Some of the most talked about pieces at Formato Fine Arts are small enough to wear. Bonecraft is the work of Bryanna Love, an artist from Dublin, Virginia, who transforms animal bones, feathers, moss, and reclaimed objects into jewelry and sculpture. Every material she uses is ethically sourced or upcycled, from the metal chains and findings to the bones themselves. Each piece begins with an animal, and Bryanna wants you to remember that.
Bryanna hand next to a black bear paw.
Meet the Artist
Bryanna is from Dublin, Virginia, in Pulaski County, where she works for the Pulaski County school district. Through Bonecraft, she builds a studio practice directly from the environment and community around her: using nature to make art. In her words, the work is about reclaiming natural materials and "bringing life back to the dead."
She holds every piece to a high standard. Her projects involve "sweat, some blood, no tears," and anything that does not meet her expectations never leaves the studio. As she puts it, chance decides which materials come to her. Control is what she does with them.
Where the Bones Come From
Bonecraft bones come from two sources: roadkill that Bryanna finds and collects herself, and animals that are given to her.
Raccoon Snatcher
Roadkill is at the heart of her practice. Most animals struck by cars go unnoticed. They are rarely used as food and often never return to the ecosystem, instead being run over again and again until nothing is left. Bryanna collects these animals and treats them with as much care as she can, giving them a second purpose that the roadside never would.
How Bryanna Harvests and Cleans Bones
Preparing bones is a slow, natural process that takes months.
- Burial. Bryanna places the animal in a plastic tub with holes drilled into the bottom and sides, then buries it. The holes let soil, moisture, insects, and microorganisms reach the remains.
- Waiting. The beautiful bugs does the work. Bryanna usually harvests the bones at around six-9 months, when the natural breakdown is far enough along that the remains are much less unpleasant to handle.
- Cleaning. Once unearthed, she dissolves any remaining tissue from the bones.
- Bleaching and disinfecting. Finally, each bone is bleached and disinfected so it is clean, bright, and ready to become jewelry or sculpture.
Throughout the burial, the animal is feeding the soil and the insects that live in it. Bryanna sees this as part of the lifecycle continuing: vultures and bugs carry it forward until she can continue it through her art.
Bryanna holding a deer carcass.
Upcycled Metals and Materials from the Earth
Bonecraft is not only about bone. Bryanna sources all of her materials ethically, and much of what she uses is reclaimed or upcycled:
- Upcycled metals and jewelry components for chains, wire, and findings
- Feathers from her own chickens
- Moss and dried flowers gathered from her front and backyard
- Handmade beads and thrifted beads
- Reclaimed wood
- Yard sale finds converted into new sculptures and jewelry
The result is work that feels both earthy and refined, with nothing wasted and also cute!
Shop our Bonecraft Collection at Formato Fine Arts
The current Bonecraft collection at Formato Fine Arts includes necklaces and earrings priced from $20 to $35:
- Raccoon vertebrae necklaces on leather cord or silver chain
- A skunk bone necklace on gold chain
- Mouse bone vial and mouse bone globe necklaces
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A squirrel bone and dried flower pendant on silver chain
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Raccoon rib bone earrings in silver
- Single skunk bone and skunk vertebrae earrings in bronze and gold
Because every bone is unique, no two pieces are ever exactly alike.
What Is Vulture Culture?
Vulture culture is a community of artists and collectors who work with the remains of animals that were already dead, rather than hunted as trophies. Like the vultures it is named for, practitioners do not kill. They gather what has been left behind and give it new purpose.
As Defector's feature on the movement explains, the name took shape in online spaces like LiveJournal in the early 2000s. Its roots go back much further, to the cabinets of curiosities that came before natural history museums. Today the community has its own books, including Lupa's Vulture Culture 101: A Book for People Who Like Dead Things (discussed in this essay on the subculture), and its own films, like the 2024 Canadian short documentary Vulture Culture: Creating Afterlives, which follows bone scavengers, taxidermists, and artists.
"Ethically sourced" can mean different things to different collectors, and buyers often have to take a seller's word for it. That is why transparency matters. Bryanna shares exactly where her bones come from and how she prepares them, so every Bonecraft buyer knows the full story behind their piece.
Bryanna on a mission
Bone in Contemporary Art: Jennifer Trask
Bryanna works in a tradition that has a place in major museums. One of the most celebrated contemporary artists working in bone is Jennifer Trask, born in 1970 on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and based in Kingston, New York. Trained as a metalsmith, Trask builds jewelry and sculpture from antler, horn, teeth, and bone, often set into gilded 18th and 19th century frame fragments.
The Smithsonian American Art Museum featured her work in Visions and Revisions: Renwick Invitational 2016, describing pieces that evoke cycles of death, transformation, and rebirth. Her materials have included deer, snake, coyote, and raccoon bone, which she has described as ethically sourced. In a Smithsonian Magazine profile, Trask explained that she does not see death in her materials, but a rich backstory.
After reading about Jennifer Trask, I couldn’t help but think back to a dreamcatcher Bryanna once told me about. Its centerpiece, the piece that holds the yarn web of dreams, is a deer antler that belonged to her pawpaw, who gave it to her. The antler still carries gnaw marks and scratches. Maybe they came from the deer rubbing against trees, maybe from fighting, or maybe from rodents that used it to floss after it fell.
More Than "Cool Goth Bone Art"
For Bryanna, the meaning goes deeper than the aesthetic. She hopes people see more than "cool goth bone art." She wants viewers to see the animal that died, the reuse, and the return to life, and to feel empathy for the creatures that are so often ignored.
Her request is a simple one. Next time you pass an animal on the side of the road, notice it and think about it, even for a moment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bonecraft jewelry ethically sourced? Yes. Bryanna's bones come from roadkill she collects and animals given to her, and her metals, beads, and mixed media materials are ethically sourced or upcycled.
Are the bones safe to wear? Every bone is naturally cleaned through months of burial, then has remaining tissue dissolved before being bleached and disinfected.
How long does it take to prepare the bones? Bryanna typically harvests buried bones at around six months before cleaning, bleaching, and disinfecting them.
What is vulture culture? Vulture culture is a community of artists and collectors who work with the remains of animals that were already dead rather than hunted. Bonecraft is part of that tradition.
Where can I buy Bonecraft jewelry? Bonecraft is available online at Formato Fine Arts, 100 W Main Street, Wytheville, Virginia.
Visit Formato Fine Arts
Follow Bryanna on instagram : @bonecrvft
See the Bonecraft collection online and in person at Formato Fine Arts, 100 W Main Street, Wytheville, Virginia 24382. Call 276-920-4004 for hours and availability.
