Elle Kaye Taxidermy

31/05/2024

I CAN FINALLY SHARE…
my work is now in londons natural history museum!

🐦‍⬛🦤🦜🐓🦅🕊️🦢🦩

To say that my work is in one of the worlds most recognised museums and a place that so many of us fell in love with natural history at young ages, it’s like realising a dream.

Birds: brilliant and bizarre is an exceptionally curated narrative on the resilience of birds. The exhibition is made up of breathtaking sonic sequences on endless sprawling screens, an architectural build that uses sustainable materials to emulate shapes found in the natural world, softened vibrant lighting to give a contemporary backdrop to the specimens and uncased dramatic birds who cast huge shadows against the walls. Made up of archival specimens, specimens on loan from other museums and newly commissioned works (hi!) the exhibition simultaneously works to take you on a journey of discovery and familiarity.

Birds are in trouble; 50% of birds are in decline and one in eight species are threatened with extinction. Birds NEED our attention. This exhibition is an amplification of a critical cause, a conversation about conservation, evolution, adaptation and a reminder about why we should care.

Ten years of endurance and some of the hardest and darkest moments of my life, but I did it, I’m in the .

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31/10/2023

Extremely honoured to have been featured by none other than Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin on their new show 8 Out of 10 Bats.

Any moment of visibility for taxidermy is extremely vital; the faster we can connect people to the natural world, the higher the chances we might be able to protect it.

Watch my short feature at 11 minutes:

Sputnik Galls & LIVE Fox FeedingPre-order an 8 Out Of 10 Bats pin badge at https://chrispackh.am/pinbadgeFollow Dundreggan Rewilding Centre on social mediaht...

17/10/2022

Delighted to share with you that last week I submitted to the U.K. Guild of Taxidermists annual conference and competition. I placed third in ‘Professional Birds’, and also earned a credit for this Gouldian finch. This was my first time submitting in professional, having achieved first place last year in the amateur category.

Thanks to the guild team and the judges for their time. Looking forward to using the feedback to improve for next year. Congratulations to everyone who submitted.

🏵

07/10/2022

Finally finished and going home. 🦚 For process videos on the build of this piece, take a look at my recent reels! Posed to clients request.

30/08/2022

I’m opening my books for Christmas commissions. These are pieces of work to be completed in time for gifting in December. 10% off all commissions placed between now and Sunday 4th.

06/08/2022

Always a nice surprise to wake up to an unexpected feature on one of the UK’s leading social media platforms!! 🤍

20/06/2022

I recently did a little poll to find out if you might be interested in other roles I undertake outside of my taxidermy. I was overwhelmed that almost 100% of those that engaged wanted to learn more about me. Thank you.

So with that being said I am so thrilled to announce that I have joined the team at as their correspondent!

As a taxidermist, preservation and legacy underpins our practice. I’d like to think the other endeavours in my life echo that intention. In my podcast, , I speak to the stewards of our planet about how we can protect it and also to those in under-represented roles in the preservation and conservation sciences.

At Arkive, I’ll too be discussing preservation and legacy, but this time about art, culture and museums.

seeks to define a decentralised museum of culture. They believe the people should curate, own, and create culture. Through its membership, you can help to identify and acquire cultural artifacts and art of recent centuries, shaping the future, whilst saving the past.

If you’re interested in learning more then you can join me at a live event that I am hosting this Wednesday 22nd. I’ll link it in my stories with more details, and give you a chance to add a reminder.

16/06/2022

There is a profoundness that is hard to articulate in this job.

I lost a bird today. Now when I write that I don’t mean a living bird died, I mean one that was already deceased was not suitable for taxidermy and subsequently I had to dispose of it.

In some respects this feels like the only time I grieve in this job. Re-creating a bird through taxidermy is almost a catharsis; the act of doing simultaneously replaces grief with excitement, whilst triggering in me some sense of duty. Grief and loss becomes tangible beauty.

But, when a bird doesn’t work out, it almost reaffirms that sense of loss. It’s like a second death for the bird, and hurts me deeply. It feels like a failure on my part, like I didn’t fulfil that duty.

I think the profoundness I feel has something to do with intimacy. This practice goes far beyond just prepping skins; it’s translating a whole new dimension to something. Something hard to do but even harder to explain.

04/05/2022

Commission work, posed to clients request to fit inside a beautiful handmade case.

