Artist Spotlight
MARIA D’SOUZA OF BEADED SKULL ART
BY HOLLIE DEESE
I
t all starts with a dream. Or maybe it’s more of an inspired vision. But the design for each animal skull Maria D’Souza handbeads appears in her head before she begins to translate it to the piece.
“I always have a book on my nightstand, and I capture everything,” she says. “That’s like my little Bible that goes everywhere with me. I am so amazed each and every time I look at a particular color that’s come into my mind’s eye or through a vision, and I think, ‘How on earth am I going to get this color?’” Luckily, D’Souza has bead manufacturers overseas that produce three-dimensional cut beads cut beads specifically for her, and they are excited when she pushes them to get the colors she dreams up. “Usually it’s a yes,” she says. Building on skulls of the world’s most beautiful animals, D’Souza combines color and dimension to create one-of-a-kind pieces. She says she is inspired by the seemingly random perfection of nature, as she imagines the spirit of the animal and brings it new life through
Right, the piece titled “Nashville Soul” was made for “The Young and the Restless” star Tracey Bregman from a longhorn skull. Seated, from left, Tracey Bregman, Maria, D’Souza and Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center CEO Cheryl Strichik.
104 | NASHVILLEINTERIORS | Fall 2020/Winter 2021
color, motion and depth. “I was looking at Western art, especially when I was out in Arizona and Wyoming, and I would see a lot of people create on animal skulls. I’m a huge animal lover and wanted to do it ethically, so I found the means and started experimenting with beads and materials, like silver, pewter and copper.” Honoring the life of the animal is at the core of D’Souza’s art. Mounts from domesticated Longhorns and bison come from small family farms, animal sanctuaries and parks after they have lived out their lives, often cared for as pets. She does not source from factory farms or meat-processing facilities. “Some of the pets, I get the stories behind them, and those are really cool,” she says. As for the mounts of wild animals, they are sourced from a network of people known as “deadhead” and “shed” searchers who scour wilderness for skulls, antlers and horns of animals that have died of natural causes or been killed by predators. Animals in colder climates (elk, moose, pronghorn and deer)
