Photographer: Terence Bogue
to the idea of death and when relatives passed it wasn't taboo to see them or touch their bodies. The Wellingtonian bought her first
piece of taxidermy at age 15, and while living in New Zealand she approached several taxidermists for mentoring, but wasn't taken seriously. It wasn't until she moved to Melbourne in 2001 that she met a retired taxidermist who offered to take her on. After half a dozen lessons Julia began experimenting herself and has since perfected her practice. "When I first started out taxidermy
was definitely not popular. It was a conversation stopper – people thought I was weird." But Julia recalls her first time as
'beautiful'. "I took a little starling I had found
to my mentor who took me through the process. I wasn't sure if I'd be squeamish, and it was beautiful. Once we skinned the bird it was like a small chicken; not unfamiliar or frightening and it didn't smell because it was fresh. From then on I was comfortable with it." Julia's jewellery is priced from $200
and diamond engagement rings can go for anywhere up to AUD$20,000. Her artwork starts at $2,000 and goes up to AUD$80,000. "I consider my taxidermy to be a celebration of life, a preservation of something beautiful," she says. "I feel strongly about the fair and just treatment of animals, and to accentuate this point I only use animals that have died of natural causes."
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Photographer: Terence Bogue
