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Remains to be Seen LLC.

Unique & Affordable Memorial Cremation Art

 

~ OUR STORY AND OUR PROCESS ~

 

Losing a family member is never easy, and deciding what to do for a lasting memorial can be equally challenging. With cremation services becoming the popular alternative to traditional burial, you now have some choices. You can do what’s always been done and keep your loved one's remains in a decorative container, or choose something more personal.

 

Introducing; Remains to be Seen, an affordable and unique way to use cremation ashes (or other remains—see our commission outline) to memorialize your family, friends or beloved pets! We respectfully mix a very small portion of your loved ones remains  into paint to create a unique, handcrafted memorial painting that will have a special place in your home and will become a family heirloom for generations to come.

 

 

Our Story

 

The idea came to me when I saw an old bumper sticker that read, “This bumper sticker was printed with ink that was mixed with the ashes of Mount St. Helens.” Pondering the bumper sticker and knowing my wish was to be cremated when I die, I thought, I could have my cremation ashes mixed with paint and have a memorial painting commissioned. I could then leave this painting for the loved ones that I left behind, and it might eventually become a family heirloom.

 

When I told my friends and family, some thought it was a bit odd, but they also realized what an incredibly unique idea it was for a proper and beautiful memorial. Well the idea was just that, an idea, and it stayed locked in the back of my head for years. However, recently I was laid off and I decided I did not want to go back to another corporate cubicle for another decade, so I presented the idea to a beloved artist friend and Remains to be Seen LLC. was born.

 

We believe that having cremation ashes in an urn or keeping other remains is a good way to remind yourself that your loved one has left this realm, but when you choose to use them in artwork, it's a vibrant and unique way to transform those remains and remember that they lived. 

 

 

About the Process - How do we start? 

 

1. After you contact us, we will complete an in person or phone consultation (contact us). During the consultation please tell us all about your loved one. Examples of what we want to know are; what were they like as a person, their personal style, where they loved to vacation, where they loved to spend their time, favorite colors, favorite shapes/patterns and what they loved most about life. Also if you are requesting a detailed portrait you will need to e-mail us a digital image of your loved one. The digital image you provide must be full size and at least 100dpi. The better quality the more detail we will have to work with, which will help with the finished result. We prefer the digital formats of JPEG, PNG, or PSD file

 

2.  Next, you will need to choose a size and one of our special commission pieces and we will immediately start to build a concept and design and incorporate that information into your customized, hand-painted piece of art. (see pricing).

 

3. Once your consultation is complete, we will mail you a Collection Kit labeled with your unique commission identity (CommID) number.

 

Use this kit to collect and ship your remains.

 

The kit includes:


• 1 sterile 2oz scoop for handling the remains
• 1 sterile plastic bag in which to place the remains
• 1 locking outer bag for shipment
• 1 prepaid, return postal package for shipment to me via US Postal Registered mail.

 

Your funeral home/cremation service can provide you the remains in more than one container, if you don't want to handle the remains yourself.  We only require approximately 2-4 ounces of your cremation remains, unless otherwise agreed to for an oversize piece. If you are in the Baltimore Metro Area, we would be happy to pick up the remains for you.  We will return any and all remains that are not used and we are careful to handle them respectfully (with gloves) and we work carefully to ensure that only the amount needed for the art is kept and that none is wasted.

 

When we receive the returned collection kit your commission is opened and the remains are logged in with your CommID number in our database. Our database insures that commissions are individually prepared and completed.  Any unused cremains will be returned to you in it’s original collection kit.

 

*If you are choosing our What Still Remains Painting or Spirit Sculpture Painting, shipping information is something we will instruct you on during our consultation.

 

4. Once we receive your remains we will send your billing invoice from “Remains to be Seen LLC.” via e-mail. The e-mail will contain a link for you to make your payment with any major credit card through PayPal.com. Your order will be logged in the order it was received based on the day the invoice is paid (not the day the invoice is sent). *If paying by check, there will be an address in the e-mailed invoice to mail a check, although this does slow down the process, since we will have to wait for the mail.

 

5. Delivery / Shipping Info: Since we are on the east coast we can personally deliver if you are not more than 1 hour from our studio in Gwynn Oak or Bel Air Maryland. If we do have to ship there is an additional shipping fee that will be applied to your bill. These typically range from $25 - $75 depending on what you order, where it's going, and the weight.

 

6. Finally we will contact you to answer any additional questions you may have for us regarding your commission. We will also let you know the date of completion and arrange delivery. Once completed we can provide a digital image proof and we will offer one free touch up, any other adjustments will have a small $25.00 fee attached. 

 

CONTACT US TODAY TO PLACE YOUR ORDER
 
Call: 410.299.4645

Email: theartafterlife@gmail.com

 

*All paintings are kept private and not used in showings or advertising unless the client has given their expressed consent. 

 

*Please let us know if you have a special request, we are very open to suggestions or ideas.

 

*There is NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE for adding any type of remains (other than your shipping and return shipping of left over remains).

 

*We will ALWAYS use the utmost respect in handling your loved one’s remains and all remains will be boxed, cataloged and handled with gloved hands.   

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