Diana Carrasquillo is a Macon-based artist whose current work, Mori Jewelry Co. features jewelry made using rattlesnake vertebrae. Diana has come to Middle Georgia from Coastal Georgia, where she first began creating art inspired by the outdoors. All her jewelry and art pieces feature bones which are ethically sourced. To see one of her pieces will bring clarity to the name Mori, a reminder of our mortality, a Memento Mori. Each piece she creates is unique, and a one-of-a-kind gift from the Earth turned into something beautiful and useful.
"I have loved art in every form for as long as I can remember. Music, poetry, paint, glass, jewelry, clothing, and all the rest. I like the freedom granted to the maker and the glimpse of soul we receive just by seeing the maker's work. I am hopelessly drawn to the macabre and unique. In high school art class, I would often be reprimanded for breaking the parameters of the latest assignment. My argument was always that art was supposed to have “no rules.” I always wanted to make every piece my own, and I would do that instead of focusing on recreating a work for the sake of learning a new medium. My grade often reflected my authority issues but my creativity lived on, expanded, and now flourishes.
Getting into jewelry making is something that I never would have guessed but it has given me the same satisfaction that other forms of art always did. My uniqueness comes into play in the form of bones. That’s right, I use bones in the majority of my pieces. I typically use snake vertebrae. It is important to me that all of my materials are ethically sourced so I like to scavenge in the woods for my bones. The term for this is “vulture culture.” When my bones come home, I clean them properly and coat them in a layer of white paint, then a final layer for protection and shine. Once all of that is dry, I can start my pieces. Check out my work on Facebook, Instagram, or my website! I can also be found in the flesh at many makers markets, especially those in Macon. Please visit Mulberry Market and The Market Downtown in Macon to see me and many other talented artists!"
