When I lost my son, David, at 23 weeks pregnant, I knew I wanted to do something really special and meaningful with his ashes. There were so many ideas online but none of the conventional methods felt right to me and with so little ash, I knew I could only choose one option. Many of my friends suggested I just scatter his ashes in the remembrance rose garden I started for him in my backyard, but I couldn’t help but feel that I would be devasted by his loss all over again the day we ultimately decided to sell our home and move. I was desperate to keep a part of him with me, for always. I am also a creative at heart, and enjoy making things with my hands. While admiring a painting I had created during my time of mourning, entitled “A walk with David”, I was struck with the realisation that the answer to my dilemma was staring me in the face. What better way to store my son’s ashes than in a beautiful painting created in honour of his memory? And so the idea for Beauty IV Ashes was born.