Bonelust

Jana Miller Bone Lust Interview on Postal Treats

2011-12-03T19:58:00.005-05:00

A couple years ago I had a nice feature online about my use of bones in my art, jewelry and photography. That domain recently went dead so I'm duplicating it here since it answers a lot of questions I'm frequently asked.

Jana Miller lives in the humid south, where she turns dead things into beautiful pieces of art. Miller combines osteology with metal in a way that is fresh and plain old badass. Unlike the Fox program, she is the real Bones, hunting her personal property for remains to upcycle into something wearable. Her connection with nature is fascinating, so go ahead. Read on.

Tell me, when did you very first start making art?

I honestly don't remember a time not making art. I imagine as soon as I could hold a crayon or paintbrush I was doing it. I even taught art at Summer camps to other children. I've dabbled in so many mediums over the years because I want to try out everything. Ceramics on and off the potters wheel, photography (since I was 7), upcycled mixed media from found items into 3-D pieces, watercolors, india ink, airbrushing, clothing and interior design, jewelry, silkscreen, and just about every possible type of paint, pen, pencil or crayon.

How would you describe the kind of jewelry you make now? And how is it different from taxidermy?

Well taxidermy is the lack of bones. Creating a stuffed version of the animal form from just the outer layer of fur, scales or feathers of that creature. My jewelry often includes those bones that a taxidermist might dispose of. I collect, clean, whiten and sanitize the bones and teeth I use in my jewelry. In self taught processes.

The end result varies. Snake vertebrae elegantly flowing on a vintage silver chain necklace. A number of different animal jaws with teeth mostly in tact paired with vintage charms create pendants. And my little natural history corked glass vials with bones, teeth, porcupine quills, shark teeth and other things from nature in them. What I make depends on what bones I have at the time.

How did you discover a process for working with bones?

I've been collecting bones, insects and other things from nature since I was seven. My processes for everything involved in collecting and cleaning these things were self taught from trial, error and common sense. As the years go on though I still learn new things and have met quite a few people to discuss these things with to learn from. With the birth of the internet there was a wealth of knowledge to be gained on a topic that is otherwise shunned.

Are there any kind of bones that are impossible to use in your art? Why or why not?

For my art, no. It doesn't have any limits. My found items creations right now are rather small but they don't have to be. In a sense, my entire home is an art piece. The jewelry perhaps may be limited by the size/shape of some bones though.

Is there a big circle of artisans who work with bones, the same way you do?

As the years go on things like this become more accepted by the mainstream, just as say tattoos have become VERY normal now compared to how they were perceived 10 years ago. As that happens the amount of artists grow in size as well. Some have been in the closet in a sense with no one to share their work with while others are just jumping on the bandwagon to make a buck.

I've certainly noticed a boom lately in things normally thought of as weird being given a chance to mingle with the norm. One example would be the new reality tv series "Oddities", which is about a shop in NY that's been on my wish list to visit for a long time now, Obscura Antiques.

There is also a growing fad the last few years of interior decorating with taxidermy, science specimens, natural history items, bones and other related items. Every one of my homes as always looked this way. Often jokingly referred to by friends as "Jana's Museum".

As a lifelong collector and creator of things not accepted by the norm I can tell who has passionately created a piece of art/jewelry and who has a cookie cutter system in hopes of making a quick sale, but not actually getting their hands dirty. Thankfully for the time being this is mostly still a small group of dedicated artists. I'd really rather not see my life's passion become the next fad at Hot Topic.

What other materials do you enjoy working with?

Vintage and found items are favorites for sure. Lately the focus of my mixed media art are items found on my property. Things of nature like moss, fungi, bark, insects. leaves, vines, thorns, seed pods and etc. I love working art pieces and ones that move. So I often use shadow boxes and different types of containers that open and close.

I read on your blog that your love for your work stems from equal admiration of nature and science. What books and blogs can you recommend for people with the same interests?

Well actually, I made my BoneLust blog because there isn't much else out there like it. The topic of death is still heavily shunning in our society, and my work is often closely tied in with that.

I regularly get quite a few questions from people who are interested in starting to collect bones so I figured I'd put my experience out there for everyone to read. I plan on posting more technical HowTo blogs up in the future to answer more specific questions about the processes I use.

There are a lot of related blog/photo links at my blog in the realm of bone collecting/preparing, taxidermy, anatomy, science, art, fashion, movies and music.

A group of Flickr friends of mine that regularly discuss the photos of our finds, collections and art created "The Bone Collectors" message board this past Spring but it is honestly pretty inactive now.

Hoping it picks up again as more people join.

I am on the email list for one blog I can highly suggest - Morbid Anatomy

As for books, I suggest checking out The Morbid Anatomy Library and Cabinet in person if possible.

Or online, The Morbid Anatomy Bookstore on Amazon.com.

What has been your favorite find so far?

On Christmas day last year I went out for a walk with my two dogs in the woods with the intention of finding some bones. This is what I found:

The remains of a huge male wild boar after a hunter took what he wanted. The skull was fully intact and after many months of processing I now have the most beautiful perfect skull in my collection. I don't have a final photo but here it is part way through the cleaning process:

What albums and bands are you into right now?

Music is right up there with art/photography and bone collecting as far as things go that have always been a part of my life. I have an extremely wide range of music I like and go to shows as often as possible. I also specialize in live music photography.

(Yea, MySpace is dead but that's where I posted my show photoblogs for years.)

Lately I've been listening to the last Zoroaster release "Matador" as well as Karp, Red Sparowes, Tim Barry, Drag the River, Dark Castle, Black Cobra, Torche, Chris Wollard & the Ship Thieves, and the Conor Oberst solo albums and side projects.

