Serendipity Cow Skull

This is the cow skull that I found on that run around my local lake on the day I decided to learn this art form.  On that run I was pondering how I was going to find a skull – one with meaning.  Having taken a slightly different path, my path intersected with the tree on which this perfectly preserved skull hung. 

After getting the permission from my neighbor (it was his cow), I ordered a coloring book of Huichol patterns, watched a bunch of YouTube videos and started.  This skull is a mis-mash of those simple patterns significant in Huichol pattern, the most dominant being the Peyote symbol on the forehead.  I used a variety of bead sizes, colors and finishes.  It is rough and ready and full of imperfections.  With each skull, my technique has improved.  It hangs in my home to remind me that anything new starts with a first.