About — Pretty Dead Taxidermy

(she/her)
The founder, taxidermist, workshop wizard, and so much more!
Jo left the professional film, TV, and entertainment industry to pursue her love of taxidermy and natural history. In 2014 she founded what would become the company Pretty Dead Taxidermy.
She loves preserving animals with honour and compassion. Her specialties are small life-sized mammals, traditional trophy mounts, and a select number of commissions are open for pets. Her work seeks to combine humour and the surprise of an unexpected story.
Her clients include taxidermy enthusiasts, curiosity and interior shops, art galleries, private collectors, TV shows, and feature films.
Whether she is in her native country of Finland or her now home Vancouver, Jo genuinely enjoys demystifying taxidermy for newbies through creative hands-on taxidermy workshops and lectures held in a safe and inclusive environment.

(she/her)
Rodent queen, lover of all things strange and unusual
Elle's love of the natural world began in the forests of her childhood home in coastal BC.
Since beginning her apprenticeship with Pretty Dead in April 2022, she has immersed herself in the fascinating world of oddities and curiosities and has now moved into an assistant taxidermy position.
You can find her teaching our entry level beginners Rat taxidermy workshops and assisting on more advanced taxidermy pieces.
Her whimsical anthropomorphic taxidermy pieces are available on our online store and by custom order.
She aims to bring a sense of wonder, whimsy and illusion to her work, with a focus on anthropomorphic and small mammal taxidermy.

(he/him)
Bug lover, neuroscience student, and horror fiend with a passion for spreading awareness for all things odd.
Jasper entered into the world of weird at a young age, always having a collection of bugs in his bedroom or cleaning bones in his university apartment in Ontario. When he moved to Vancouver he quickly engaged with Pretty Dead to work with the things he is passionate about outside of academics.
He has a great compassion and recognition of the animals he works with collaboratively to make art, and aims to show his love of insects through the lens of creation. Combining his multiple years of experience in academia, Jasper teaches accessible and inclusive workshops and lectures both in the world of taxidermy and human rights, often speaking on panels regarding 2S&LGBTQIA+ issues. With a wealth of experience in advocacy, harm reduction, and barrier elimination, Jasper approaches the world through a lens of understanding, equity, and empowerment.
You’ll often find Jasper drinking copious amounts of coffee with a horror book in hand, likely waiting to book yet another insect tattoo. Jasper teaches introductory and advanced workshops through Pretty Dead on insect art and preservation, and is open to taking custom commissions

(she/her)
As our Pet Memorial Death Doula Kara’s expertise is in helping our clients through grief and loss.
She transforms her passion for ritual artworks into a source of profound pride. As an animist witch, Psychopomp, herbalism student, diviner, and creator, Kara infuses purpose and meaning into everything she does. Rooted in traditional witchcraft, spirit work, and ancestral practices, her creations and work serve as a gateway to continuous learning and unlearning. With over two decades of witchcraft experience, Kara actively promotes inclusivity and cultural appreciation. Engaging with spirits and ancestors, she embraces her role as a Psychopomp, incorporating sacred elements into every reading and ritual. Mindfully crafted by hand, each offering honours individual journeys, spaces, and the spirits surrounding us. When she is not with us you can find Kara doing various things like hairstyling, tarot reading, rites & rituals, sigil tattooing and diving deep into her education on Death Work.

(she/her)
Our Taxidermy Assistant at the studio! Kayla is often found working assisting Jo with larger scale projects, movie production taxidermy and at our markets and shows.
Kayla also works in film around Vancouver! Bending reality with a background in both makeup and special effects. You can find Kayla on set working on transforming actors’ appearances and creating prosthetic makeup effects and monster body suits. Kayla also has an affinity for all things horror and slasher, especially in movies.

(he/him)
Our bone specialist! In the studio, you can find Michael artfully articulating our animal bones into wonderful works of art for our store and clients. With a wicked penchant for detail, Michaels’s gifts go beyond our world of taxidermy and into various other disciplines of art as well. Michael can also be found tattooing at a small private studio, specializing in fine line, floral, and ornamental custom designs. He also is a master at crafting intricate and fine detailed dolls called Peculiar Spirits. These are unique, one-of-a-kind and handcrafted using recycled materials. With each Peculiar Spirits coming to life with their own devilish personality.
Michael draws inspiration from folklore, ancestral research, animation, dreams, nature, and the beauty of the human form.

(they/them)
Taxidermy Apprentice. At the studio you can find Hex creating our wet specimens and learning all about Taxidermy as they continue their apprenticeship.
An artist with an innate talent, a fascination for the morbid. Originally from Toronto and shaped by a formative childhood in Hong Kong, Hex brings a unique blend of Eastern and Western influences. Always the curious one, they developed a penchant for the beauty found in darkness, leading to a love for Gothic subculture, horror, and heavy music during their early teens.
Hex pursued a BFA at the Ontario of Art and Design University, consistently exploring themes of life and decay in their work. Later Hex delved into the world of
tattooing, expanding their artistic style and connecting with like-minded individuals.
Now in Vancouver, Hex continues their journey in tattooing and learning Compounding Medicine while also working with us at Pretty Dead Taxidermy.

(he/him)
An entomologist based out of Edmonton, finishing up his Master’s degree. When not outside looking for bugs, you can find him working on different kinds of art or volunteering at the Royal Alberta Museum Bug Gallery.
After doing a degree in finance Ilan went back to school for his real passion, invertebrate zoology. His MSc examines the needs of Albertan farmers in terms of insect information. In his spare time, he works on a variety of art mediums ) and takes any opportunity to do entomology outreach, including regular local TV and Radio segments with CBC. Ilan has also been volunteering at the Royal Alberta Museum Bug Gallery for over a decade, so come visit him on a Sunday afternoon to potentially hold some cool bugs!