Photo Essay: Depictions with the Departed
A photo series of Claire Taylor, a Bellingham artist who specializes in giving wild animals a new life.
Story and photos by Ozan Konez
Claire Taylor is a Bellingham based artist who uses the mummified remains of animals paired with dried and pressed leaves, mushrooms and flowers to make jewelry and other displays. She runs an Instagram page called Nevermore Crafts where you can find photos of art and videos of some of the behind-the-scenes processes.
Taylor was inspired to take a creative path when she got sober in April of 2002. “If I was drinking and doing drugs, I wouldn’t have done any of that,” she said. Meditation was an incredibly important part of her journey to sobriety and creating her art was her form of meditation. “I have never made anything in my whole life before this,” she said.
“I think it has helped me have a better relationship with death,” Taylor said. “And just thinking about my own mortality.” Not being afraid of my own death came about through her artistic and recovery journey.
In the front are the bottom jaws of two deer, a mother and her fawn who both passed simultaneously. The bigger set of deer jaws is used to display a photo. In the background you can see a picture frame containing various pressed leaves, dried mushrooms and flowers, as well as the mummified body of a mouse. The photo was taken at Whatcom Falls Park in Bellingham, Washington on Nov. 17, 2024.
A portrait of Bellingham-based artist Claire Taylor, taken at Whatcom Falls Park in Bellingham, Washington. Her earrings are made from the jaws of a skunk found in Whatcom county, Washington. The photo was taken at Whatcom Falls Park in Bellingham, Washington on Nov. 17, 2024.
A display made from the mummified heads of a rabbit and a raccoon. In the middle, there is a maple leaf and the left side of the board is covered in pressed flowers. The board was displayed at Whatcom Falls Park in Bellingham, Washington on Nov. 17, 2024.
A shimmering blue wreath. Woven in are string lights, antlers and pinecones. This piece was displayed at Whatcom Falls Park in Bellingham, Washington on Nov. 17, 2024.
A cheerful portrait of Bellingham-based artist, Claire Taylor taken at Whatcom Falls Park in Bellingham, Washington. Her earrings are made from the mandibles of a skunk she found. The photo was taken at Whatcom Falls Park in Bellingham, Washington on Nov. 17, 2024.