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Related Updates & Interview Followup:

Bone Group - The Bonelust Collective

I wanted to add that since I had this interview I started my own intimate bone group on Facebook that has a focus on animal/human bone processing and collecting, taxidermy and wunderkammer collections. It is for hardcore enthusiasts of these topics. To the degree that I'd consider them more to be lifestyles than hobbies. Not for the squeamish as there are regularly photos of dead animals posted to it. As many of the collector process their own roadkill or hunter dumped remains. Nor is it a group for people that just aimlessly "like" stuff on Facebook and join groups only to sit in the background and watch others. I keep the group active, intimate and organized with a focus on learning. If you think this sounds like something you're up for add me on my Facebook profile and email with your interest to join. I currently have nearly 60 members with many outside the United States.

The Bone Reader

As for music I now work at a music site, The Bone Reader, as Assistant to Editor, Den Mother and Staff Photographer. Yes, I found the name quite fitting too.

Extracting Teeth From Bone

2011-08-27T22:32:00.005-04:00

Besides bones, I mostly use teeth in my jewelry and art.

The necklace seen in my banner above was made nearly 20 years ago from my own wisdom teeth. Yes, I sometimes use human teeth but they are a lot harder and more expensive to come by than most other animal teeth. I recently acquired a vial of 47 vintage human teeth. Sadly because of their poor condition most can not be used. But stay tuned for the rest in upcoming creations.

I usually get my animal teeth from partial skulls and broken jaws. Which sadly is often the case for most roadkill. Here is a selection of those before I cleaned them and removed the teeth. Animals range from elk and wild boar to dog... some human teeth pictured as well.

Click for larger view.

Now you don't want to just grab a pair of pliers and start pulling. That's a good way to chip the enamel, break off the roots or break the jaw (if it is one you wish to keep intact).

I dropped all of the partial skulls/jaws in a crock pot of water and slow cooked them for a couple days on the lowest setting. Topping off the water as it cooked off. If you don't have a crock pot you can still do it on the stove. But it works best in a crock pot because you want a constant low heat, not a rolling boil.

Otherwise it may cause the enamel to chip and teeth to break in half. Also take into consideration that if the skull/jaw has been outside for a long time, very old, very porous or buried a while it is going to be more brittle. Believe me, I found out the hard way about these things. This is a process not to be rushed!

Here is an Elk tooth that became very brittle after getting too hot for too long. I had found it buried out West in Colorado and no telling how long it had been there. Much of the roots broke off and the enamel is now chipping away.

After a couple days of crock pot cooking the bone should become soft and brittle. Most of those skulls/jaws pictured above were quite old, sun bleached and porous so they started to fall apart quite easily and I ended up with this:

After you're done cooking pour the bone/tooth stew through a strainer into your sink and rinse a bit to slightly cool the bones/teeth just enough so that you can handle them. Now while still warm quickly start working on getting the teeth out of any remaining bone with pliers. I found it easier to pull the teeth out and tear apart the bone while it was still warm and wet. You don't want the bones to cool completely or dry. The bone will tighten around the teeth again.

You know you have cooked long enough when the bone is soft enough to smash and break with pliers. Be careful when pulling the teeth, you can chip the enamel if you squeeze too tightly or break the roots if the bone is not soft enough. Don't forget there are really long roots on some teeth so you want to be careful where you crush into the bone.

Here is a much harder and newer wild boar jaw that was slow cooked for two days. You can see that it is much more solid than those bones above. When breaking apart bone like this you want to be careful not to cut your hands with sharp bones pieces. It is quite possible and nearly happened to me plenty of times before.

I carefully started by pulling some teeth at the front of the jaw out. Wiggling them and cutting away at the bone with pliers until they came out with ease. After a few teeth were removed the jaw split in half beautifully exposing the roots.

I worked up the jaw on both sides this way. The teeth in back just needed a secure tug with pliers and they came out once enough bone was removed. Once you have your teeth out give them a good rinse and lay them out of a towel to dry. If you want them whiter drop them in a hydrogen peroxide and water bath until they are the color you like.

I also have extensive experience in tooth extraction because of a previous photo project I started in 2008 - "Nothing But Teeth."

This photo series started as a project for a band's album artwork and continues because of my love for teeth.

You can see my whole "Nothing But Teeth" Photo Set HERE.

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Starting Over, Learning Anew

2011-04-14T16:21:00.004-04:00

So I've been going thru a bit of culture shock the last several months. I moved from deep in the undisturbed country to the middle of where I honestly thought I'd never find myself again... suburbia.

I went from no neighbors, fences or paved roads ... to prying eyes, having to hear the business of others at any given moment and pretty much an entire lack of privacy. I can't even seem to go outside most days to enjoy some fresh air without someone wanting to know who I am or what I'm doing.

I previously lived in nearly pure privacy for over 8 years and didn't talk to anyone unless I wanted. Don't get me wrong I'm exceptionally friendly. Especially with complete strangers. Most times I'm standing in line at the grocery store or post office I start talking to someone else in line.

But my privacy and freedom have always been very important to my well being... and now I rarely have either.

As a person that collects the remains of animals to use in art, jewelry or for display... my life has become especially limiting. And I have to relearn many things because of these new limits.

Before, I could have an entire deer carcass on my property and nobody would flinch at the smell. Now, anything larger than a squirrel would attract far too much attention from the 4 neighboring houses so closely backed up to the short chain linked fence.

So far, all carcasses I've put in the back yard have been taken by an opossum or raccoon. So I have to figure out how to resolve that without having a big cage like I did in the country. That's not something that's socially accepted by the neighbors here I'm sure. Plus, there are small children in the yard. That's right, I'm also trying to adjust to being an instant Mommy figure... to two twin 3-year-old girls. My boyfriend's girls.

