Hi, my name is Reb and I would like to share more of the origin story of Wild Bone Alchemy. Wild Bone Alchemy emerged from the lifelong practice of collecting treasures from the natural world. Ever since I was a child, I have spent significant time outdoors. I explored the forests and river near the house I grew up in and returned each day with bones, wasp nests, mushrooms, seed pods, flowers, peels of bark, braided grasses, rocks, ancient glass, rusty screws- And I transformed every surface of my room into altars to the wild.
I would make simple adornments by tying string around a bone shard or by wrapping a rock. I would bottle things up and make curiosity collages to hang on the wall, or to give as gifts. These acts came naturally, and I never thought about it too deeply. Throughout Art School, I used many of the found materials in pieces and for my Thesis Project, I even worked alongside select insects in a piece called A Collaboration with Insects. Really though, the seeds of Wild Bone Alchemy sprouted when I was serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Federated States of Micronesia. I had been given the remaining teeth of a dog that I was quite fond of. As I was meditating on the life of the creature and the way in which they met their end, I was using what minimal materials were available to create a Memorial Adornment. I wore it for the rest of service and for a while after returning home. It was the spark of much interest and many conversations around culture, ethics, loss- life.
I started to make more durable and detailed pieces from bones and other forest found materials in my collections. I wore them. People asked where they could get one too. With some background in sculpture, I taught myself how to make jewelry, and since then, have taken classes in metal smithing and electroforming.
I offer forest found, hand crafted adornments, altar pieces, and conversation at all types of markets, festivals, craft fairs, and in virtual spaces. I met my partner, Fin at a Farmers’ Market. He approached my display and told me that he collects bones too. We’ve been collecting bones and collaborating ever since.
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