I’ve been in the process of cleaning my coyote skull since I posted this beautifully witchy photoshoot last autumn. And by “in the process,” I mean mainly letting mother nature do her reliable work, because I stay away from these things until they’re clean enough to not make me wanna gag while in close proximity to them (I’m just a girl with a weird hobby, I’m not a girl with a stomach of steel).
Well, the time finally came last month, after the long, cold winter began to thaw off, and I retrieved this perfect specimen from my…um…specimen bucket.
Yeah, okay, I hear it. And I know how it sounds.
But listen, this was a donation from my grampa who found a dead coyote. So really, I’m just doing the respectable work of appreciating the good lawd’s creatures, even after their death.
the gold accents are truly the chef’s kiss ✨
post-washing, pre-painting
Anyways, after just a couple scrubs, a few rounds of hydrogen peroxide, and a couple weeks of sunshine, she was ready to paint.
Since she did not have enough flat area to do anything extravagant (I was originally thinking about painting a butterfly in the middle of her forehead), I decided to stick with my classic floral theme.
I briefly considered changing the color of the flowers, but ultimately decided that I wanted my coyote to match my previously-painted doe skull, since I knew that they’d be hanging right next to each other.
On my bedroom wall.
I must say, it does take longer than you’d think to get the base coat of paint in every crack and crevice of a skull (there’s a lot goin’ on in these brain-houses), but I spent a lovely late night working on it, with my windows open and the spring peepers loudly singing outside, so I’m not complaining.
I’m simply stating a fact.
And although the start was as tedious as ever (hoping that I’d successfully pick the right flower placements that felt flowy and cohesive), it went along smoothly, without any major hiccups, or flat-out screwups.
honestly the most stressful part of all was centering this on it’s plaque, but I think I did a pretty good job; and considering the fact that I know how to use a drill, I think that makes me pretty self-sufficient
Although some people might say that there’s a deeper subtle meaning to having a coyote skull and a deer skull — painted to match — hanging peacefully beside each other on the wall (coyotes hunt deer in the wild, after all), I can’t say that there’s any underlying meaning to my room décor.
Honestly, I just think that it’s pretty fucking cool.
art by jordan rae 