For a suburban area there is an abnormally large amount of nature here compared to say where I grew up. I'm especially in awe with the low flying vultures everywhere. I find myself trying to make a mental note of where I see them roadside eating roadkill. In hopes of coming back to get the remains.

I did just that recently when I hopped onto my bike with many plastic bags in tow. I went alongside train tracks that also ran parallel a main two lane road into the center of town. I headed out fairly late in the day to minimize the heat and sun.

Within five minutes I found the remains of the opossum I saw a vulture eating weeks previous. If only I had got to them before the big city lawnmowers they' be in better shape and the skull might still be around.

There had also been a lot of severe thunderstorms and torados in the area so much of the smaller remains were lost in the sand.

This particular area was covered with hundreds of tiny armadillo bone plates (or skutes). But just too many and too small to pick up.

Just beyond this I found what I thought at first was the spine and ribs of a small mammal. But then realized it was a small part of the remains of a fish skeleton. I found four more sets of remains of fish on my trek along the tracks that day. Mostly at the bottom of large telephone poles. Which makes perfect sense because I see Osprey flying overhead frequently with fish in their talons. I imagine they sit atop the poles and eat their catch there before dropping it.

Funny, because only a day earlier a friend brought me the remains of what he thought for sure was a reptile skull. Which I quickly figured out was only part of a large catfish. He found it on a sidewalk in the middle of town so no surprise he didn't think it was a fish.

I also saw several animal dens going under the tracks. I wondered what kind of creature lived in them because I saw no fur or tracks.

Sadly I think that question was soon answered when I found the remains of a large tortoise (or turtle?) that looked as if it was traveling down the tracks when it was hit by a train.

Nearby were the remains of a vulture that appeared to also have been struck by a train.. perhaps while eating the remains of the tortoise. But that's likely just a coincidence. What are the chances?

Amazingly there were only feathers and some skin left behind of the vulture. No head, beak, bones or feet. Something really stripping it clean. I'd have kept the feathers/wings if they were in better shape.

The ride home was quite stunning for suburbia.

And when I really looked at my bags of loot I didn't do too bad.

The remains of several opossum, 4 various fish, tortoise shell/bones and possibly various cat/dog/raccoon/rabbit/deer bones. I realized afterwards that I need to make this bike ride more frequently if I want to get the remains before they are damage or taken. Plus, there's a LOT more of those tracks I can explore. This was all found only after a couple miles!

So while I can't process my roadkill finds like I did out in my country home, I do have options. Finding bones mostly flesh free hurries the process and I don't have to have large carcasses in the yard.

I now have these remains in two different sealed containers. One has water and fleshy bones that need to rot off to nothing but bones. The other has the mostly flesh free remains that are soaking to clean and whiten in a dish soap, water and peroxide bathe.

Fingers crossed this works without a terrible smell coming into the house.

Bone Jewelry Creations in my Etsy Shop

2010-11-14T14:19:00.003-05:00

Over the years I've made jewelry and art from the bones I've found, for myself and friends. Now I'm offering to you some new jewelry pieces, bone beads and other bone/teeth supplies in my BoneLust Etsy Shop.

I want you to be aware that I never have nor ever will harm or kill an animal for my bone collection or for the animal remains used/sold here.

Real Animal Jaw Pendant Necklaces

I've worn a lot of animal jaw bones over the years. Now I want to share some new pieces with fellow bone lovers. Each one is a one-of-a-kind handmade piece. I try to pair up charms and other items with each that best suit the jaw. Usually the charms are vintage and/or found. Some of the jaws are even vintage. This is an ongoing series. I will have fox jaws up next.

Cat Jaw Pendant and Vintage Virgin Mary Charm

Opossum Jaw Pendant and Budding Flower Branch Charm

Rabbit Jaw with Abalone Cross and Indian Head Coin Charm

Full selection here - Bone and Teeth Pendants

Glass Vial Pendants with Real Animal Remains

Mammal Tail Bones and Vintage Virgin Mary Charm

I love the idea of having a tiny natural history specimen jar to wear or hang on your car's rear view mirror. Or put in your cabinet of curiosities. "Specimens" can vary from any number of animal bones or teeth, to porcupine quills, sharks teeth, snake skin... etc.

Snake Vertebrae, Porcupine Quills and Shark Teeth

Mammal Bones and Lucky Charm

Full selection here - Glass Vial Bone Pendants

Bone Beads & Teeth for Your Jewelry & Crafts

I have lots of found bones and teeth for your own jewelry and craft projects. As well as overstock items I'm willing to pass on. Some are already beads ready to string up or use on a pendant...

Full selection here of Bone and Teeth Beads

... and others are ones I've found, cleaned and whitened and left as they are.

Before:

After:

Full selection here of Bones and Teeth (and eventually Skulls)

Let me know if you have any requests, I do custom orders! I also have lots of new pieces in the works - lockets, teeth jewelry, earrings, brass insects, clock part jewelry and much more to come. Also, all of my pendants come with your choice from 4 different chain styles.

You can purchase any of my items directly through me paying via PayPal. So you don't have to have an Etsy account. Add me at Facebook for sneak peaks and previews BEFORE they are listed on Etsy. You would be able to buy items directly from me there before they are available to the general public.

You can also see my bone art and related photography in a previous post - Bone Creations & Memento Mori Prints in my Etsy Shop

My BoneLust photography has since been moved to my BoneLust Etsy shop. See the full selection of photo prints here - Memento Mori Photo Prints

And if you see an image in any of my Flickr BONELUST sets that you are interested in purchasing just contact me to work out the details here - jana@gato-ranch.com

Misc iPhone BoneLust Photos

2010-10-25T19:57:00.003-04:00

Bag of Bones

Ready to make jewelry and art with these cleaned bones.

