I am sure that everyone has met a skeleton or two in their time, but it is my hope that this is the first time you have ever met a “skelly”! Skellies are born out of a darker beauty that reminds us to laugh even when the world isn’t so funny. I revere Mexico’s celebration of Los Dias de Los Muertos, or the Days of the Dead. In Mexico, there is a belief that a person undergoes three deaths: the physical death, when the heart no longer beats and the breath no longer quickens; the death of the body, when it turns to decay and the evidence of its’ existence begins to fade; and the death of the memory, possibly the most heinous and lonely death. Los Dias de Los Muertos helps honor, connect, and keep the memories of the dead alive. Skellies are my way of laughing, living, loving, and even grieving. Each skelly is a memory, a dream, a tear, or a smile.

Skellies share their funny stories and very real heartbreaks with me on a daily basis. If I need anything, Saint Skelly and the rest of the Morbidly Adorables are right there. I am fortunate to live in a world where skelly cats neither shed nor cough up hairballs but will purr into the wee hours of the morning. It’s not really a purr so much as a death rattle, but the unearthly sound is comforting nonetheless. Having skellies around also means losing a lot of time looking for things they hide and spending even more time tending to the skellybugs in the garden. I would not trade a moment. I cannot imagine a world without them. They are my heart and skull.

This is a ONE OF A KIND Paperclay/Mixed Media sculpture. No molds were used to make this sculpture! It was created and painted by my own hand! No two sculptures will ever be the same. The bottom of the decorative wooden platform is signed and dated!

Copyright Misty Benson. All Rights Reserved.