Art from Ashes

Our dog Wilson lives on, with a piece created on glass using his ashes.

March 31st already, and I realized I have been getting behind on my monthly blogging duties. My mind has been a bit distracted the last couple of months, dealing with loss. Losing our very best companion and furry friend due to lung cancer this last January, has taken it's toll on my partner and I. Grief is a very hard and real emotion to deal with. Maybe because the love and loyalty of a dog is so pure. Actually, between our son's dogs and ours we've lost 4 furry friends within 12 months time. It's been especially hard for us with our dear Wilson, a Lab/Retriever. We have always been "Dog People", but when Wilson came into our lives, we knew there was something extra special about this good and noble soul. Now after just under 11 short years, we are adjusting to the new reality of life without him. Those who don't care for animals probably wouldn't understand. But for me, the grief is still raw and real. So I decided to blog about it to show what has come from the healing process so far, when dealing with a loss of this sort. The loss of the unconditional love of our furry friend, has turned into an art form of sorts. 
I thought I'd share what has been created in the Studio, as  memorial keepsakes for all the dogs. The picture above was created by screen printing some of Wilson's ashes onto a sheet of white glass. It was then fused in the kiln. And the picture below is a painting Russ created of our dog, using glass enamels. It was also fired in the kiln and will be added to the keepsakes we have, to remind us of the great dog he was. He will forever leave a lasting imprint on our hearts. And now with the glass art created, we can see daily reminders of his goodness and love he exuded. 

The essence of Wilson: Painted with glass enamels and fired on glass. 

The next picture below was also screen printed onto glass using a black enamel fine frit. It was created as a memorial to "The three". After carefully sifting the fine frit, it was then annealed in the kiln. Our son and his family's now-departed dogs, and our "grand puppies" -the late Bear and Tank, are pictured alongside Wilson. Back in the day they were the best of friends and frolicked in water and on land. Their memories are chock full of the happy adventures enjoyed in years gone by with all of us.

Wilson, Bear and Tank Memorial made of glass.

And we had to have a piece to remember dear Copper, the oldest of them all. He was also a good and furry friend that deserved the best we could give him. We adopted him from family members and he lived with us since 2011. He passed last July, at close to 15 years of age. I created some string art in his likeness. Russ fired some of Copper's ashes onto a red glass heart, pictured below. We spread the rest of his ashes behind our property, where he used to teach Wilson and Maggie how to hunt mice.

A memorial to our sweet dog Copper.

I suppose the hardest part of the last two months has been watching our last remaining dog Maggie, become so confused and lonely without her BFF. She is filled with a sadness I can feel. It has truly been gut wrenching to deal with. But with time, we move onward as best we can. It has really taught me to savor the little moments in time. Before you know it, they are forever a memory. Life has a way of teaching us all lessons if we are willing to learn. I am forever grateful for the time I have got to spend with all our furry friends through the years. It has taught me the great lessons of compassion and empathy.  Russ and I are so thankful they were in our lives and filled our homes with love and happy times. So fortunate to have had them, even though just a short blip on the time-clock that is our associated with our own lives. 

Wilson and Maggie's last walk at the Park before he passed. 

Maggie missing Wilson, sleeps on his old bed. 

So dear reader, if you have gotten this far in my blog, thank you for allowing me to share my grief. It is somewhat therapeutic to write about. Meanwhile life keeps moving on, waiting for no-one. We are trying to get back into the rhythm of working in our Studio. The art piece pictured below was selected to display in a National Juried Art Exhibit this month at one of our local galleries. Russ received an honorable mention for it. The name speaks to the viewer to contemplate what is important in each of our lives. Not everything in life is black and white. When we look deeper, life can take on new and colorful meaning, if we think outside the box. We can be held back by small thinking, or move forward to progress to a deeper and more fulfilling life on this planet, working in harmony with all the planet already provides. "The future is in your hands" is a powerful testament to that. 

"The Future is in Your Hands"