SIDE STREET
STUDIO ARTS
Where Elgin Creates
Bone Cabinet
Becca Howe
Colored pencil and mixed media
6in x 8in x 1.5in
$275
My name is Becca Howe, and my piece is titled "Bone Cabinet." The piece is rectangular, approximately 6 inches wide by 8 inches tall by 1.5 inches deep. It's made of birch and painted dark gray. It resembles a small cabinet and is inspired by traditional cabinets of curiosities. The space within the cabinet is divided widthwise into a top compartment and a bottom compartment. The top compartment is further subdivided into three equal spaces, each holding one object. On the left is a small glass bottle with a cork stopper, filled with small pieces of clear amber, blue, and green glass. In the middle compartment is a geode, and on the right are two small animal bones. Below these objects, in the lower compartment, is a hand-drawn illustration, something two-dimensional to complement the three-dimensional objects above. The main illustration is an old, weathered deer jawbone that appears to be suspended from the shelf of the cabinet by red ribbons. There are other ribbons in the space, two of which, on the left, suspend golden trinkets like pendants set with emeralds and sapphires. The overall effect of "Bone Cabinet" is to make the viewer feel like they've stumbled upon a cabinet from a wizard's workshop.