This study of a deer skull captures the quiet complexity of an object shaped by both nature and time. The model for the piece is a real skull found in the Gila Wilderness of southwestern New Mexico, one of the last true wilderness areas in the United States. The Gila’s rugged, untouched landscape holds a sense of stillness and raw presence, and the skull, weathered by the elements, carried that energy with it.

When I discovered it, the antlers had already been removed. Rather than seeing this as a loss, I felt it gave the skull a deeper sense of history.  That absence added to its character, speaking to the transformation objects undergo, especially those found in the wild.

Today, the skull has taken on a second life as a sculptural object titled Argus. Painted and adorned with peacock feathers, it references the Roman myth in which Argus, a many-eyed figure, is ultimately betrayed by Juno, who then honors him by placing his eyes on her peacock’s tail. The feathers, tied to Juno, are symbols of watchfulness and transformation. In this context, they also speak to the watchful presence of nature, the layered histories within objects, and the way meaning shifts when we choose to see something not only for what it is, but for what it once was... and what it might become.