Waking up in the Land of the Dead, our protagonist finds they are not alone! What Joy! What fun, to start the next adventure companionably and fortified with excellent company!
Tag: death
Tarot Tins
I’ve always loved the imagery on Tarot cards, and the endless possibilities for representing them. I thought I’d start with some traditional cards…
Tin is for Ten
A tenth anniversary commission from new friends in England.
Ashes to Ashes
This piece is made in a late grandfather’s violin (thank you Jeanne and luthier Susan Hopkins for helping me get it/open). This is in the current show at the Smith Healing Gallery in DC – details here. Without saying too much, I love string instruments that have f-holes. This particular violin echoes a coffin, and the figure of Pierrot is trying to make his way to the Land of the Dead. He is constrained by gold thread, held by clergy-like figures. He is also being pulled onward by silver thread, and is trapped between two worlds. I wonder about famous souls who were idolized during their lives (David Bowie, for example), and how the mass grief of a society might effect a transition to, say, the Land of the Dead.
Death Salon Film Festival Awards
I created two awards for the 2016 Death Salon Film Festival, which takes place this weekend in Texas. This event is hosted by my pals in the Order of the Good Death. Below – the Jury Award and Audience Favorite (What if the same film maker wins BOTH)???
And, just for fun, here are some process photos.
Raccoon Skeletons
For years, I’ve been bringing dead raccoons home to bury them in a makeshift pet cemetery. It is a nice thing to do for them, and it provides a safe way for me to interact with them.
I recently started a new taxidermy experiment. I’m not so interested in stuffing them at this point (although I would love to own some stuffed raccoons), but I AM interested in their bones.
Instead of burying them and reclaiming the bones later, I am trying a new approach, which is to keep them in a cage above ground until they fully decompose.
The photo below is from a few weeks ago. Living in such a rural place has been a big advantage. There is a sad abundance of dead raccoons, and the nearest neighbors are far enough away that smell hasn’t been an issue.
I introduced meal worms to the bodies shown above. Once the bones are exposed, I’ll put them in a box with more meal worms, as they are supposed to rapidly clean the bones. My cage has successfully frustrated visiting vultures and other critters.
I will make 3D scans of my clean bones. I’ll process those scans into .stl files, which I can then print using a MakerBot or similar (as I do with action figures).
I’ll have new, plastic skeletons to use in my work. They can be armatures, charters or sculptures.
Death and the Maiden
Made with a heart shaped altoids box: