang a skull painting in your home it’s a safe bet that you have a funky style or you want a more “out there” piece for your wall. This is where I get to have fun.

The focal point of the skull already draws attention but I get to play with the skulls and give them depth and personality. Some of the skulls could have been found with buried treasure. None of my skulls are a textbook diagram. I get to be creative with a bit of humanity and science. Who did the skull belong to? What type of life did it live? Where is it from? I hope people ask these questions while they observe my works of skulls. It’s not just a bone. What is the story behind it? Strip all the noise of life away and we all are the same. Skin and bones.