The Art of Grieving ~ Cremation Ashes InFused Glass Art Blog

The Creepy Cremation Artist: Why are they so “Creeped” Out?

July 09, 2016

The Creepy Cremation Artist: Why are they so “Creeped” Out?

Be they morticians, pathologists, funeral house workers or gravediggers – people who deal with the dead have always been assumed to be interesting, because, well, they deal with the dead. Movies and books always seem to present workers in those professions as outright creepy. They play around with the bodies of the deceased. looking at something like this everyday can make anyone look creepy.
This is the very reason why I don’t usually mention that I am a Cremation Artist. People don’t want to think about death.The idea of using human remains to create art can be super creepy to some people.
In the past a Post-Mortem Photographer would memorialized your loved one in an artist photograph. Back in the Victorian ages it was common to have a family portrait taken when someone in the family died. Families who wanted to remember their loved ones after they had passed did so with a family “Death Photo”.
Today People find it just down right creepy by the thought of looking at a photo of their loved one after death as a way to remember them. Most people don’t even want to view the body, Fearful of death and afraid that the image will be forever imprinted into their minds.
Let’s just face it death creeps people out. Before I started doing Cremation Art I would have agreed. Now that I have a much deeper understanding of death and the process of cremation and burial. The job of the mortician and funeral director is really much more beautiful than anyone knows.
This person will be the last person to touch your loved ones body. Preparing them for the souls journey home. Every detail from funeral director to cremator is genuinely the most honorable job of the living besides hospice care nurses. Like spirit guides they comfort the living and honor the dead. It really is so very beautiful. There is nothing creepy about honoring someone’s loved one. All of this being a job that not everyone can do.
Even though it appears creepy, in all reality I think most people are thankful that there are people out there that can do this job. Someone willing to wash your loved ones face for the last time. Paying attention to every detail to help make the families experience with grief and loss easier. This is the reason that I became a Cremation Artist. Not everyone can turn human remains into a work of art. Not everyone can be a spirit guide or “Capture the Last Breath”.
People are so fearful of death. And I don’t think that society is going to change views about the “creepy mortician” or the “Creepy Cremation Artist” any time soon with all the great scary zombie movies out there. Such a burden to bare and no one giving them any credit for being the one who is most likely to be bitten and turned into a zombie first.

Read how I “Capture the Last Breath”

Capturing Carbon Energy and The Last Breath. Carbon Energy at it’s essence. We are all made from this. Energy never dies, it simply transforms.
Joele Williams

Imagine a beautiful wind chime or sun catcher that the sun light shines through the ashes. Imagine a wonderful glass sculpture on your mantle of an ocean wave with the cremation ashes in the crest. Imagine a wonderful candle you can light that illuminates the ashes of your loved one inside the glass. Cremation memorial art is not just jewelry anymore.

I create one-of-a-kind works of art and jewelry that Infuses your loved one forever into glass. Everything I make is a special design. I work one on one with you to create a memorial that fits your loved one.Placing your loved ones, cremation ashes into glass is a beautiful, respectful, and loving way to show your appreciation and remembrance for the life that brought you so much joy. A glass cremation keepsake is the perfect way to show your love and remembrance and can be handed down from generation to generation

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What Exactly Are Ashes -And Why can it be used in Glass?

July 09, 2016

What Exactly Are Ashes -And Why can it be used in Glass?

From dust we arise and to dust we must eventually return

What Exactly Are Ashes, And why can it be used in Kiln formed glass?
Although cremated remains are commonly called “ashes”, in truth they are comprised of bone fragments. The cremation process destroys all traces of organic matter. The extreme heat of cremation (around 1400 to 1800 degrees) means that no traces of anything remains (regardless of the material) with your loved one’s ashes. There may however be some minor traces of materials that were with the body during cremation such as fillings, implants, but these will most likely be detected and removed after processing. The only thing remaining of the human body after cremation is part bone and occasionally small amounts of salts and minerals.

Because of peoples diets and other factors each sample of cremated remains is entirely unique. Although all that remains of a loved one after the cremation process are bone fragments processed into ashes, these ashes have a very special signature that identifies them as belonging to your loved one and no one else. All of the unique habits and environments experienced by your loved one during their lifetime leave a elemental fingerprint present in their ashes after cremation.

