Visceral Meditations – Of Skull and Bone Paintings

I am an artist and a collector of things. Over the years, I have collected fragments of Canadian history and Canadiana, as well as animal skulls and bones, fallen leaves, rocks, shells, and other objects found in the natural world. These collections often become starting points for paintings.

I am drawn to the particular beauty found in the remnants of life. There is something visceral about encountering a skull or a sun-bleached bone, yet these objects can also be remarkably elegant. Their curves, hollows, surfaces, and shadows reveal a quiet architecture shaped by nature and time.

Like Georgia O’Keeffe, I am interested in looking closely at objects that might otherwise be overlooked and finding beauty through close observation. A skull is more than a symbol of mortality. It is also a record of form, structure, transformation, and time.

My fascination with skulls and bones has also found an unexpected connection to hockey. In several paintings, I have explored the visual relationship between animal skulls and hockey masks, bringing together two very different forms that share an underlying structure. The protective mask becomes almost skeletal, while the skull takes on the visual presence of a helmet or face mask. Both carry associations with identity, protection, vulnerability, and the body.

I have painted bear skulls, bones, and shells, drawn to the smoothness of weathered surfaces and the complex curves and shadows created by their forms. I am interested in what remains after life has moved on. There are stories held within these objects, but there is also beauty.

These paintings are my way of pausing with those remnants and looking more closely. They are visceral meditations on nature, mortality, memory, and the enduring visual language of the things we leave behind.