SKULL and BONE PORTRAITS

This month long study was completed in October 2016. It’s one of the most demanding yet educational projects I’ve ever done.

All of these artworks were drawn or painted from life from real skulls.

12x9 inch oil on unstretched canvas / SOLD

I love the elegance of this skull. It's long and sleek, unbelievably light and delicate. Imagine all this beautiful bird must have seen flying over the landscape and standing in shallow water hunting fish.

8.5x11 inch white chalk, pastel and charcoal on card stock. NFS

The leopard, I am in awe of this amazing animal. I often look at those canines and wonder about what all they have sunk into. Terrifying, but amazing. How did this beautiful feline break one?

8.5x11 inch graphite, heightened with white prismacolor on card stock. NFS

Woodchuck. Groundhog. Eater of my garden. We have an endless supply. This skull is heavily damaged, it contains a bullet hole.

9x12 inch oil on paper. NFS

This study was a lesson in discipline. At the end of a hectic day, I had to focus and put this oil study down quickly without thinking. Oil on paper is not as forgiving as on panel/canvas. I made my marks carefully and was happy with the outcome.

9x6 inch graphite/water soluble graphite on cold pressed paper. NFS

Study of the underside of a found fox skull a friend gave to me. Most of the teeth are missing. I always find working in graphite to be very calming.

9x12 inch oil on paper. SOLD

Alla prima sketch of a domestic pig skull with a bullet hole. This skull was recovered from the bone pile on a working farm.

6x9 inch watercolor on cold pressed paper. SOLD

This found skull is a testament to nature and it’s cycle of life. This was a quick study in watercolor.

8.5x11 inch graphite on card stock. NFS

I've painted this beaver skull before, minus the mandible. When I went to draw it, I found that the mandible told more of the story than the skull itself. A slight deformity caused the lower teeth to grow at an angle, causing them to not wear properly. The skull itself has unusual wear caused by improper seating of the mandible. Based on the length and uneven wear of those lower incisors, I can only imagine the discomfort this poor animal must have experienced.

11x8.5 inch charcoal and white chalk on card stock. NFS

A very quick sketch, completed in 15 minutes.

8.5x11 inch charcoal/chalk on card stock. NFS

Less is more. This is my favorite so far. I found this skull on our very first walk through the woods when we moved in. It is heavily damaged from long term weather and being gnawed on from other critters.

8.5x11 inch ball point pen on card stock. NFS

We have coyotes that run our area, every so often we hear them at night down in the lower woods yipping and carrying on. It's eerie sounding. My dog does not like to be outside when she hears them. I'm convinced she'd take off and leave me to fend for myself if confronted by one.

8.5x11 graphite on card stock. SOLD

If you don't know what a civet looks like, google it. It's a pretty crazy looking African/Asian mammal. I drew this during my daughter's soccer practice tonight as the sun was setting. It was very cold. You can burn a lot of calories shivering. I was multi-tasking.

8.5x11 inch pastel and derwent drawing pencils on card stock. SOLD

If you don't know what a Caracal looks like, google it. This feline has the most glorious wispy ear tip hairs. I like how the canines are still visible from a top view. Wicked.

9x12 inch oil on unstretched canvas. NFS

Sometimes you just need to blow off a little steam. Have a little fun. Goats are so darn adorable but they have the most wickedly evil looking skulls.

12x9 inch oil on paper. NFS

I have two raccoon skulls, this one is my favorite, I have no idea what busted that hole into the skull.

9x12 inch oil on unstretched canvas. SOLD

A weird little duotone study painted alla prima with some leftover paint, hence the color choices.

9x6 inch watercolor on paper. SOLD

Squirrels. I have a love/hate relationship with them. They play with my dog through the window, it's cute. They also hang from my bird feeder—awkwardly staring me in the eye as I pound on the window and tell them to get the @#$% off my feeder like a crazy person.

9x6 inch watercolor on paper. SOLD

This was a found skull, it's in poor shape. All of the teeth have fallen out and the underside of the brain cavity is completely gone. Still there's something quite lovely about it. I managed to paint this after dinner despite all our usual evening chaos.

9x6 inch watercolor on paper. SOLD

Another watercolor exploration. There really is something lovely about sitting and working with watercolor. I filmed a time-lapse video which can be found HERE on my blog.

9x12 inch oil on paper. NFS

Monochromatic study done for time. Dogs are so cute yet their skulls reveal how wicked their teeth truly are.

12x9 inch oil on paper. SOLD

As a child I lived in northern Pennsylvania where seeing a black bear was an almost daily surprise. One of my favorite animals, studying this skull is always a joy for me. It’s so beautiful.

9x12 inch oil on unstretched canvas. SOLD

Found this skull in our woods, it’s been chewed on quite heavy but is still pretty intact. White tail deer drop their antlers over the winter and regrow them in the spring. Fascinating that bone can do that.

11x8.5 inch graphite on card stock. NFS

Today was a lesson in perseverance. I don't feel well, but I took my time and pushed through. I felt a line drawing best represented how delicate this skull is. None of the skull bones have fused because of how young this little deer was. A sad reflection of how fragile life is.

12x9 inch oil on unstretched canvas. SOLD

Easily one of the most intriguing if not unnerving skulls that I have. While this skull is not large, it definitely gives reason to fear the awesome power these primates have in their jaws. That canine is a whopping 1.5 inches long, longer than any of the other carnivore skulls I have. It also has front facing orbitals, just like a human. It makes contemplating this skull a thought provoking process. It's beautiful and fearsome, but deserves respect and admiration.

8.5x11 inch pastel, charcoal on card stock. NFS

Charcoal sketch of one of my favorite doe skulls. Not sure why I like this one so much, I just really enjoy drawing and painting it. Really tried not to go crazy with detail, just enough to suggest.

22x14 inch watercolor and graphite on aquabord. NFS

A study of the underside of a female cow skull. Unbelievably fascinating.

18X12 inch graphite on paper. NFS

30 minute timed sketch with Cretacolor 2B thick graphite lead. Loose and fun, and under the pressure of time. This skull has a really cool profile, of course I didn't draw that. This is another one of my favorite skulls. I have several narrative paintings planned with this one.

20x16 watercolor on aquabord. SOLD

I love this goat skull. Another reminder of how much I love watercolor. I feel it served the uniqueness of this skull well.

14x11 inch oil on panel. SOLD

This skull is a work of art. It is a bleached skull which removes all of the natural bone patina. I took liberties to bring back some of the natural color and add it bit more.

12x24 inch oil on canvas panel. SOLD

Another favorite skull of mine. I have painted this one before. It is massive in size and you can't help but be in awe of that. Despite it's size, it has an elegant profile. Beautiful lines.