Calavera

Cape Town-based artist, Nicola De Jager hand embroiders Day of the Dead skulls with a bit of a twist. She wants to change society's view on skulls and their association with the macabre by making them bright, colorful, and beautiful. Starting her stitching with the eyes and then moving on to the colors, nose, mouth, etc., each skull begins to take on a personality and slowly develops into the finished piece. Nicola says, "I embrace embroidery as an art form as there is something powerful about creating something so intimate. The use of thread as a medium and embroidering as the application grounds me and slows me down to become more aware and present."I think she definitely succeeded in making the macabre beautiful. These skulls certainly make me happy.View more of Nicola's embroidered skulls at calavera.za!