Have you ever seen shell skull carvings? Gregory Halili creates them, and they all look fascinating.
Hailing from New Jersey, Gregory Halili is an artist that creates fascinating bas-relief skulls. How does he do it? Well, he hand-carves them on mother of pearl shells, and then he paints them to look very real!
His inspiration? It’s the Philippines’ tropical wildlife and abundant vegetation. It was actually in this place that he was born and raised. Now, Halili intricately combines the human form with the beautiful elements of the natural world. The result? Unique and lovely pieces of art.
So, Gregory Halili prefers to make use of the black-lip as well as the gold-lip mother of pearl that one can find in shells. As for Halili’s shells, he collects them from the Philippines. First, he carves them by hand. Then, he uses oil paint to form the “shell skull carvings.”
Whenever you see his pieces of art, you might get confused in trying to put a line between his oil paint and the shell’s natural shine and colors. The resulting human-made skull is just a beauty to behold. It not only pleases the sight but also provokes you to think about life, death, and rebirth.
Gregory Halili creates impressive shell skull carvings.
Source: Gregory Halili