Wild Boar Head, Jaw & Tail in Cage

Letting the insects and nature do their job.

Frozen Cedar Waxwing, Gift

This was given to me by a friend. He found it dead in his yard. Not a very common bird to find in this area.

Roadside Opossum Find

Very excited to find a full opossum skeleton.

Excited to Find Denatured Alcohol at my Local Hardware Store

For preserving specimens.

Roadside Find, Huge Set of Deer Ribs & Spine

I hope to find some one day not chewed up by animals.

Bone Creations & Memento Mori Prints in my Etsy Shop

2010-03-24T09:11:00.004-04:00

Over the years I've made jewelry and other creations from the bones I've found.

Recently I decided to start getting a bit more serious about this and offer up my work at my Etsy shop for fellow bone lovers to purchase.

Yesterday I listed my first creation there - Upcycled Memento Mori Shadow Box - Real Rat Skull, Fungi, and Moss

This shadow box was carefully created by me. The skull is from my own personal collection. The fungi and moss came from high in the branches of the trees in my yard. Only falling to the ground during strong storms. After which I carefully collect, clean and dry them. All pieces are one of a kind, and in very limited supply.

I want you to be aware that I never have nor ever will kill or harm any animal for my bone collection.

The shadow box measures 6.5 inches by 6.5 inches. And 1.75 inches deep. Layers from top to bottom are A) glass B) 1st white matte C) 2nd black matte D) bone, moss and fungi creation E) back board. There is a hook on the back to hang the shadow box to your wall. Or it would also look nice in your cabinet of curiosities!

I've been working on different concept ideas of what else I'll make in the future. Here is an early image of my ideas becoming reality. I'm working on finishing my second shadow box as we speak.

My Etsy shop is mainly my high quality photo prints.

I have several Memento Mori Prints that may also be of interest to you.

Here are some I currently have to offer:

Dead Yellow-rumped Warbler

Self Portrait with Deer Skull

Dead Jellyfish and Portuguese Man o' War

If you see an image in any of my Flickr BONELUST sets that you are interested in purchasing just contact me to work out the details here - jana@gato-ranch.com

My photo prints are high quality and very inexpensive. It only costs $20 including shipping throughout the United States for an 8x10. If you are outside the United States and interested in making a purchase please email me at the address previously mentioned above. I also offer my photos in various poster sizes.

Also, you can purchase any of my prints directly through me paying via PayPal. So you don't have o have an Etsy account.

The Ones That Got Away - Part 1

2010-01-05T20:58:00.003-05:00

Every now and then I come across a great potential bone find. You know, a dead animal. Roadkill, natural death, hunting remains, death by illness, dog treats or in some other form.

Back in April of 2006, I was driving through the back woods near my home with my work crew to do some field work on the Suwannee River. I was driving my car separate because I'd be heading home before the research was done.

Looking over to the livestock pasture of a local rancher I spotted this:

Right then I knew I'd be back to get photos and try to see if it would be possible to return on a later date for skeletal remains.

Click on photos for larger versions.

I got these photos heading home. Amazingly it didn't reek of death. I wondered what had caused this great beast to die but didn't want to chance getting shot to get a closer look.

Beyond this cow were tiny donkey grazing in the same pasture, and just to the right of this guy was another pasture of cattle.

Note the ear tag.

I found it interesting that it seemed to have died in one of those holes I've seen horses and cattle roll around in. Strangest was that there were no vultures there and not even any circling above. That's unheard of.

The fur patches missing and the way the fur lays says it had been laying there for maybe a week already, and been rained on.

Barbed wire fence = private property. But still, it would be easy to jump this spot to return for the remains but I imagine I wasn't the only person that thought the same thing. It was gone when I came back by.

I'm going to assume the rancher or someone in his family had first "dibs", on that beautiful skull anyway.

I hope to get another horned cattle skull like this again one day. I had one as a child from my grandfather's farm. But it mysteriously vanished along with the rest of my collection one Summer.

Bone Collectors Are Not Sociopaths

2009-12-29T01:49:00.008-05:00

There are some misconceptions about bone collectors I'd like to clear up.

Some people think that because someone chooses to collects bones, dead animal/insect specimens, or even taxidermy that something "clearly" must be wrong with them.

Not true.

Speaking for myself, I do it because of my lifelong passion for science and nature. And I admit I've had a morbid curiosity since a child as well. Both, thanks to my father.

I've been collecting bones from the very young age of 7 years. I still remember the very first time I decided I needed the bones of something I found. It was a tiny dead turtle skeleton in an ant pile. In perfect, beautiful condition.

Antisocial Personality Disorder results in what is commonly known as a Sociopath or Psychopaths. Personality disorders are chronic psychological disorders, which can greatly affect a person's life.

A tell tale a sign of a future serial killer is a child who delights in torturing and killing animals. NOT one who keeps found bones because they find it interesting.

One big difference between Jeffrey Dahmer and myself is that I'd NEVER harm an animal for pleasure. I haven't even eaten meat beyond seafood for over 16 years now. Mostly because of what horrors factory farmed animals are put through.

By age 10, Dahmer was "experimenting" with dead animals, some of which he'd killed - decapitating rodents, bleaching chicken bones with acid, nailing a dog's carcass to a tree and mounting its head on a stake.

Video still of dog head on stake in the backyard of Jeffrey Dahmer's childhood home in Bath, Ohio. (Still is from - Serial Killers: Profiling the Criminal Mind, 1994)

People who kill animals as adolescents often kill human beings not long after. Just as Jeffrey Dahmer did. I'm interested in seeing what happens to Tyler Weinman, the "Florida Kitty Killer", as an adult. But personally I hope he spends his remaining lifetime in jail and never gets the chance to kill again.

