I have been making and selling jewelry and art for some time but I had never tried selling online. After so much resistance and insecurity, my friends and family have convinced me to make my shop go live. I started painting designs on raccoon and possum skulls and gave them away to friends. To this day I am not sure if they really liked them or accepted them for my benefit. I had experience making
and selling jewelry through consignment while in college so I knew there was some market niche for my work even though it may not be a large one. A woman once described my skull art as "pretty creepy". I know she didn't mean it as complimentary but I thanked her anyway because I took it that way. It dawned on me at that moment that that was the perfect name for my shop. Even though some of my work is perceived as creepy, some people also see the beauty in it, making it pretty to them. I understand skulls are creepy to most people because they are closely associated with death and decay. There is just a beauty to them I admire and cannot fully describe. Some of the most beautiful art to me is found in nature and I think that bones themselves are tremendously beautiful. Skeletal systems grow on their own inside of us using predetermined maps in our DNA. They are the core of us, they hold us together and allow us to do amazing things. They are so strong and yet delicate at the same time. When someone says they feel something "In their bones" They are talking about their core being. I am lucky to live in Oklahoma where I get to visit my friends at Skulls Unlimited http://www.skullsunlimited.com/ . They professionally process skulls and skeletons and supply me with tiny skulls I would not be able to process myself since they are so delicate. Also, in Oklahoma it is illegal to procure bones or feathers of most birds according to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 in and Skulls Unlimited are able to provide skulls to me in compliance with current laws. The bones I use in my art are gathered legally and ethically in situations where they would otherwise go to waste. Ironically enough, I am a vegetarian and would not go bird hunting for my art! So I keep experimenting and playing with different materials. Some work out beautifully and others are terrible, hideous disasters! I just keep working and keep learning and hope that people will enjoy my Pretty Creepy Things.
