HELD IN LIGHT & COLOUR: ART WITH ASHES OF YOUR LOVED ONE OR PET

Ashes in Art: Your Most Asked Questions Answered.

When someone we love passes away, we are left holding something they once were — and trying to decide how to honour them in a personal and meaningful way.

For many people, cremation has become the most common choice. And yet what follows — the question of the ashes — often lingers long after the funeral. Some keep them on a shelf or scatter them at sea. Some feel uncertain or unwilling to let go, yet unsure how to hold on. I am here to offer a way in which you can do both.

Art With Ashes of Your Loved One or Pet: A Bespoke Service

In the past few years, I've had the honour to create something that has quietly become one of the most meaningful things I do; incorporating the ashes of a deceased loved one — human or pet — seamlessly into my bespoke resin artworks. This service was not something I set out to offer, it came to me organically. My first client asked me whether it might be possible to add her late father's ashes into an ocean-inspired piece for her home. Of course I agreed; it's such an honour to be a part of someone's mourning process. When she visited my studio, we ended up talking for two hours. She shared stories and memories of her Dad, and later that day, she told me that she fully trusted me with his ashes. 

In the final stages of the creation process, my client and her husband discussed a personal inscription, and suggested I'd write "Love Always" - this is how her Dad always signed letters and cards to her. When I shared the finished piece online — with consent — something unexpected happened. A lot of people responded. Personal messages and more requests arrived from others who had been looking for exactly this, without knowing what to search for. By having a piece of art with ashes of your loved one or pet, you have something to hold onto at home, and still have the option of scattering the rest of their ashes in a beautiful place.

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Memorial Art: My Process

We usually begin the process with your thoughts, colours, or feelings you'd like the artwork to hold. A favourite beach, sunrises or sunsets, a quality they carried and/or colours that remind you of them. Most people spend some time going through my Original Resin Artworks archive and pick a handful of favourites to send as references; this is very helpful for me. You may use any size and shape artwork as a reference image, it does not need to match your order. You are welcome to share as much or as little about your person or pet as you feel comfortable with. I've created a Bespoke Artwork Info Pack & Price List with all the different options, including wooden panels in circles, rectangles, squares and oval shapes, and my translucent sculptural stand-alone pieces in various sizes.

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Once we've agreed on your brief, you will receive a 50% deposit invoice which is due before I begin creating your artwork. At this stage, you also send me a small amount of ashes in the post with Special Delivery — only a teaspoon or two is needed, depending on the artwork size.

From there, I work the ashes into the layers of resin by hand, in my studio in Newquay, Cornwall. They become part of the artwork itself — not sitting on top, but woven within the patterns and gradients, held inside the piece permanently under my signature glass-like resin surface. Most people, looking at a finished memorial piece, would not know the ashes were there. But the person who commissioned it does — and that knowledge transforms the way they experience the artwork every day.

Any unused ashes are returned to you safely with the completed artwork, once you've approved of the artwork images and your final invoice has been paid. I currently do not charge an additional fee for incorporating ashes into a bespoke commission.

Dividing the Ashes Between Family Members

One of the things I am most asked about is whether the ashes can be divided. The answer is yes.

If a family wishes to share a memorial — if a mother and daughter both want a painting, or even siblings in different countries want something to keep — I can divide the ashes across multiple artworks. Each piece is individual, personal, and made to the specific wishes of the person receiving it. The same beloved person or pet, held in multiple homes, across any distance. It's also possible to merge the ashes of multiple people or pets in a single piece of art; like in this piece below; "My Coat of Many Colours" which incorporates the ashes of my client's parents.

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Personalised Inscriptions

I also offer the option of an inscription embedded within the resin layers — a name, a date or a few words that mattered. It might be something they used to say. A place, a line from a poem or their favourite song. Whatever feels right to you.

These details sit quietly inside the artwork, written in white, visible if you look closely and part of the overall piece without overwhelming it. The inscription is the very last (optional) step before the final clear coat, therefore you have more time to decide if and what you'd like me the include in the piece.

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For Pet Owners

I want to take a moment to say something to those grieving a pet, because this loss is sometimes treated as lesser — and as a passionate animal lover and dog mum, I can assure you that it is not.

I believe that the bond between a guardian and their animal is one of the most uncomplicated and pure forms of love. Losing a pet is a real bereavement, and it deserves a real memorial.

The process of incorporating your pet's ashes is identical to using human ashes, and my care in making them is no different. If you are looking for a way to honour your animal companion, please get in touch.

Who This Service Is For

You do not need to know anything about art to commission a memorial piece. You do not need to have a clear vision — in fact, most people come to me with very little except a feeling, a name and some references of previous artworks I've made that spoke to them. That is enough. We talk through the process together, and I create something that reflects what you have shared with me. Throughout the process I will update you with images so you can see the direction the artwork is going, and we can discuss the next layers to ensure your desired outcome. Although this is a bespoke service, I do believe that the most beautiful pieces come to life when I am also given creative freedom in the process, as this is a highly intuitive and abstract one.

I am based in the UK and work with clients across the world so I ship worldwide, including to the United States.

If you are recently bereaved, there is no rush. Some people contact me in the weeks after a loss. Others wait months or years until they feel ready. You are welcome to inquire without any pressure to follow through immediately.

Adding Ashes to an Existing Artwork

If you already own one of my pieces, or you want to purchase one of my available artworks and have the ashes added to this piece, that is also possible. The joy of resin is that I can keep adding layers, even to a completed artwork. This means I can weave the ashes into it seamlessly, just like with a bespoke piece.

A Different Kind of Heirloom

Grief asks us to find new ways of keeping people close. For some, that is a framed photograph or a piece of jewellery. For others, it is something that can live on a wall, catch the ever-changing light in a room, and be seen every day by everyone who enters that space.

A memorial artwork with ashes is not about holding on in a way that prevents you from moving forward. It is about finding a place for someone within your life — a beautiful, long lasting place — so that moving forward does not mean leaving them behind.

If this resonates with you, I invite you to get in touch. You can read more and fill out an enquiry form at underthezee.com/artwork-with-ashes, or reach out to me directly. Feel free to share your story — I read and reply to every message personally.

— Zee