24/04/2022

Now that the tail has been restored, this little commission can return home this week.

My books for commissions are currently open. If you’d like to enquire about your own piece of work, you can email me at [email protected].

07/03/2022

I know I’ve said it here before but there’s just something about these birds.

I fell in love with one that visited the garden during the first lockdown. I spent countless hours watching him from the window, right at the tipping point of discovering what birdwatching really meant to me. Until then, I had never seen one in the wild before. I like to think it came at just the right time, like natures little gift to help soothe my mind. There’s something about birdwatching, having a window into the lives of birds, that’s transformative. It’s escapism but it also allows you perspective. It’s also pure joy.

I love the way they look, their almost animated markings. I still see the garden woodpecker occasionally; I mostly hear him but I’ve always got my eye out.

04/03/2022

Hey! We found a bird I did not enjoy mounting. A JUVENILE songthrush. So picture this, you’re working with a bird that’s already got cling film for skin and then let’s add some ✨overall fluffiness✨ and not fully formed feathers.

Did I have a tantrum? Yes. Did I drink more caffeine then what is a healthy daily amount? Also yes.

Poor tricky baby.

01/03/2022

And just like that, it’s March! I’m going to to give a go, though there’s a lot going on in the world right now so forgive me if I don’t make all of the prompts.

Hello, I’m Elle and I’m a taxidermist. I live in England in the UK. I’ve been training for seven years. I went full time three years ago and have recently decided to specialise in birds.

I’m all round bird-obsessed, and birdwatching is one of the ways I de-stress.

I’m passionate about making both my interests in taxidermy and birdwatching accessible. I try to create resources and platforms to make people feel safe in the spaces.

I run and host a podcast called , where I interview stewards of conservation and the natural world. I see it as my little contribution to bigger issues, in an attempt to open the dialogue and bring visibility to our planet and how to protect it.

If you would like me to answer any of the specific prompts, please comment with them below. If you’re an artist, creator or maker I invite you to take part, too!

Owl A10: 591989/04
Hawk A10: 609673/02

26/02/2022

Getting the chance to work closely on something as humble as this little sparrow made me realise how beautiful they are. I really loved working on it today.

I have some commission slots open for the next few months. If you’ve ever thought about commissioning a piece of work with me, please get in touch. If you’re overwhelmed by the idea of commissioning art, I promise you it isn’t complicated - just let me know of a bird you might like and I’ll let you know if I have it in my inventory. Feel free to DM me, or email [email protected].

09/02/2022

I absolutely love these birds. I love seeing them in the wild and I love having them on my desk. But I won’t lie, I don’t love working on them. Their skin might as well be plastic wrap, which always puzzles me. They’re such busybodies in life, you would have thought they’d be built a little stronger.

Because my brain is weird and curiosity led I asked a biologist about the hypothesis behind different thicknesses of bird skin. To summarise, a minimised epidermis reduces body weight for more efficient flight. As the skin is just a ‘protective envelope’ for the body, it changes in strength depending on the requirements of the bird - i.e. the need for greater cooling systems, absorption of solar radiation, little or no flight etc.

So there’s the answer to a question you’ve probably never asked.

-Please note, I am not looking for anatomical feedback on this mount.

09/02/2022

A photograph of me this morning realising that my Facebook group ‘Taxidermy Mentorship’ has over one thousand followers:

Some of you with very large platforms might not perceive this number as particularly large, but I’ll tell you why this has so much weight. These are people active in their pursuit to do taxidermy, not just as spectators or consumers, but they are enthusiastic about joining our industry.

On a personal note, knowing that I have played a part in helping to increase accessibility to our industry and helping to dismantle some of the gatekeeping that I experienced when I joined it eight years ago, gives me a great feeling. There were very few resources when I started out, and I had many rejections when reaching out to work with taxidermists. If I had a problem, I had to troubleshoot alone as at the beginning I didn’t have a mentor, or safe place to ask.

Taxidermy is for everyone, and sharing knowledge is the most rewarding and exciting thing. To see people grow from the tiny seed of my contributions gives me an immense sense of pride.

If anybody wants to join this group, please feel free to. I just ask that you continue to keep it a safe, non-judgemental place.

