mel jacobson on mon 29 oct 07
i have found that giving the gift of an ash container
is one of the most thoughtful things a potter can do.
i know many of you sell them...have a business, and that
is noble and good. and, like being an undertaker, the customers
seem to be constant.
but, if you have a dear friend that is in mortal trouble,
it is so nice to mention...`i will make a set of jars for you`.
(i do husband and wife jars...matching)
it becomes that last gift you give a friend.
i have done it now 6-7 times.
when you see your jar/with ashes...on the alter of a
big church...a thousand people in the audience. that could
and might be the best exhibit you will ever have. and, it may
mean more than any other show you will have.
i usually let them pick their favorite glaze...and i make
a standard cannister jar. strong cover.
usually they have the folks at the cremation center fill the
jar. but, i can do that too. and have. i use a few drops of epoxy
on the lid. you can also do a series of maybe six smaller jars.
one for each family member.
i even made a tiny jar, filled it with a few ounces of grandma's ashes...
and then
planted that jar under grandpa's headstone. easy...took three
minutes....in a cemetery that does not allow you to do anything.
screw them...they will never know. they wanted 2600 dollars to
plant the ashes. grandpa would have smiled big....what a kick.
the in-laws thought the cemetery police where going to show up
and arrest us. and what was more funny, after i got the
tiny jar buried, they all went about clipping, digging and cleaning
the head stones of four relatives....funny. they had enough tools
to dig a well. but, that tiny jar made them nervous.
there are times when a potter has marvelous gifts to give. they
have meaning and dignity. never pass up a chance to give that
final gift...the family will adore you forever. and, you will feel the
love for a long time.
mel
from: mel/minnetonka.mn.usa
website: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
Clayart page link: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html
Lee Love on wed 31 oct 07
I decided to become a potter at my Zen teacher's funeral. You can find the
story in the archives. But I decided then, that I wanted to make urns.
Have made several urns for Akita dogs. Only recently felt skillful
enough to make them for people, after potting for 17 years. Made one for
a friend with chronic health problems. She wanted "blue" do I did the
glaze an unusual way I learn from my teacher during my apprenticeship:
Brush on a layer of glaze, in this case, nuka saturated silca white, then a
layer of Gosu (impure cobalt) and then another layer of glaze. What is
nice about this, is that the glaze surface has a lot of variation, some
parts glossy blue, but others metallic and other areas cloudy white. It is=
a blue I can live with. She liked it too, sent airmail from Japan.
--
Lee in Minneapolis, Minnesota USA
=93Men are born ignorant, not stupid. They are made stupid by education." -=
-
Bertrand Russell
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