This project began as another (my third) effort to make something for the ashes of my best friend who died in 2010. We remained extremely close right up until the end and at his funeral, his mother said she would send me his ashes, “You are an artist- maybe you could make something for them?”
The ashes have sat in the tin she sent them in, on my bookshelf (among some things I think he would have liked), ever since. It seems every time I try to make something for them it ends up being…. Not enough. Not right. When I started to make these vessels and urns, the goal was to make urns to hold some of his ashes. I would choose one to send to each of his family members. But halfway through, it again started to feel wrong. They weren’t beautiful enough. They weren’t meaningful enough. They weren’t enough. So in one way the project is a failure.
But because I like throwing pots, and because I thought, “What about all the other friends I have lost?” I kept making them. Maybe they won’t contain any ashes, but they are still symbolic of death and loss.
Size: Installation size varies- Approx. 72" x 76" x 9"
Media: ceramic, nail polish, ink, acrylic, spray paint, resin, glitter, found objects, glass, mixed media
2015