Sparkle Skull!

While Peter and I were in Spain we found this amazing little jewelry shop where everything was hand made by a different designer. It was filled with the most unique and extravagant baubles and personal ornaments I have ever seen. Once one stepped through the door you would be greeted by a posed jet black female mannequin, arms akimbo in mid-air, wearing a floor length gown made of black silk roses, and the entirety of the mannequin's surface was covered in tiny red Swarovski flat back crystals. 35,000 crystals had been placed by hand by the artist is what the installation notes read. It was stunning. Upon our return Peter told me that he would like to make me something similar for my birthday. Here it is!

This is early morning with the light coming in from our east facing windows. The skull is certified long horn fresh from Austin TX via Ebay. After some 60 odd hours over the course of two and half months and nearly 5000 crystals glued to it's surface it is currently my most prized possession. Peter and I discovered, after he started work on this project, that there is a very famous artist (Damien Hirst) who also had a thing for covering skulls with crystals. 

Here is a full shot. As you move around the room the light refracts from different angles on the crystals and it sparkles. 

When I was younger I used to sit around getting depressed about feeling like nothing is original, that I could never write words, sing music, or create art that was completely unique and had never been seen or done before. It's a lonely idea but also completely untrue. As I've aged I have stopped trying to make something out of nothing and embraced being "influenced" (aka stealing) ideas from every creative source I could find. Unfortunately also as you age you start to have less free time to devote to artistic endeavors. My friends Loves It! say it best in their song Me Alone "it's the great debate to create or procreate" and it weighs heavy on my mind these days. But for right now this is my baby, now what should I name it!?