I don't share the personality characteristics of a sociopath. Believe me, I've unfortunately know at least a few.

When I was around 8 years old, a boy down the street was the only child in the neighborhood near my age. He showed frightening early signs in his personality of a sociopath. I remember coming over to his house and seeing him taking live lizards he had caught, cutting them open, filling them with live bees/wasps, and painting them fluorescent colors. Even at that age I knew there was something seriously wrong with him.

Studies have found that those killers who engaged in childhood acts of animal cruelty used the same method of killing on their human victims as they did on their animal victims. So I can only imagine what sort of bizarre serial killer he'd end up being.

His father let him shoot birds from their yard with a pellet gun. Which I also thought was very strange. Considering it was in a suburban neighborhood in Tampa.

I also was never a chronic bedwetter or obsessed with fire setting as a child. Those two things along with animal cruelty are three behavioral characteristics that are associated with sociopathic behavior. According to the Macdonald triad anyway.

So no worries, you can enjoy looking at my blog knowing I didn't torture or kill any animal in any way to get the bones for my collection.

Gift Bones - Part 2

2009-12-27T22:47:00.004-05:00

Much of my bone collection is found, prepped, and cleaned by myself. Some is bought, and the rest came as gifts from exceptionally understanding friends.

One of my earliest bone gifts is a painted deer hip bone from my friend Jason. I got it from him about 22 years ago. I love how it seems to double as a mask.

Earlier this year my niece, Liz, surprised me with bone gifts. Some misc animal bones, a pile of small mammal jaws retrieved from owl droppings, and a cat skull. I like to believe I've been a good influence on her...heh

The cat was sadly hit by a car. She buried it, dug it back up, and glued the broken skull back together. I don't normally bury the road kill or hunted game I find. It can stain and rot the bones at a faster pace than using a "bone box".

But I think the distorted skull, missing part of the nasal cavity, and lack of row of teeth really adds to it. Plus the way the skull is stained really brings out the teeth.

My most recent gruesome gift is thanks to Amanda. She found this unknown bird species head on top of a car. I suspect that it was eaten by a larger predator bird by the way the back of skull and neck bones are exposed. I imagine as it ate the smaller bird, the head fell from the tree above.

It could have been caused by a cat as well. But they don't normally carry a bird on top of a car to eat. Rather, they'd want it in a safe hiding place. And cats are know to eat bird and small mammal heads entirely.

Amanda came out to visit me where I was selling my photos recently, and presented me with this lovely package that looked like two blooming flowers.

Inside was this:

As a "thank you" gift I gave her one of my dead bird prints. It may have been this one:

Thanks so much to Jason, Liz and Amanda for these uncommon gifts!

Stay tuned for more in this series of "gift bones" to come.

Gift Bones - Part 1

2009-10-09T22:18:00.006-04:00

Much of my bone collection is found, prepped, and cleaned by myself. Some is bought, and the rest came as gifts from exceptionally understanding friends.

One of the single largest bones I own is this HUGE moose antler which was a gift from my parents. Which came originally from Canada or Alaska, from a male (bull) moose. It was on my wish list of odd items so I was very excited about this surprise gift!

It measures 41 inches across the back curve. And has a pretty good weight to it . Here is a self portrait with it to give you a better idea of how large it is.

Want to see something really fantastic? Check out The New Hampshire Locked Moose Antler Project. Which involved two moose carcasses found locked in eternal combat turned into a traveling educational taxidermy exhibit. Absolutely stunning. Such a fantastic way to honor these majestic beasts.

With the birth of this blog I started to get "hey do you want a...?." questions more and more often. And of course if it is bone related, I likely welcome what you have to offer. So I started to get some pretty interesting things showing up in my mailbox.

First thing I got was this collection of partial skeletal remains of a Key Deer from my good friend Kyle. I remember him telling me stories about how when lived in the Florida Keys, they would just walk up and lick your hands.

Which is just never good for any wild animal. Most Key Deer have lost their fear of humans. This is the main reason they are now endangered.

Kyle found these remains on the property of his old landlord and had always thought that he had killed it. Upon receiving the bones it was realized that three of the vertebrae were badly fused. Which could possibly indicate that the deer was quite old and/or suffering from a disease that caused this fusing.

(click small images for larger.)

So I like to believe that the deer either died of natural causes or perhaps it was suffering and put out of misery. I have done this countless times myself and highly respect the work of a fellow angel of mercy.

(Macro of fused vertebrae.)

One night while I was out at a show in Gainesville I was located by my friend Will who had some fantastic gifts for me. I love the conversation he must have had with the door guy explaining that he had "something for someone inside".

"Can I just find my friend to give her something?"

"What is it?"

Will lifting the plastic bag with protruding bones.

"A horse skull and a shark jaw."

"Uhhhh sure."

This is one of those cases where I loved the way the horse skull was weathered and won't likely be cleaning it.

I especially love the cracking of the tooth enamel.

The shark jaw is 10 inches across so it wasn't a very big one. Anyone have any idea what it is from?

The last bone gift I received most recently was this fantastic mummified bird leg with protruding bone. My friend Bill posted a photo of it online. There were lots of "Ewww yuck!" comments of course. Except for mine.

His wife really wanted it out of the house so it took the hour journey to my house to a new happy home.

I wanted to mention that this is no small bird leg. From bone tip to talon it measures 5 and a quarter inches.

Thanks so much to my parents, Kyle, Will and Bill for these uncommon gifts!

Stay tuned for more in this series of "gift bones" to come.

