Andy Firth is a self-taught Australian artist of the social generation, known for his signature canvas: the human skull. Capturing the gentle intricacies of lives once lived, Firth’s work has captivated an engaged audience of over 2.5 million people. With international demand at an all-time high, his clientele includes Joe Rogan, Slash, Jason Momoa, Chris Brown and Nikkie Tutorials.
Believing that being close to death makes us feel more alive, the artist or as some refer to him “skullptor,” is passionate about turning thoughts and ideas from our culture into physical objects, his artworks are simultaneously majestic and macabre. 
For the past decade, Firth has remained widely anonymous under the title ‘Jack of The Dust’. Until now. Established in a home garage in 2013, his operation’s alluring namesake is an 1800s Royal Navy term that represents Firth’s revival of characters, cultures and the stories that surround them.
Each remarkably original piece is hand-made in Australia by manipulating mixed media such as acrylic, clay and cinema-grade urethane resin imported from the U.S. to resemble skin, steel, stone and bone. Firth’s imagination-fuelled surprise-and-delight approach to subjects and styles serves to ignite wonder, nostalgia and belonging.
Taking up to four months to complete, the skulls replicate the look and feel of the real bone, and are handmade from various mixed materials – most commonly acrylic, clay and cinema-grade urethane resin imported from the U.S.
Due to overwhelming demand, Firth’s artwork is now only attainable through 4-6 public releases per year, delivered globally. As he believes feel-good art should be accessible to everyone, although the creative process takes 4 months, pieces remain at an accessible price point.
Firth has now grown Jack of The Dust to a full-time crew of 15, and operates from two Burleigh Heads warehouses spanning 7500 square feet on Australia’s Gold Coast. Jack of The Dust exists to crack through the limits of imagination on adventure, where the human experience is never truly dead and gone.
I’m sure the artist has only just scratched the surface of the art world. For further information about Andy Firth and Jack Of The Dust you can follow him on Instagram, youtube, facebook or Tiktok @jackofthedust or visit www.jackofthedust.com
Artist Statement: The subject of my artwork is based around being human and what we do whilst we are alive. When we die, it all gets stripped down to the bone. As an artist, it is my mission to breathe life back into those bones. My motivation comes from life itself and the concept of growth and diversity of the cultures and history that we have created on Earth as a species (both fiction and nonfiction). When I get asked what my favorite piece is, I would have to say that I view Jack Of The Dust as one of my greatest creations as it is constantly in a state of change. Each day for me is a new opportunity to grow and adapt it into something new. With the growth of 3D printing and digital mediums, traditional hand sculpting is a dying art form. My mission is to keep it alive and create truly unique sculptural artwork inspired by our cultures for the modern generation through old-world techniques whilst keeping the artwork itself available worldwide without exclusion or limitation at an attainable price point.
All Images Courtesy of Mathew McFerren
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