About

Born and raised in South Africa, Yolandi has had a fascination with nature, skulls and wildlife from early childhood. After completing her studies in Human Resources and Labour Law, she stepped into the construction industry in Johannesburg, where she worked for a good couple of years. It wasn’t until 2014, wild at heart, that many roads throughout her life and corporate career lead her to pursue her burning passion which is bone art. Completely self-taught, her work aims to honour the animal after it is dead, to see the beauty in its remains and maintain respect for the life that has been... and giving it a second chance. She carves all her skulls by hand and draws each unique design from scratch, never to replicate her patterns. All her skulls and bones are sustainably sourced, being a true environmentalist, all of the artworks she produces are unrelated to the cause or contribution to the deaths of the animals. She named her creations Calvary Skulls, which is an authentic, artistic brand that capture the hands-on, hand-drawn, real element of the ancient art of bone carving. Imperfectly perfect, Yolandi introduces a sense of timeless, traditional sophistication through nature's sculptures, she likes to refer to her creations as “living wildlife art”. “I pride myself as a self-taught bone artist that specializes in the ancient art of bone carving. I believe in authenticity and upholding traditions, my mission is to offer authentic, hand-carved pieces that are as unique as each individual skull. I discovered that the creation of art from animal skulls of highly appreciated animals supports the ancient beliefs and traditions that we should not waste anything, but instead cherish every single part – a principle that I live by.”