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Several years ago, an Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake killed by a vehicle became the source of this piece. She was magnificent—a large female who had likely lived a long life, perhaps the mother of many broods, suggested by the eight segments on her rattle. Her loss was a sobering reminder of how often wildlife and roads intersect.
I have no hesitation using invasive and non-native species in my work. Native game species I approach with caution. But nongame native wildlife—like the Eastern Diamondback—I refuse to monetize directly. Assigning a price to these animals can create incentives for collection, and rattlesnakes already face enough misunderstanding and persecution as it is.
Instead, when the opportunity arose to document the texture of this remarkable animal, an impression of her keeled scales was taken using soft putty. Clay was later pressed into that mold to create the piece you see here.
Though it contains no part of the snake herself, it carries the imprint of one—a small echo of a remarkable life.