Sugar skulls were created by the Aztec people of Mexico to honour and celebrate the lives of deceased loved ones during their annual Day of the Dead holiday. Floral decoration, especially in the eyes, represented life and rebirth. In 2017, I created this Love Manchester special edition in my sugar skulls series; it followed the horrific events at the Manchester Arena where a terrorist bomb killed 22 people and injured many more. This, in part, is my tribute to those people who lost their lives that night and of all the people over the years who have built or fought for this great city. The mixed media sugar skull based on the globe/bees above the city’s coat of arms and on a golden yellow background as a nod to the Manchester Bee. Instead I’ve turned the sugar skull into the globe, complete with latitude and longitude lines, coordinates for Manchester and seven worker bees representing the city’s key role in the Industrial Revolution and global impact (and seven continents). The red roses of Lancashire in its eyes are a nod to the Aztec’s belief in life and rebirth, whilst the three diagonal stripes represent the three rivers of the city. My sugar skulls are drawn from a real skull (thank my biology roots for that!) and I started drawing them on the day that the brilliant actor and comedian Robin Williams passed away; his death really shook me. I had already lost my mum and drew this piece with the vintage dip pen that I inherited from her. When mum got really ill, I remember watching some of his comedy late at night with her as she waiting to take the last dose of her daily medication. It seemed appropriate to draw a sugar skull remembering the lives of two people who had a major impact in my life. However, after the terrorist bombing, I felt the urge to create this additional sugar skull to celebrate the lives of those people lost that night and also to recognise how personally Mancunians took this attack; the response was quite overwhelming. The people of Manchester came together in a way that I’ve never witnessed before; intense hurt and disbelief fuelled the infamous Mancunian attitude and brought about an incredible sense of community in order to overcome their pain in the face of adversity. I love Manchester.
Manchester Bee Sugar Skull (Gold) Magnet
Product Code: 3144-A7MG
Artify your fridge, metal filing cabinets or magnetic notice boards with this slimline, flexible art magnet, reproduced from a miniaturisation of one of my original drawings featuring a sugar skull. This was one of three pieces done in the fourth year of what has now become a collectible annual series. These magnets are super slim and very lightweight so whilst they won’t hold up tatty shopping lists and take away menus, they do make great miniature pieces of artwork for your fridge and, since they have an extremely low profile, they're not easily knocked off if someone brushes past the fridge/filing cabinet. Inspired from what I see in my garden, on my field work, travels and from life experiences, I work only from photographs that I have taken or sketches that I have made in the field.
Ideal for: Anyone who loves sugar skulls, day of the dead, gothic icons, Mexicana, Manchester, the Manchester Bee, bees, travel, history, all things British, UK, travel, ink drawings, drawings with hidden symbols, collects fridge magnets, art.
Each flexible art magnet is printed in the UK by an FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified printing company on board with a rubber-free magnetic MagneCote coating, which is biodegradable. Each magnet is directly digitally printed, thereby avoiding the more traditional use of printing plates or photo chemicals. Flexible magnets ordered on this website will be supplied ‘naked’ without each magnet being enclosed in an individual protective sleeve, but any magnets in an order will be packed in a recyclable (PP5) polypropylene protective outer as a ‘pack’ to avoid them getting marked or wet in transit in the typical British weather that we enjoy or marking any other products in your order. This packaging will be kept to a minimum. Flexible magnets are shipped in a board backed envelope or postal box as appropriate and are not gift packaged.
A7: 74x105mm (approximately 2.91x4.13”) & about 1mm (0.04”) thick
Buy 3 Slimline Art Magnets for £5
For every 3 Slimline Art Magnets you purchase, you receive a £1 discount. You can mix and match as many different magnets and styles as you like. Your discount will be applied on the Checkout page.