Found Bones - Part 1

2009-06-14T02:17:00.005-04:00

I live way out in the country on the "Nature Coast" of Florida, in Dixie County. The Suwannee River is less than a quarter of a mile away and the Gulf of Mexico is about a 40 minute drive. There are so many different kinds of wild creatures to be seen in my yard alone. Deer, boar, turkey, rabbits, opossum, armadillo, snakes, frogs, mice, raccoons, owls, woodpeckers, lizards, skinks and on and on.

Juvenile Grey Rat Snake.

Wild Turkey chick saved from my cat and returned to mother.

Playing tag with a young Nine-banded Armadillo.

Much of the bones in my collection have been found over the years. But once I acquired part feral dogs, they seemed to just appear in my yard. I consider them gifts from my dogs. :)

I find bones fairly regularly in my yard because my dogs, Falcor and Artax, find the remains that hunters throw in the woods... or roadkill.

While I moved out here to be one with nature, much of the original residents here enjoy killing the animals I love to catch a glimpse of. I really don't like hunting but I have also come to realize that a lot of the people that live out in rural areas like this feed their families this way. I imagine there are even more people hunting now with the economy so bad.

From time to time the dogs drag a skull of a wild boar into the yard or I just find remains of the teeth or part of a jaw. This is the largest remains of a boar skull I've found yet. Looks like it has been in the woods for a long time. Wish I knew where my dogs were finding these!

Below is a found Wild Boar jaw that I wedged in between tree limbs. If you look carefully you can see where animals have been gnawing on it for calcium. I have deer antlers outside that they have nearly completely chewed up. This jaw has been here for so long now that the tree is actually growing into it. Amazing.

I'm hoping that my dogs didn't kill the dog this skull is from. They had been chewing on it in the yard and broke it. I plan on attempting to glue it back together.

One day I found this huge spine and ribcage in my back yard. It is either from a wild boar or deer.

But Falcor wasn't letting me near it for long.

By the next day all that remained was part of the spine. So I tossed it somewhere the dogs couldn't get to and it is cleaning up real nice all by itself.

Stay tuned for more in this series of found bones to come.

My Dad's Pickled Jar of Texas Creatures from 1950

2009-06-01T22:07:00.004-04:00

I was at my parents' place in Tampa, FL. this past weekend. So I took advantage of being there and snapped off some high quality shots of my Dad's childhood jar of pickled reptiles, insects and spiders.

My brother and I have both looked at and lusted over this jar countless times growing up. We both want it, as well as my niece. My Dad has always joked that it will be in his will for my brother or I. Which wouldn't surprise me.

The story behind the jar:

Around 1950, when my Dad was about 10 years old he was visiting with his grandparents in Edina, MO. His second cousin, Alfred Kirn, was visiting from Texas where he taught Biology at a college there. Alfred had lots of cool things like stuffed armadillos and such. My Dad was fascinated and pleaded for "some preserved creatures from Texas". And Alfred said he would send him a package.

What my Dad got in the mail was this magnificent collection of creatures preserved in formaldehyde, along with a letter. It still blows my mind that this was mailed from Texas to Missouri in the early 1950s! All of the specimens are still very well in tact although somewhat muted in color.

They specimens are also all labeled with tags. But because most of them are flipped around I could only read two tags:

"Lubber Grasshopper, Somerset Texas, A J Kirn"

"Walking Stick, Somerset Texas, A J Kirn"

No scientific names but they can probably all be identified fairly easy.

I'm hoping my Dad locates the letter. It lists everything in the jar.

I meant to get a photo of the bottom on the jar. I think you can see the snake's head there as well as some other insects.

Also, check out my Dad's wonderful writing here:

guarkspacetravel.com

Photos are turning the jar counter clockwise:

Texas Horned Lizards, Giant Centipede, Lizard or Skink

The head of the unidentified lizard/skink can been seen between the two Horned Lizards.

Texas Horned Lizards, Giant Centipede, Lizard or Skink, Wood Boring Beetle (Possibly Click Beetle), Faded Coral Snake, Giant Male Eastern Dobsonfly

Texas Horned Lizard, Giant Centipede, Wood Boring Beetle (Possibly Click Beetle), Faded Coral Snake, Giant Male Eastern Dobsonfly, Other Insect/s

Faded Coral Snake, Giant Lubber Grasshopper, Giant Walking Stick, Scarab Beetle, Tarantula or Other Spider

Texas Horned Lizard, Giant Lubber Grasshopper, Giant Walking Stick, Giant Centipede

Jar Lid (would love to find more of these jars/lids!)

In My Cabinet of Oddities: Part 1

2009-05-17T03:59:00.004-04:00

I've collected strange things since I was a child. Many of those I still have. But probably my most desired collectables were not acquired until later on when I had more money to spend.

I'm going to feature a few items from my collection from time to time. Today I present to you:

A Faux Shrunken Head Made From Goat Skin:

I was told when I purchased this that it was made by a member of the Jivaro tribe of the Amazon River forests, of southeastern Ecuador and northeastern Peru. They make real shrunken heads from the heads of their enemies. Trophies of war, they were believed to be powerful talismans. Since the skull would not shrink, it was removed prior to boiling and other preparation. Since the 1940s, it has been illegal to import shrunken heads into the United States. So the Jivaros now produce imitation shrunken heads fashioned of goat skin for commercial purposes.

Perhaps I will try to make my own shrunken head one day from roadkill.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrunken_head

Dog Skull, Vintage Camera & Medical Tools:

Besides bones, I collect vintage (and a few new) medical related items. Here you can see some of them including a modern hand operated bonesaw. The box that reads "A.S. Aloe Co." contains a real used vintage electric bonesaw. I'll open it up and get photos for another edition of "In My Cabinet of Oddities".

