The Bone Blossoms: A Surrealist Journey in Bone

At Bone Boutique, my hands have always danced with the leftover bones—transforming them into dragons wielding staffs, butterflies with killer moth wings, dragon squirrels, jellyfish, and even dragon eggs. But the Bone Blossoms?

You know, I've always been fascinated by the way bones can tell a story. But I wanted to push that story further, to create something that wasn't just beautiful, but also a little unsettling, a little surreal. That's how Bone Blossoms came to be.

I take these leftover bones, garfish scales, catfish ribs – things most people would discard – and I transform them. I build flowers, delicate and strange, like something Dalí might have dreamed up. It's a way of pushing the boundaries, of seeing what's possible when you blend the organic with the surreal.

In October 2023, this vision took flight when my Bone Blossom piece, Ethereal Efflorescence, claimed 1st place in the Wonderland: Surrealist Adventure juried exhibition at the Englewood Art Center, Ringling College. That win wasn’t just a ribbon—it was a spark. It ignited a dream of going bigger, bolder. I’m now deep into a solo exhibition, scaling up these delicate bone flowers into works that demand space and awe. The challenge? Thinking outside the box—literally. Bases sturdy enough for shipping, storage solutions for their grand size—it’s a puzzle I’m solving one bloom at a time.

The first piece in this new chapter is personal: a crucifix that once belonged to my dearly departed mother. I’ve mounted a European-style deer skull atop it, adorning its crown and antlers with Bone Blossoms. The bone-on-bone design is seamless—flowers seem to grow from the deer itself, a fusion so natural you can’t tell where skull ends and blossoms begin. It’s a tribute to her, to resilience, and to the surreal beauty I find in nature’s remnants.

This project, it's a journey. It's about pushing myself as an artist, exploring the limits of my medium. It's about taking something that's often seen as macabre and turning it into something beautiful, something thought-provoking. It’s about loss, and rebirth, and finding beauty in the unexpected. And I'm excited to share that journey with you.