Meet Jana Miller: Founder & Artist of Bone Lust

Self Portrait with White-tailed Deer Skull from 2009

I frequently get requests for interviews by magazines and online sites and I think the short pieces they usually do on my Bone Lust work just doesn't paint the whole picture. So I'm posting this here as the definitive "About Me".

I've been collecting and processing bones and other things of nature for over 35 years now, as of 2014. Just always been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I have a very science and nature oriented family. I've disliked waste from a vey young age. Started picking up bones and dead insects then. I still keep every single little pieces of animal/insect/fungi/rusty bits I find and try to use them in my art. I'm been called "the ultimate recycler" because it.


Naturally Dead Nature Finds For BoneLust Art Aupplies

I've been making animal bone and human teeth jewelry since the late 1980s - early 1990s. For a long time I only made it for myself and friends. In 2008, I became unemployed at no fault of my own. Previously, I had worked 10 years for NOAA/USGS deep-sea conservation scientists. So I went back to my roots for my new "career". I started my BoneLust blog in 2009, to share my lifetime of self taught bone processing experience with those that want to learn (without making the mistakes I already had). Soon after I started selling my bone art and jewelry to the public as Bone Lust.

Skunk Skull Wall Mount with Quartz Shard Bullet created in 2013, by BoneLust

99% of my bone/taxidermy supplies I find dead and process myself. Even the insects. Ethical sources are very important to me. I can't stress this enough. My art is not about glorifying death but rather honoring and celebrating life. I would much rather see any of the animals, insects, plants used in my art alive. I never have nor ever will harm or kill an animal, insect or plant for my bone collection or art.


Rusty Vintage aw Blades & Skulls For BoneLust Art Projects

My bone processing techniques involve natural decomposition using a bone cage and the help of wild carrion insects. Then followed up by a rinsing step, degreasing step and lastly a sterilizing and whitening step. Leaving me with the strongest quality finished bones possible.


Squirrel Skeleton In My Bone Cage

I'm currently located on the Nature Coast of Florida. Which is in North FL., Gulf of Mexico side. Deep country life is why I can process salvaged animals into bones much more easily than when I lived in more suburban areas of FL in the past. Plus finding deceased animals is easier here as well. Many are roadkill salvaged and from hunter dumping grounds. On a rare occasion I have animals donated to me. Also wanted to note that all animal remains used in my work are legal species for me to use.


Examples of BoneLust Custom Orders With Customer Supplied Pet & Human Teeth

A couple things I specialize in is making art/jewelry out of customer supplied human and pet teeth. I also do pet memorial work. In other words, I get recently deceased furry friends in the mail and I turn them into pretty white bones and jewelry (fur, whiskers, claws, microchip, etc). You can see more examples here.

Examples of BoneLust Pet Processing & Memorial Pieces, 2014

Here is an earlier interview from 2010

And here is a detailed blog post that goes into what exactly ethical means to me.


Deer Dolly Taxidermy Mounts created in 2012, by BoneLust

My shop - https://www.etsy.com/shop/BoneLust

FB - https://www.facebook.com/jana.miller.photography

FB page - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bonelust/620332541351091

BONELUST SCIENCE LESSON - Bone Eating Squirrels

The remains of a wild boar skull wedged into a tree on my property that has been very well gnawed out the past 10 years or so.

As a bone collector it is always important to leave some bones for the wild animals. I have tossed out bones around my entire property for them and have spots where I leave piles like in the first photo.



Why do I do this? Most bone collectors have found bones, skulls or even antlers or turtle shells with teeth gnaw marks on them in the outdoors. This is likely caused by squirrels in most cases.

They do this for two reasons: A) As a source of minerals sparse in their normal diet & B) To help keep their teeth from getting too long. Their teeth are always growing & if they get too long it can cause the squirrel to starve or even have the teeth impale them. Eventually resulting in the death of the squirrel. Other animals gnaw on bones for similar reasons as well. Like rabbits. This overgrowth of teeth is called malocclusion.

There was even a giraffe that was photographed recently found gnawing on an impala skull likely for similar reasons.


A well gnawed on deer or wild boar bone.

BONELUST Q&A: "How do I get the bones from this small animal?"

This is one of the smallest skulls in my collection at approx .5" long, from a Carolina Anole. The fact that I have some of these in good condition & complete is quite a task for me.




Give me an entire adult deer & I can process it for the bones no problem. But it is the tiny reptiles, amphibians, rodents, birds & etc that I have the hardest time processing. You can't macerate like you do with medium sized animals (raccoon, opossum, etc) & up (deer, boar, cattle). The bones can literally be eaten up by the bacteria that defleshes larger bones.

You also can't simply let dermestid beetles help with a skeleton this small and forget about it. I tried, and this is all they left me from 8 full lizards. Although I may try that again with a more controlled environment where I watch more closely with fewer beetles.

In the meantime, it comes down to painstakingly slowly & carefully removing the flesh by hand with tweezers & scalpel after rehydrating it with plain water. A very tedious process. Once I myself take the time to master this process I will make a blog about it.