All of These elements give bone its extraordinary strength and durability and allow it to survive the intense heat required for cremation. These temperatures are what make it possible to put the ashes in glass. it is very common to find trace elements, particularly metals, in bone fragments. These metals are absorbed by the bones throughout an individual’s lifetime and remain in the ashes. These metals will also sometimes show up in the cremation ashes after being infused into glass. Because the temperatures of cremation are the same as kiln formed glass this means that the bone or ashes will not disappear inside the glass. If you were to place organic matter inside glass (like a leaf) it would leave a fingerprint but would disappear all together. Because the bone fragments can withstand such high temperatures this is how the ashes are then trapped into the glass while the glass is at a liquid honey like viscosity.

Cremation ashes are not easy to work with. I have spent over 3 years learning the effects of cremation ashes in glass and how to control it. I have created a special technique that takes days and multiple firings in the kiln to create my cremation memorial keepsakes. Harnessing Carbon Energy at it’s essence. We are all made from this.

Energy never dies, it simply transforms.

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The History of Cremation Jewelry: Keepsakes of the Dead

March 11, 2016

The History of Cremation Jewelry: Keepsakes of the Dead

The History of the first known pieces of cremation jewelry can be dated back to the beginning of man. Everything from skin, nails, tears or even droplets of blood behind a plate of glass were used as keepsakes. Over time, these memorial keepsakes have evolved from blood to hair and now the use of cremation ashes in modern art work. All with the purpose to help people with grief and the loss of a loved one.

   

Carved Acorn with the teeth inside —- Teeth memorial necklace

Back in the Victorian ages it was common to have a family portrait taken when someone in the family died. Families who wanted to remember their loved ones after they had passed did so with a family “Death Photo”.It was around this time that memorial jewelry began to take the place of the death photo. At the time, it was called mourning jewelry and did not hold ashes: it held hair. When people died, hair was often clipped from the head of a deceased person and then woven into a bonnet that would be given to the next of kin. This is very similar to the way cremation jewelry for ashes is used today.

A Family “Death Photo” 1800’s —— Woven Human Hair

  

The first mourning jewelry to incorporate bodily remains featured intricately woven hair. and were often pins, rings or pendants. Mourning jewelry was hair art; hair art is the ancient practice of creating wreaths, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, bonnets and other decorative accessories entirely from human hair. The pieces were intricate crochet work and elaborate weaves. This made mourning and the passing less heartbreaking for those that lost a loved one.

Woven Human Hair Memorial Earrings

People considered it bad luck to possess things of the dead such as teeth, skin and nails so, people started carrying things like burial dirt, a lock of hair, or even the cremated ashes of their loved one so that they could keep them close and not have to worry about bad luck following them.
Today Cremation has almost replaced traditional burials and with this growing popularity cremation jewelry has replaced hair art. Modern cremation jewelry is not the only thing people are doing with the cremation ashes of their loved ones. Today cremation ashes are used in everything from Paintings with the ash in the paint, ashes tattooed into your skin, to Glass formed with cremation ashes inside jewelry and works of art. Cremation art has taken the place of the intricate hair art/mourning jewelry of the past.

People have always held on to something to heal grief or feel more connected to lost loved ones. Creating keepsakes from the remains of people who have passed away, I am sure will always be apart of the human grief process.

Capturing Carbon Energy and The Last Breath. Carbon Energy at it’s essence. We are all made from this. Energy never dies, it simply transforms.
Joele Williams

Imagine a beautiful wind chime or sun catcher that the sun light shines through the ashes. Imagine a wonderful glass sculpture on your mantle of an ocean wave with the cremation ashes in the crest. Imagine a wonderful candle you can light that illuminates the ashes of your loved one inside the glass. Cremation memorial art is not just jewelry anymore.
I create one-of-a-kind works of art and jewelry that Infuses your loved one forever into glass. Everything I make is a special design. I work one on one with you to create a memorial that fits your loved one. Placing your loved ones, cremation ashes into glass is a beautiful, respectful, and loving way to show your appreciation and remembrance for the life that brought you so much joy. A glass cremation keepsake is the perfect way to show your love and remembrance and can be handed down from generation to generation

Read more →