07/02/2022

Last year I entered the UK Guild of taxidermists annual competition, for the first time, with this goldfinch. I won first place in my category. 🥇

As I didn’t physically attend, my dear friend Sarah has been keeping it safe for me over the past few months where it has remained snugly boxed up until I saw her again. I would love for this piece to now be enjoyed so I am now choosing to sell it. Please get in touch if you are interested or would like more photographs and information.

N.B UK only. This piece is too fragile to send through the postal service so courier will be ontop. I will not be selling it with a case but can forward the information for a case maker should that be required. Rosette not included.

06/02/2022

Had the most wonderful day yesterday at the Attenborough Nature Reserve in Nottinghamshire, with my darling friend .

No kingfishers, but plenty of coffee, blue skies and nature. A first for us both were the reed buntings.

Swipe for the last photo of how my face looked the entire day. A big thanks to Sarah for having the patience of a saint/freezing her butt off, whilst I waited one hundred hours for a bird to feed from my hand.

01/02/2022

The beginning of the year can be a very difficult and slow for small business owners.

As we move into a new month, I figured now is as good a time as any to share some of my favourite small businesses that you can support, either by following them if you like their work or purchasing from their web shops. From virtual taxidermy classes with to valentines ceramic love bugs by , I’m hoping this little selection might have something for everyone.

In carousel order:











Other ways to support your favourite creatives include commenting on or sharing their work to your story. Helping to increase their visibility gets more eyes on their work.

And whilst I’m here, if you would like to, you can support me by ‘buying me a coffee’ via the link in my bio. I am also taking commissions for taxidermy, just email or dm me for more information.

01/02/2022

Have you ever wanted to support my work without making a purchase?

I, like so many other small business owners and creators struggle to ask for help. I have just started a ‘Ko-Fi’ page, designed to allow people to “buy me a coffee”. 

You can make any donation of any amount to help support me and my work. Some of you might know that I have a podcast which is entirely self-funded, so most of the donations will go towards continuing to host that for now, as I have been doing it for over a year without financial aid.

Buy me a coffee;

https://ko-fi.com/ellekayetaxidermy

Thank you so much for being here with me and for all your support in whatever way you show it. I am deeply grateful.

Support Elle Kaye On Ko-fi. Ko-fi lets you support the people and causes you love with small donations

31/01/2022

People like to tell me about my job. They like to tell me why I’m a taxidermist. They tell me that if I loved animals I would’ve been something else.

But actually, love is the undercurrent in most taxidermists work. It softly ebbs and flows beneath the surface, carrying us from emotion to emotion. It’s in threading a needle, it’s in placing feathers, it’s in working in solitude for most of the day. Love is in the sigh of relief, the pride when stepping back, and the squeeze of affirmation when work goes home.

When we talk about science, generally emotion and love are left out of it. Data becomes the barometer of success; more weight often leading to more success for the study. I would love to invite you to look for the love in the work of taxidermists, to quote my dear friend , to see “life, not death”. Once you start looking, you might just really see.

27/01/2022

Hi everyone. I've seen a lot of people asking after classes recently. If you are interested in learning about MAMMAL taxidermy, read on!

Internationally recognised and award-winning taxidermist Allis Markham from Prey Taxidermy is hosting "The Living Art of Dead Things: Fox Taxidermy" hosted in collaboration with Atlas Obscura – entirely an online course to show you how to create a taxidermy fox.

This class is designed for both beginners and pros alike and can serve as an appropriate next step for those who took any of Allis’ previous courses. Content will differ from Allis’ previous skunk taxidermy class; in this course, we’ll cover form modification and head-casting.

This course includes 3 total sessions, each lasting for 2 hours on 3 consecutive Tuesdays beginning February 8. YOU DO NOT NEED TO JOIN LIVE; full access is granted once you are signed up.

The format is outlined below:
Session 1 (Tuesday, 2/8, 8–10 PM ET): What Lies Beneath: Form selection, modification, and carving custom forms
Session 2 (Tuesday, 2/15, 8–10 PM ET): Make the Mammal: Death-cast head creation, fitting skin to form, and sew city
Session 3 (Tuesday, 2/22, 8–10 PM ET): It's Alive!: Skin shifting, foot sculpting, facial details, and grooming

For information, BETWEEN SESSIONS:
Outside of class, students will have the opportunity to watch videos that offer a more in-depth look at certain aspects of the taxidermy process. These will be permanently available for students to view at TheDeadStream.com.

