how art changes the way we think about death

In this blog post, I show you how I created a series of sugar skulls based on the day of the dead folklore. This sugar skull art is part of the Mexican tradition of Día de Muertos, or Day of the dead. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. The celebration takes place on October 31, November 1 and November 2, in connection with All Souls' Day. Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars called ofrendas, honoring the deceased using sugar skulls (like this one), marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts.  Although this may be the origin of the holiday, my art is not intended to be morbid, scary or goth.

Here are the mixed media artworks in progress. I like to work in a series in order to try out different ideas. I also like documenting my progress to tell the story of how the art was created. You can see there is a colorful quilt like pattern underneath each skull with bright color combinations popular in Mexico.

Here they are again in the next stage. You can see that this one is not quite finished... she gets her finishing touches which you can see in the next photo. I like how you can see through the transparent white to peek at the layers underneath.

The skulls are derived from the folk lore of giving sugar skulls to celebrate day of the dead, but in my rendition, there is nothing scary or goth about them. The art celebrates life, color and culture.

The petite size makes this art perfect for your desk. (SOLD)

The sides are painted so you do not have to frame it if you don't want to... but of course you can anyway. The art is colorful and happy-- its small size makes it easy to display on a shelf or any other spot in your home where you want some ethnic color.

These two are the only ones I have in stock right now. The other two have already sold and are in private collections. (save on this art)

Want to save on this art right now? let me email you the latest coupon

Other Blog posts you might like:

• Happy Birthday Frida Kahlo 

• Eclectic Foyer Ideas

• Mixed Media Metamorphosis

   

More About Me

For super fans only: You can stay connected with me  through one of my newsletters where I curate my content  for either artists or art collectors, but if you want to receive  everyone of my blog posts the day after I write them. you  can subscribe to them via by Email I write about   color trends, museum musings, my art, art journaling, decorating ideas and watercolor techniques.

Hey, I'm Miriam Schulman and I create mixed media art to tell stories. I also teach other people how to craft their stories with art. I give them the techniques they need to get the results they desire which brings more joy to their lives.