'My cremation ashes art helps grieving loved ones'

An artist is usiing cremation ashes in his paintings as a unique way to help grieving family members remember their loved ones.

Gary Harper, from Liverpool, blends a small amount of the ashes into his paint to produce "unique, deeply personal paintings".

Harper said he works closely with clients to capture the "spirit, personality and essence, as well as the places they loved, the memories they shared and the things that made them who they were".

"It's a way of quite literally incorporating someone into a piece of artwork created in their honour," he added.

Each piece can include favourite colours, meaningful locations, hobbies or special symbols to tell the person's story, and is designed "to feel like a true celebration of life".

The artist said he came up with the idea while working as a mental health support worker and using art therapy to help his patients.

After his cousin died, Harper began exploring unique memorials which led him to experimenting with blending ashes into paint.

"I was determined to create something that was both respectful and artistically effective," he said.

"The result was memorial art - a way of quite literally incorporating someone into a piece of artwork created in their honour.

"It not only immortalises people or animals through art. It also helps the ones who are grieving."

Since launching the concept, Harper has completed a series of private commissions and said the response from families had been "deeply emotional and overwhelmingly positive".

He said the paintings had offered comfort, connection and a sense of closeness and a reminder that love and memory can still be present, even after someone is gone.

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