After her father died in 2016, artist Lanson Moore collected his ashes and was shocked by what she found.
“I had never let a close relative die,” says Moore, who lives in Yorkshire, UK.
“I expected him to be in an urn and he wasn’t. He was in a green plastic tub. It was very disrespectful. It really shocked me—how could anyone get involved?
Troubled by the experience, Moore decided to create a work of art to dedicate to her father, with an added personal touch: The artist wanted to add her father’s ashes to the painting.
Ash to a work of art
After Moore collected her father’s ashes, her family divided them up and used them to preserve his memory in their own way. Her sister had the ashes processed into jewelry. Her brother put them in a plant. As for Moore, she scattered them near the family home.
“It didn’t really feel right for me,” she says.
Moore’s father had always supported her art, a long-standing passion to which she returned in 2020 after the birth of her son.
After starting out at her kitchen table, Moore soon won competitions and gained recognition. She is now working on projects in a studio in the city of Wakefield.
“It kind of came together, it felt like home, it felt like I was going back to my true self,” she says.
The artist describes her work as “intuitive” and was inspired by her years of traveling in South America. She regularly awards wedding commissions and creates abstract works based on the couple’s honeymoon goals.
This type of work fits in with their latest project.
“Abu In Port Lligat” is a painting that Moore created in memory of her father. It is an abstract interpretation of a landscape painting of Port Lligat, a village on the Costa Brava, painted by Salvador Dali.
“It was my dad’s favorite place and his favorite artist,” says Moore.
The work contains many personal elements that relate to her father: a boat he always wanted, red for his favorite drink (red wine) and blue, his favorite color. A golden line running through the painting represents his life line or possibly the new journey he is on after death. The ashes will be bound to that at some point.
The artist is aware of the reactions that her work can elicit in some circles.
“I understand that it’s too much for some people,” she says.
Grief through art
Although Moore was happy with her idea, the process is easier said than done, as the practical aspects of binding the ashes to the painting (which now hangs in a relative’s house) proved to be quite a challenge.
After extensive research revealed that several others were working in this area, Moore managed to obtain funding from Arts Council England to help them with their task.
“This funding has enabled me to work with art media that I’m not yet familiar with,” says the artist.
She will now take on 10 assignments, along with others who want to take the same path to help with their grief.
“They can go through the journey of immortalizing their loved ones in art. It will be a unique piece of art that they can keep for future generations,” says Moore.
“When you look at all the different ways to live your life differently, but no one plans after that, it’s up to other people to make that decision. That can be difficult. I’d like to make a selection.”
Moore’s project has brought her a lot of healing, and she wants to share that with others.
“I’ve also taken a personal journey with regard to my grieving process,” says Moore.
“I had the feeling that my father had accompanied me on this journey. It was a way for me to be close to him again.”
After her father died in 2016, artist Lanson Moore collected his ashes and was shocked by what she found.
“I had never let a close relative die,” says Moore, who lives in Yorkshire, UK.
“I expected him to be in an urn and he wasn’t. He was in a green plastic tub. It was very disrespectful. It really shocked me—how could anyone get involved?
Troubled by the experience, Moore decided to create a work of art to dedicate to her father, with an added personal touch: The artist wanted to add her father’s ashes to the painting.
Ash to a work of art
After Moore collected her father’s ashes, her family divided them up and used them to preserve his memory in their own way. Her sister had the ashes processed into jewelry. Her brother put them in a plant. As for Moore, she scattered them near the family home.
“It didn’t really feel right for me,” she says.
Moore’s father had always supported her art, a long-standing passion to which she returned in 2020 after the birth of her son.
After starting out at her kitchen table, Moore soon won competitions and gained recognition. She is now working on projects in a studio in the city of Wakefield.
“It kind of came together, it felt like home, it felt like I was going back to my true self,” she says.
The artist describes her work as “intuitive” and was inspired by her years of traveling in South America. She regularly awards wedding commissions and creates abstract works based on the couple’s honeymoon goals.
This type of work fits in with their latest project.
“Abu In Port Lligat” is a painting that Moore created in memory of her father. It is an abstract interpretation of a landscape painting of Port Lligat, a village on the Costa Brava, painted by Salvador Dali.
“It was my dad’s favorite place and his favorite artist,” says Moore.
The work contains many personal elements that relate to her father: a boat he always wanted, red for his favorite drink (red wine) and blue, his favorite color. A golden line running through the painting represents his life line or possibly the new journey he is on after death. The ashes will be bound to that at some point.
The artist is aware of the reactions that her work can elicit in some circles.
“I understand that it’s too much for some people,” she says.
Grief through art
Although Moore was happy with her idea, the process is easier said than done, as the practical aspects of binding the ashes to the painting (which now hangs in a relative’s house) proved to be quite a challenge.
After extensive research revealed that several others were working in this area, Moore managed to obtain funding from Arts Council England to help them with their task.
“This funding has enabled me to work with art media that I’m not yet familiar with,” says the artist.
She will now take on 10 assignments, along with others who want to take the same path to help with their grief.
“They can go through the journey of immortalizing their loved ones in art. It will be a unique piece of art that they can keep for future generations,” says Moore.
“When you look at all the different ways to live your life differently, but no one plans after that, it’s up to other people to make that decision. That can be difficult. I’d like to make a selection.”
Moore’s project has brought her a lot of healing, and she wants to share that with others.
“I’ve also taken a personal journey with regard to my grieving process,” says Moore.
“I had the feeling that my father had accompanied me on this journey. It was a way for me to be close to him again.”