In the vintage glass Pyrex lab containers are various used medical tools. Including a metal syringe, some very intimidating pliers, and an assortment of other various tools. I can only imagine how they were previously used in surgeries.

I have medical books dating back to the 1800s. The beliefs and procedures back then seem barbaric and more like torture now. I will get a full set of photos of these to share in the future, including diagram examples.

Badger Skull & Working Vintage "Musical Jolly Chimp":

When I was young my family would sometimes go to this pizza parlor in Tampa, for dinner. It was a sit down novelty theme place that had bubbles that would fall from the ceiling and showed silent films. While you ate and watched movies there was a man that played piano on a pedestal in a spotlight. He had a creepy toy monkey that would play cymbals along with him and when it behaved badly he would strike it on the head with a mallet. Then it bared its teeth, screeched and eyes popped in and out. Disturbing.

I wouldn't say I was "scarred for life" but it certainly left a strange impression on me. As much as the monkey frightened me it also intrigued me, and so I wanted my own. Many years later with the birth of eBay I sought and purchased the exact same style of toy monkey, in working condition.

I have since unintentionally made someone cry when I showed it to them. Ooops.

You can hardly see it in the photo but he rests on a fossilized manatee bone my father gave to me as a gift. And in front of him is a badger skull I picked up at a fantastic roadside store on a highway in the middle of nowhere, in Colorado.

You can see the same kind of monkey working here:

I Should Make My Own Personal Nail Fetish

2009-05-05T02:29:00.003-04:00

This in real African nail fetish statue, of the Bakongo Tribe, from my collection of oddities. It is approx 18" tall. Weighs about 8 lbs. And is made of weathered solid wood, nails, glass and wonderful rust/patina.

Fetishes (Nkondi, or minkondi for the plural), were protective figures used by individuals, families, or whole communities. They would use them to destroy or weaken evil spirits, prevent or cure illnesses, repel bad deeds, solemnize contracts or oath-taking, and decide arguments.

A diviner or holy person would activate the statue, using magical substances. Fetishes gained power and were effective because people believed in them.

This particular fetish statue was made by someone of the Zaire, Bakongo/Kongo Tribe. It is a Nkisi Nkondi or Nkisi Nkonde nail fetish. An "Oath Taking and Healing Figure."

The figure shows an 'oath taking' gesture, with one arm upraised. At one point the figure probably held a blade, or baaka, an ancient kind of knife used for extracting the milk of the palm wine tree, in the upraised arm. The blade was believed to have the power to kill by supernatural means.

The original blade was lost and replaced by this spear, by the African Art company when I originally purchased it from, in 2001. I was told this figure was around 50 years old then.

I've often thought to make my own personal fetish in my image. I certainly have trouble with negative things happening like people being dishonest with me. So having my own Nkisi to 'nail-the-issue' into couldn't hurt!

Only thing, who would I get to activate the statue using magical substances?

Using Bones in Music: Deer Skull Microphone

2009-04-21T22:56:00.004-04:00

This past weekend I had a photo gig at the 49th Electronic SubSouth show, at The Kickstand in Gainesville, FL.

Early in the evening I spotted this deer skull and my brother, Chris, comes up to tell me that this is actually a working mic that one of the musicians that night would be using.

Later on I met him, Dave Armitage AKA No Limit Cycle.

Turns out he is into the same kinds of stuff my brother and I are. He works with bats and insects for a living AND collects bones. So naturally I was excited about this and wanted to talk to him. Soon after, he told me a really funny story about how he found the skull involving ants and relieving yourself in the woods...haha

I actually missed Dave using the deer skull mic during his performance, because I had to run across town to the Gainesville Skate Park for another show.

I tried to find video of him using it on YouTube but didn't see any. He's apparently only used it a few times. Dave demonstrated for me though, that he actually puts the snout of the deer skull inside his mouth and vocalizes. The actual microphone is way in back of the skull and full of pennies to make additional noises when the skull is shook.

Here is the underside of the skull where you can see the microphone wiring entering the skull. There is a sort of soft putty sealing it inside.

Dave uses other animals bones in his live performance as well. Here is a video of him using a mic'd bone necklace during a live improvisational performance:

Parts of it REALLY remind me of this Scary Sounds of Horror record I had when I was younger. The same one my family blared out the window on Halloween evening! Awesome.

It is very interesting to see bones being used along with electronic music devices. I'll have to be sure to catch No Limit Cycle another time and get live shots of the deer skull mic in use!

Nice to meet you Dave!

Memento Mori

2009-04-14T14:19:00.003-04:00

Memento mori is a Latin phrase meaning "Be mindful of death."

And may be translated as:

"Remember that you are mortal."

"Remember you will die."

"Remember that you must die."

"Remember your death."

This phrase names a genre of artistic creations that vary widely in medium, but which all serve the same purpose to remind people of their own mortality.

I use photography as my main means of creating my own Memento mori these days. Although I have used a wide range of other mediums to express it my entire lifetime.

My newest work is a self portrait series with my bone collection. Some of my favorites, click to see larger versions and the full set:

The Beauty of Death

2009-04-07T20:53:00.005-04:00

Sometimes death comes quite naturally.

Like this Yellow-rumped Warbler, I found laying beautifully in the yard. I could tell it was not killed by any of my cats or dogs because it remained in full, nearly pristine condition.

(Click on any of the images for a larger view.)

The thing about bird remains is that they can stay outside for YEARS and you still may never have a clean skull.

Perfect example being this cardinal head I found long ago that I've had in my "bone box" for all this time.

It just looks more weathered, rained on, and flat now if anything.

So I've decided to hang the Yellow-rumped Warbler remains appropriately over my pet cemetery, from an Egyptian scarab beetle amulet instead. I'm hoping the feathers with slowly wash away leaving a beautiful skeleton.

