But Make It Sparkle: Ginifer Lee Talks Sacred Skull Studio
By Samantha Anne Carrillo
A few years ago, someone gave artist Ginifer Lee, of Sandia Park, N.M., a visual reference for her oil painting practice: a life-sized ceramic human skull. As Lee contemplated that skull, she pictured it sparkling.
That glittering vision would inspire a ritualistic artistic experiment. Three months—and four-thousand tiny, shimmering crystals—later, Lee had created her first bejeweled skull. Prior to that singular vision, Lee says she wouldn’t have imagined herself working with such a multitude of miniscule objects and the repetition and precision the medium requires.
As Lee began to more fully inhabit her new artistic practice, her personal connection to the powerful symbology she’d chosen came into clearer focus. “I’ve always been drawn to skulls but I never really understood why or gave it much thought. But when I started envisioning these skulls covered in sparkle and shine, and stones that catch your eye, I think it’s because I was always terrified of death,” said Lee. “Embracing it has been a whole new experience for me.”
Here, Lee references the customs of the Día de los Muertos holiday and the concept of memento mori—objects, practices, and symbols that serve to remind humanity of the relative brevity of our time on Earth—as a more proactive way of relating to our innate mortality. “Dia de los Muertos skulls [calaveras] show us that death is not something to be afraid of. And skulls are a constant reminder that, yes, you will die,” said Lee. “So let’s live now in that joy, feel that passion and be bewitched.” Those feelings come easily when experiencing the artist’s work, which intensely announces the duality of life and death.
A longtime, self-taught painter, Lee now divides her time between working with oils and acrylic and “painting” skulls with diminutive glass rhinestones. As Lee’s mastery of working with crystals grows, she’s focusing more on the energetic aspect of design and creation. Lee prioritizes infusing her work with positivity. “My skulls are all based on really positive things. With names like ‘Desire,’ ‘Euphoria,’ ‘Joy,’ and ‘Passion,’ I won’t even work on them if I’m in a bad mood. I don’t want to lock that energy into them. I want people to get positive energy from them.” That energetic positivity, drawn from Lee’s creativity and lived experience, results in compelling, almost magnetically attractive sculptures.
One of the things that Lee enjoys most about people’s connection and engagement with her skulls is their emotional gravity. “I feel like my skulls are a reminder of the [value of life], and I love to watch which ones people gravitate towards. I’m always fascinated with which one they’re going to choose,” says Lee. “One of my clients who was going through a hard time was really drawn to a particular skull titled ‘Growth,’ and she said, ‘That’s exactly what I need.’ Even if you think you’re just drawn to the color, I feel like you’re also drawn to the concept and the meaning.”
As I spent time with Lee’s skulls, I found myself drawn to one in particular. Against a base layer of amethyst-colored crystals, vibrant orange details–the color of cempasúchil or marigolds–accentuate the windows of the soul, and a serpent in shades of fire opal and ruby ascends toward the third eye. That skull is named “Wisdom,” and Lee was right–I’m a seeker.
Connect with Lee, and discover which of her works you’re drawn to online. Lee’s sparkling skulls, currently priced between $75 and $80, are available through her Etsy store, The Sacred Skull Studio. You can also find Lee and explore her art on Facebook and Instagram.
Photographed on location at Viva New Mexico Studios, USA
Set Decoration and Photography by: Hillary Zinks. IMDb, Instagram.
Hair Artist: Delana Veirs, IMDb, Instagram
Nail Artist: Tammy Stines, A Nu U Salon
