‘All art should be welcomed’: Ivins artist gives animal bones a second life

Written by Jessi Bang
July 9, 2024

IVINS — On the outside, Ray Patten’s home garage might appear like any other you’d find along the streets of Ivins. But among the tools, scrap metal and a torn-down Harley Davidson inside is a collection of bones.

Ray Patten, wife Brittany Patten and daughter Nevaeh Thompson stand next to their rat rod-style suburban holding art pieces, Ivins, Utah, June 16, 2024 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Ray Patten, wife Brittany Patten and daughter Nevaeh Thompson stand next to their rat rod-style suburban holding art pieces, Ivins, Utah, June 16, 2024 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News

Front and center, various skulls sit on a table in the process of rebecoming an animal.

“She’s going to be the breaking free, with a total of about 10 feet,” Patten said, pointing to the bones. “Just the top section alone is going to be around 50 pounds.”

Titled “Ophelia,” the animal sculpture will feature a horse skull, an African blue wildebeest skull, the jaw of an elk and other horse bones. Once completed, “Ophelia” will be much like Patten’s completed sculpture, “Milo,” though maybe not the same species. “Milo” can be found in the front yard stretched back in the “down dog” position. Its head, constructed out of a waterbuck skull from Africa and an upside-down deer skull as the lower jaw, hovers above the grass with a cow-bone spine intercepting other bones that complete its figure.

While some researchers say bone art has been around for over 50,000 years, creating bone art wasn’t something Patten set out to do. In some ways, the art form found him.

It was while living in Wyoming that he and his wife Brittany began finding bones while hiking in the wilderness. At the time, she was encouraging him to explore his creativity in a new way. After coming across deer and coyote skulls during their hikes, he decided to take the bones home.

The art piece "Rufus" is made from a deer and coyote skull along with cow bones, Ivins, Utah, June 16, 2024 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
The art piece “Rufus” is made from a deer and coyote skull along with cow bones, Ivins, Utah, June 16, 2024 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News

“I didn’t quite know what I was going to do with all of them yet,” he said. “I’m not quite sure how I got into the mood or what actually started happening, but ‘Rufus’ was the first one born.”

The head of “Rufus” is constructed of a deer and coyote skull wired together. He then used cow bones to construct its spine and tail. “Rufus” has been showcased at car shows alongside Patten’s rat rod-style 1989 Suburban.

To ensure preservation and make his sculptures easy to clean, Patten applies resin to the bones and clearcoat to all metal parts.

Though this journey began with collecting bones in the wild, he said he now sources his bones from a local taxidermist and maintains a deep respect and reverence for the bones that become integral to his artwork.

His ultimate goal is to give the bones a second life.

Despite his efforts, Patten said he has faced rejection when submitting his bone art to local galleries and venues. He strives for his art to be seen, appreciated and ultimately accepted. He isn’t concerned about selling his work; he just wants to share it.

“There isn’t a place for artists who are like me,” he said. “There are other artists like me, and I want to bring them all out. I want them to know where to go. I need a place to go. We all do. All art should be welcomed.”

Ray Patten's rat rod-style 1989 Chevy Suburban tells a story using scrap metal art, Ivins, Utah, June 16, 2024 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Ray Patten’s rat rod-style 1989 Chevy Suburban tells a story using scrap metal art, Ivins, Utah, June 16, 2024 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News

Patten said he’s the happiest when creating, and his outlet doesn’t stop at bone art. Since early childhood, he has spent time drawing, writing poetry, singing and more. Born and raised in Santa Maria, California, he also developed a deep passion for cars and motorcycles, specializing in pinstriping, airbrushing and lowrider paint jobs.

His current rat rod-style 1989 Chevy Suburban has been a passion project. The vehicle features custom paint, airbrushing and scrap metal art. From the front grille to the back bumper, this vehicle tells a fictional story about a bicyclist who gets hit, sucked into the engine and then transforms into a spider that crawls back up the vehicle.

“This is where the bicyclist came in when he got hit,” he said, pointing to the front grille. “Blew out all the parts when he got sucked into the engine. That’s his hand coming out holding the valve. We got a valve and a sparkplug coming out on this side, and then as he kept tumbling through the truck, his hand came up through the dash.”

Despite still being a work in progress, this vehicle has already won numerous awards.

Ray Patten creates scrap characters, Ivins, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Ray Patten, St. George News
Ray Patten creates scrap characters, Ivins, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Ray Patten, St. George News

Patten channels his passion for transforming scrap metal into art by creating characters from connecting rods, which he calls “Cargoyles.” He also creates engine block tables, like one he did for a tea bar and doughnut shop in Wyoming. The table features a man built from scrap metal, the company’s logo etched on the glass and tea lights in the company’s colors. He also creates custom wall clocks.

Patten loves spending time with his 14-year-old daughter Nevaeh Thompson, who shares his love for cars and unique art. She’s completed three engine swaps so far and began welding at the age of 11. She also makes art out of animal bones, and he loves allowing her to share her creativity however she wants to express it.

“It’s important for me to freely express myself because it encourages her to do the same,” he said. “And if she’s making things like this at 14, what will she be making at 28?”

Beyond a creative outlet, Patten said art has played a crucial role in overcoming hardships like a past addiction to drugs and alcohol. Artistic pursuits also help him continue to navigate daily challenges with post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder and sleep disorders, he said.

"Milo" includes a waterbuck skull from Africa, an upside-down deer skull and a spine crafted from cow bones, Ivins, Utah, June 16, 2024 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
“Milo” includes a waterbuck skull from Africa, an upside-down deer skull and a spine crafted from cow bones, Ivins, Utah, June 16, 2024 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News

“All recovering addicts have quit and gone back on and quit and gone back on,” he said. “It’s a cycle. But not many of us find a reason to stay out of it that we can cope with. We find outlets that are out of the norm because we’re out of the norm.” 

Through his artistic pursuits, he said he not only finds solace but aims to inspire others to embrace their uniqueness and use creativity as a means of healing and self-expression. Art involves taking risks, and he hopes that sharing his story will foster acceptance and unite like-minded individuals.

For more about Patten’s work, follow @brutalistdesigns on Instagram. For art inquiries, contact him directly at 435-375-8738.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2024, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jessi Bang was born and raised in Utah and has a passion for nature and the great outdoors. She graduated from Kaplan University in California with a degree in criminal justice. She has extensive experience in marketing, content creation, photography and copywriting. You can find her showcasing outdoor adventures through her blog, “The Rambling Raccoon.” In her free time, she enjoys climbing mountains, trail running, working out and cuddling her two lovable pups.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews

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