If it works, I'll have follow-up photos.

Never Steal a Dog's Food

2009-04-04T02:09:00.000-04:00

I hosed fur, blood & feces off the sidewalk this morning. Why?

At around 3AM I heard playful barking coming from outside. The dogs bark now and then during the night so I didn't pay much attention.

Then something triggered in my head. It was the way the dogs were barking, and I realized that they "had something". I'd heard this bark before when they had a mole (which I did manage to somehow save).

I ran outside and the dogs fled when I did. They knew they were doing something I was not going to like.

This is what I found at the foot of my steps:

A really big Mr. Opossum, which looked pretty dead. I stood there watching for breathing, movement, anything. Nothing. I really didn't want the dogs to grab him again and make a big bloody mess all over the place.

It was odd because I hadn't so much as seen an opossum for a long time because of the dogs. But this guy had somehow wandered into my yard and found the dog food.

Yup, that's where the trail of drool and fur started. They must have caught him in the act and nabbed the poor guy in his behind. Long ago I'd find opossum and raccoon heading up a tree with the dogs barking underneath.

I stood between the opossum and the dogs trying to figure out what to do. No way I was touching that bloody ball of wet fur with razor teeth! And I didn't want to hurt him any more in case he was still alive.

Falcor was creeping up alongside a tree half laying keeping his "eyes on the prize", while Artax tried to use his eyes to hypnotism me away from the area. No luck.

Then I saw Mr. Opossum's nostrils begin to flare and his chest rise and fall rapidly. Guess he was probably in shock and coming out of it. Whew, good news!

I walked the dogs away from the area and tried to distract them from his escape. Another few minutes passed and I saw him get to his feet and sneak back to the woods. So I ran the dogs out to the road. They LOVE chasing after me and really can't resist!

So glad the opossum was just injured and playing dead. Really hope he made it into the deep-woods and didn't go under my house to die. Don't want to deal with that stench, again.

The next day I saw a vulture circling the property. Though they do make their daily rounds, it had me nervous. This one was flying really low.

Sue climbing freshly fallen trees near an animal den.

So I headed out into the woods to see if there was any sign of vultures feeding. No vultures, no opossum...good. Found an animal den near the base of a HUGE tree that must have fallen during a tornado watch in the area the night before. Could be what stirred up poor Mr. Opossum. Really hope I don't find him back in the yard in pieces later on.

A happy ending, so far.

Bone Collecting from the Beginning

2009-04-02T04:47:00.000-04:00

I have been collecting bones from a very young age. I was 7 years old when it all began. My brother and I found a tiny dead newly hatched turtle in an ant bed at the end on our suburban Tampa cul-de-sac. We argued over who was going to keep it. Chris, being three years older, of course won that right.

Somewhere around 15 years later though, he passed on that skeleton to me. Sadly, Dermestid Beetle larvae ate up the tiny skeletal remains while it was in a glass case on my wall. Fitting since these larvae are used for cleaning carcasses for the bones and skulls.

I've actually lost much of the older parts of my bone and insect collection to these guys. Now I try to keep my more fragile remains in sealed glass jars or plastic bags. The Dermestid Beetle larvae can actually eat smaller bones and insect remains entirely.

You can purchase Dermestid Beetles and their larvae online. If I ever have a larger scale use for them I'll buy some but the maggots a carrion beetles out where I live do a great job on their own and are free. We'll talk about that in much more gruesome detail later on though.

Misc animal teeth found in my yard & tiny Pufferfish in jar.

So my brother and I had a pretty spectacular bone collection growing up which was carefully displayed in his room. A sea turtle skull, the entire remains of an armadillo, a huge long-horned cow skull, and much more. I'm going to see if I can find some photos of our collection to post later.

Ours parents, unfortunately must have thought this was a hobby that my brother and I needed to grow out of though. One Summer while we were at our grandparents' in Missouri our entire collection vanished with no explanation. We came home to empty shelves where it once was. Still to this day, I'm upset about it. There were things in that collection that I've never been able to get again. And some of it held sentimental meaning.

My brother still collects bones as well. His are bought or found for the most part. I don't think he goes through the processes I do though of going from a carcass to clean bones. But I may just be unaware of that though too.

I live in the deep-country on the Gulf coast of Florida these days. In an area called The Nature Coast. I moved here to enjoy nature while the locals spend much of their time trying to kill it for sport and/or food.

There is certainly no lack of bones to be found out here.

Skull and fragments found in backyard after the dogs chewed it up. I think it is actually another dog.

There is an endless amount of road kill along the highways to take you pick at, if you care to drag the body to your car and take it home. Ranging from opossum, raccoon, dog, cat, wild boar, deer, vulture, turtle, wild turkey, rabbit, skunk, barn owl...and on and on.

Most of my finds recently though can be thanks to A) the local hunter dumping gutted carcasses in the woods and B) my dogs dragging the bones and skulls into the yard.

I'm going to chronicle those stories here, and much more.

Origins of Bonelust

2009-04-01T22:06:00.000-04:00

Bonelust is a play on bloodlust, which is a desire for violence and carnage. So then perhaps bonelust is the desire for the remains of bloodlust. Just the bones and whatever else remains from an often unseen violent act. Much of my bone collection is from roadkill or hunting remains. Neither of which I was the guilty party. Some of it was bought and the rest was found in its final beautiful ivory remains.

Opposum bones found in the woods next to my house.

I've had much interest shown in my "museum" if you will over the years. My house is laid out in every direction with interesting things for the eyes to behold. Although admittedly, for those who enjoy the darker aesthetics in life.

Here, I will share my countless collections, artwork, writing, photography...everything. Hope you enjoy.