Back in the day - I fell in love with antlers. When I was given my very first set (they were deer antlers) it was a bit mind boggling. Sure they were pretty. Smooth and almost waxy. Intricate and simple at the same time. AND they are quite HEAVY. My brain cannot compute just how a living creature walks around with something like this on their head. Oh and the living creature part.... The antlers were still attached to the skull (to maintain the set). And the skull still had hair*. Suddenly it was painfully obvious that I was holding the top portion of the skull of a once-living creature.
Not a trendy design element.
That realization was heavy.
*I wanted to point out that the hunters I got my racks from are wonderful and caring people that use every inch (including the hides). They eat the meat all winter and the utmost care is taken in preserving and utilizing the animal. This is not a post about hunting or hunters.
That sadness makes the antlers that much more incredible to me. And now that people know I love them - I get gifted a lot. I have about 5 sets of deer antlers, maybe 3 deer sheds ( the single antlers that fall off naturally), a set of caribou a sheds, a moose rack, and recently the beauties in the top photo that were dropped off by my friend Murray from Saskatchewan. Those one (if you can see in the picture) have a weathered patina from being outside. Much like an old bone texture. So different from some of the ones that have been kept indoors that are very solid, darker-coloured, smooth and waxy to touch. Oh the powerful sun.
So I have been cracked in two - the aesthetic appreciator and the spirit's appreciator. i feel truly in awe of the creature and lucky to be able to honour them somehow... (That probably sounds so strange.) I think the antlers are beautiful. And weighted with a story. True art.
Today: just painting. I have a complicated set of pieces that I want to tackle. I was bummed because my favourite paint colour was discontinued. It was a mixing mystery to me until I spent an hour yesterday to figure it out. It's green. Not blue. With unbleached titanium in equal parts to white. Mystery solved and palette disaster avoided. Coffee please!
GO!
