The beautiful end.

My name is Maureen Swiertz and my piece is titled The Beautiful End. The medium is acrylic on wood panel. It's approximately seven inches high and five inches wide. It's done in the style of a memento mori. It is a painting of a skull and an oval shape with a flourish frame done in tones of blues and beiges. I wanted to have a serene but not necessarily a negative vibe, as memento mori are not about death, but about focusing on life and what truly matters. The skull is looking off to the side at a future loved one, or remembrance of a past moment. The frame of the piece is painted in a gilded paint that I purchased this past April in London at a wonderful, tiny little art supply shop, El Corneliussen and Son, which has been around since eighteen fifty five. It's truly a magical spot and thought that this piece deserved a little magic that was brought home with me from that shop. Using the gilding on the frame with the hint of a cross on the top lends a suggestion of something sacred, precious and preserved, even as the image itself speaks of inevitable decay. I hope you appreciate this piece as much as I enjoyed making it. I do love the macabre, so collecting and painting skulls are my happy place.