Local artist puts brush to bone
Warm and cool colours fill the walls of Earl McKay’s studio gallery in Prince Albert. Bison skulls line a shelf while a pile of skulls at various stages of being painted rest in the corner.
For the last three years, McKay has used the unusual medium of bison skulls for his art. He first put brush to bone 15 years ago at a client’s behest but returned to the style recently.
He said it’s a way to give the bones new meaning.
“He was a majestic creature, and when he died, he was thrown away. The way I look at it, I take that bison skull and I give it life back,” McKay said. “Once I’m done with the artwork and somebody purchases it… They’ll hang it on their wall, and every time they look at it, they’ll show a respect for it.”