Art from Ashes, the company that creates glass remembrances using the ashes from loved ones, has added a new sculpture to their repertoire, a tennis ball. The piece was inspired by Java, a 12 1/2 year-old Border Collie, who recently passed away. Java's owner requested a keepsake that would honor what Java loved doing the most, chasing his favorite tennis ball. Bob Burch, the Art from Ashes resident artist, incorporated Java's ashes into the core of this remarkable tennis ball sculpture, then added the seam and left it roughed up, unlike the sleek, polished style of his other pieces. The result is an authentic, "slobbery" sculpture that is a comfort to hold. I just love the wit and originality of this piece. It's a new template for honoring those sporty dogs we all know who never sat still in life and don't belong sitting static on a mantle as a memory. Beautiful job.
For more information about this remembrance visit Art from Ashes.
Try to break away from the 10-year memorials of 9/11 this weekend. I know I have trouble doing it, and then wonder why I can't stop crying. Watch some US Open tennis or toss the ball to your pup. Every year I still can't believe the attacks really happened and, in a weird way what's more shocking is how we have moved on...how the unbearable becomes bearable.
