Today, I describe myself as a creative spirit with a deep reverence for animals and a lifelong fascination with the form and function of bodies. These passions led me to become a veterinarian.  The clinical focus of my work centers on equine acupuncture—a discipline that draws on a deep knowledge of anatomy, physiology, and movement.

Like many during the pandemic, I was drawn to create. I craved beauty, meaning, and a tactile way to process the world. One day I decided to try skull beading in the style of the Huichol, artists I had admired for decades. On exactly that day, I took a slightly different path around the lake (with my dog, of course) on my daily run, I spotted something extraordinary: a perfectly clean, preserved juvenile cow skull hanging from a branch at eye level. By taking this slightly different path the skull and I were on an intersecting course. I took it as a sign.

I brought the skull home, got my neighbor’s blessing to use it for art, and learned the story of the young cow who had passed. I taught myself the Huichol beading technique through online tutorials and good old trial and error. That first skull now hangs in my home, a reminder that every creative journey begins with a single step.

To my surprise, I discovered I have patience—at least for this kind of work. Once I have a design in mind, my hands and brain seem to collaborate in ways I can’t entirely explain. I don’t sketch first. I simply envision the pattern, and the bead placement follows. The process is both instinctual and meditative.

The art transforms the skull. It has transformed me, too. And maybe, just maybe, one of these pieces will speak to—and transform—you.

Christine lives in Fort Collins, Colorado, in a barn on a small horse farm along the front range of the Rocky Mountains. She shares the land with her husband, Erik; their dogs, Jessi Bean and Pepper; a wickedly clever potbelly pig named Miss Piggy Sue; and a special herd of horses. When she’s not on the farm, she’s likely off adventuring somewhere around the world.