Shine On Brightly: Creative Urns, Memorial Art and Jewelry Help Remember People and Pets

"Art has the power to heal, to unite, and to express feeling when words sometimes can't be found. It can pay tribute to someone and serve as a constant symbol of the unique spirit within. If we look at great art through history, it can tell us so much about people and places through nonverbal communication. Grief can be so overwhelming, and hits us when we least expect it. Art supercedes linear and logical thinking, and can capture feelings that aren't always explainable through words," said Adrienne Crowther, Owner of Shine On Brightly. "The idea for Shine On Brightly was developed from a lifelong passion for art, and the belief that every life deserves to be honored and celebrated. We're located in Asheville, North Carolina, but our products are available worldwide. I launched the website, www.shineonbrightly.com, in Aprll 2008."

Crowther believes urns should be as unique as the person who lived.

"I am very passionate about life and personal stories. I believe that art is the ultimate vehicle for expression of human life. I also recognize that each individual's spirit is unique, and that it deserves to be celebrated and treated as such. So I've blended two passions - art and people - to offer a personalized, unique option for honoring people's lives," Crowther explained. "Shine On Brightly offers memorial jewelry, glass that incorporates ashes of a loved one, handmade books for guest sign-ins at a memorial service or to be filled with writings, drawings and other objects in honor of someone, personalized poetry, personalized textile art, and memorial paintings.

Crowther is delving into the pet business as well, as pet owners are asking for memorable pieces of art.

"I hear the same things from pet owners as I do from friends and families who have lost a loved one. They all say that the options that are available to them are limited, and often impersonal," Crowther noted. "They appreciate the opportunity to find something beautiful that is made with love and compassion by a human, as opposed to a manufactured object."

One of Crowther's clients, who commissioned an urn for her dog, provided a testimonial about her family's experience.

"In our search to find a way to honor our dog (who had given us 13 years of mutual friendship, love and devotion), we discovered Shine on Brightly, who worked collaboratively with us to capture our dog's singularly unique personality and our feelings about him to create the ideal urn. The artist commissioned, Julia Burr, while compassionate about our recent loss, was able to wade through our many emotions and elicit the necessary information about a dog whom she had never met, to enable her to transform her medium into a lasting tribute reflecting both the essence of our dog's spirit and our gratefulness for his presence in our lives. Shine on Brightly took the painful task of facing a permanent loss and substituted it for an enriching experience of actively replacing sadness with happiness through art."

Crowther stresses that people are simply seeking personalization and ways to remember.

"We live in a world that is fast-paced and often impersonal. When it comes to the life of someone we have loved, a special, unique object that is made solely for that person is so much more meaningful than anything produced by a machine. Many families are scattering ashes at a place that was special to the loved one, and then keeping a small amount in a keepsake urn, piece of jewelry, or glass," Crowther said. "We just sold four of our memorial glass pieces to one family, for the spouse and each of the children."

The memorial glass pieces actually incorporate a small amount of the cremated remains also known as cremains.

"The cremains are placed on a table in the glass studio," Crowther said, explaining the process, "The glassblower takes his initial bit of molten glass from the furnace onto a rod (also called a pipe), and rolls it over color, which comes in thin rods or powder. He then gently rolls the bulb of hot glass over the cremains, to collect an even dusting all around the bulb. Next he fires it in a second furnace, turning it slowly until he attains the desired shape, which is usually a roundish form. He cuts it off the rod, and places it on a heat-resistant surface. After cooling, the colors become clearer and more vibrant, and the cremains form lovely forms, often resembling streaks of stardust."

The quilts and textile art are also personal.

"The textile art can incorporate objects, pieces of clothing, and/or photographs which have been transferred, through copy technology, onto fabric. The artist works closely with the client to find the style, colors, shapes, and textures that best represent the spirit of the loved one. The quilt can be made as a large or small wall-hanging, or even stitched together as a booklet, so that each small quilt piece is a page."

For Crowther, offering items that are custom designed is a tribute to that person or pet's life story and personality.

"When we love someone, we love the unique traits, personality, ways of doing things. When a client commissions a piece of art to honor a loved one, he/she works with the artist and answers lots of questions from the artist about that person. Through dialogue, the artist gets a clear idea about who this person was – the likes/dislikes, interests, passions, personality traits, his/her relationships, and more. Clients often find this process extremely healing, because it gives them an opportunity to reflect on the person and talk about these memories. So it becomes an experience as well as a creation of a perfect piece that is made for that person only," Crowther explained. "Although the Shine On Brightly artists make special, customized pieces, we also provide pieces that are featured on the website. Each piece is handmade by the artist, so no two pieces are exactly the same. But the style, color, and form can be extremely close to the image. It's just not punched out by a machine. Many people perceive art pieces as unaffordable, but we offer a wide range of affordable pieces, many of which are more affordable than those that are commonly sold in funeral home showrooms or memorial product websites."

Shine On Brightly has become Crowther's personal mission to offer alternatives and choices to grieving families.

"Many of the Shine On Brightly artists joined me because they had created memorial pieces for family or friends, and found the work to be extremely meaningful. They appreciate the importance of the object they are making, and are empathetic to the feelings of the client." Crowther added, "Art truly has the power to heal and we're pleased to be a part of the process in helping famlies."

For more information visit Shine On Brightly on the web at www.shineonbrightly.com or call 866-844-4469.

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