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.

Coasters are made from a combination of 90% hardboard with 10% sawmill wood fibre waste making them very sturdy and robust. Finished with a stunning glossy coating, slightly bevelled edges and rounded corners, these coasters are easy care; simply wipe them clean with a damp cloth to keep them looking brand new! Recyclable. Coasters are sold individually (unless specified as part of a collection) and are boxed in a plain brown postal box for shipping. Coasters are not gift boxed unless this option has been selected.

90x90mm (approximately 3.54x3.54”) & about 3.4mm (0.13”) thick.

Buy 4 or more single coasters and receive a bulk buy discount

Buy 4 or more coasters and receive a discount per coaster. The coasters can be of any design, so you can mix and match as many different coaster designs as you want. Your discount will be applied on the Checkout page. Offer does not apply to sets of 4 as the discount has already been applied to them.