The ‘Studies in Lead for Portraits’ are skulls in leadwork, produced between 2007 and 2008. In Brian Clarke: The Art of Light (2020) Paul Greenhalgh writes:

‘There is a positive dimension to the memento mori, in its flagging up of the relationship between life and death. The artist tells us “Not to constantly remind oneself of mortality is to reduce the intensity and urgency of the living moment. It is an essential part of the human condition.” Unless we grasp the meaning of death, we cannot fully engage in the joy of life.’