COURSE MATERIALS:
While there are no required materials, Allis will provide links for purchasing supplies as well as tips for legally acquiring specimens.
All of this for just $70 or £52.32.

I highly recommend you signing up. I attended her 'diorama class' and found it incredibly insightful, enjoyable and has totally transformed my understanding and appreciation the habitat. Allis is the most wonderful teacher, patient, concise, and you won't regret it.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/.../fox-taxidermy-online-course

25/01/2022

Crow.

16/01/2022

A cold morning - note the pink nose! Anyone getting out into nature today? Let me know if you spot anything good, I love to hear what local wildlife you have.

A Canadian lady messaged me to say she has great grey owls and lynxes in the wood behind her home (!!!), so I live my international wildlife dreams vicariously through you all. The foxes and tawny owls were super chatty last night; given I’m so close to London it’s such a comfort to hear them at night. 🌱

14/01/2022

Ever been curious about learning taxidermy? For less than a cup of coffee you can learn bird taxidermy with me. If you subscribe, you'll have access to 104 posts, including over 30 videos.

Click the link to find out more.

Become a patron of Elle Kaye Taxidermy today: Get access to exclusive content and experiences on the world’s largest membership platform for artists and creators.

14/01/2022

January is a hard month. It’s hard for many reasons and I’m not here to tell you why, they’ll likely be different for us all.

However it seems from what I see on social media that there is a resounding feeling that if you haven’t hit the ground running at the start of the new year then you’ve failed. There is so much pressure to show up on the 1st with an energised and overwhelmingly positive approach to life, that will then somehow maintain the trajectory for how your whole year will go. Weird.

Don’t get me wrong, if you are that person then get it, but for most of us, that just isn’t it. The last two years have been entirely new territory to navigate and if all you’re doing is just surviving that, then that’s enough. Do you not feel like you have to have everything together this month, or even next month - it’s just not sustainable. Do what’s right for you, when it feels right. As I have learnt on so many occasions “comparison is the thief of joy” - don’t forget that most of us post what makes us happy on here whilst we are laying in bed doom-scrolling in our pjs. You’ve got this.

P.S. I took this early this morning during my coffee and bird sit. I’m 99% sure it’s out of focus but I’m not a professional photographer and I like it. Any guesses on this distinct profile?

#2022

13/01/2022

A few from my feature - see my last post! - with .

Photographer:
Stylist
Hair:
Makeup:
Fashion Editor:
Written by:

11/01/2022

The result of my previous Jay post! 💎

With taxidermy you can continue to make small changes and alterations even after the bird has been mounted. This is dependant on the environmental conditions; in colder temperatures it takes longer so you can still move the skin. After this point the moisture in the skin evaporates and the preserved skin begins to set. Some preservatives and materials used in taxidermy are designed to “kick “so once the skin has been preserved or these products have been used, there is a limit to how much further work you can do.

If you have a refrigerator, you can slow the drying process down providing you haven’t used any products that will activate, which might give you another day or two if you run out of time. However the objective of the process is that it eventually becomes rigid and devoid of moisture. Any trapped moisture left under the skin or inside the skull can lead to mildew or in worse case scenarios, bacterial growth.

This is another one of the reasons that taxidermy cannot be moved and has no ‘mobility’ after drying unless it’s animatronic. Once the skin dries it becomes brittle like papyrus paper. If you tries to bend the wing, or the piece is dropped you can crack the skin.
This is why in old collections you sometimes see cracking in the skin that has been expedited by damage due to handling, storage or heat.

Look after your beautiful pieces, as they have the potential to live forever if looked after properly!

09/01/2022

I don’t really make resolutions at the start of the new year but one of my intentions is to bring more of what makes me happy to you guys in the hope that maybe it will help to inspire or ignite some interest or delight in you.

I had a little box on my story today to ask you guys if you had seen any cool wildlife over the weekend but I thought it would be even better to let you guys comment here so everyone can interact with one another rather than it just coming through me.

So I’d love to ask you guys again to let me know if you saw any cool birds?! WE ALL WANT TO KNOW.

P.S.Birding is for everyone. You do not need binoculars or any special kit to get out into nature. If accessing the outdoors green is beyond your capability right now, that is fine too. Take a look out of a window and try some urban birding! You’ll be amazed at what you might see even in urban environments.

Let me know what you saw pls. 🤩 I got super lucky and saw a tree creeper and a goldcrest (the UK’s smallest bird!)