JERSEY GLASS ART

Glass artist includes cremated remains in glass

We all have our own ways of grieving — and memorializing — the passing of a loved one, even a pet.

For those who choose cremation, Richard Fisher of Chicago Park offers an unusual option that, for many, also heals the soul.

Instead of scattering the ashes, displaying them in an urn on the mantel or stashing them in a closet, Fisher — a glassblowing artist — blends a trace of cremation ashes into custom glass art or jewelry.

It could be a hanging ornament, a flower, an angel, a pendant — or even the glass handle of an elegant letter opener.

The family and friends of one deceased racquetball enthusiast ordered seven miniature glass rackets.

“They looked like little ping pong paddles,” Fisher recalled.

It’s important to Fisher that people get one or more pieces of glass art or jewelry that have special meaning to them.

“It gives people a kind of closure,” he explained. And it only takes a small portion of the remains. The rest can be scattered to the wind or otherwise laid to rest.

‘Like stars in the sky’

Unless a customer orders different colors, Fisher prefers to use cobalt blue glass. The flecks of gray ash in the deep blue glass create a celestial effect, he said, “like stars in the sky.”

Fisher didn’t invent the idea, but he had to teach himself how to make it work. About eight years ago, he saw

cremation ashes embedded in a clear glass globe.

“It was ugly,” he recalls. “The glass just looked dirty.”

Nevertheless, he recognized a good idea, so he set out to create a more artistic, tasteful way to pay tribute to those who have passed.

Learning by doing

The first thing he learned is that glass tends to break when a foreign substance is introduced. (Although they are called ashes, cremated remains are actually gritty and grainy.)

Using the ashes of a friend’s German shepherd, Fisher experimented with techniques and colors. He learned it takes about twice as long to create a piece with embedded ashes.

He also found that cobalt or other deeply colored glass works best to display the ashes — or encapsulate them in such a way that they can’t be seen at all.

“Nobody knows the ashes are there unless you tell them,” Fisher said. The ashes are simply an artistic effect.

Word-of-mouth

So far, Fisher hasn’t advertised this aspect of his 35-year-old glassblowing career, which included owning Fisher Glass Collection on downtown Nevada City’s Broad Street in the 1990s.

He does, however, work with Chapel of Angels Mortuary and Crematory in Grass Valley, and he is planning to build a Web site that will feature this service.

Fisher tries to keep it affordable. Most pieces cost between $50 and $100, he said.

It doesn’t matter how old the ashes are. One customer had her mother’s, her father’s and two pets’ ashes in a closet for years. She was so relieved and happy to finally be able to honor her loved ones in a more fitting way, Fisher recalled.

“Pet people are some of the most emotional customers,” he added.

Fisher gets philosophical about working with cremated remains, human or animal. The ashes look the same.

“We’re all made of the same stuff.”

Tom Durkin is a freelance writer based in Nevada City. For comments on this article, e-mail tkleist@theunion.com or call (530) 477-4230.

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