OUR
STORY
A TALE OF ASHES TO ASHES, DUST TO DIRT
On September 4, 2011, everything changed for us. The Bastrop County Complex Wildfire was the most destructive in Texas history. Fifteen years of building a home, family and life together was reduced to nothing but ashes. We lost our home, the beauty of our forest property and all our physical possessions. We lost our security and the dreams we were chasing. It was the most stressful, painful and significant loss we had ever experienced.
Nothing can prepare you for the significant losses that we all face in life. During the grief process you hope to find the silver-linings that carry you forward. We had to find creative solutions to rebuild our home and chose an unconventional route. We decided to use our pine trees lost in the fire to personally rebuild our home. That choice challenged us in new ways and for new purposes. It was this decision that eventually led us to a new artistic endeavor creating YURNS by MorzArt, AwesomeUrns.com.
After our tree harvest, we took our timber to a local sawyer. He assisted us in milling lumber for our home and a friendship developed. He had the desire to launch a casket manufacturing business. For two years, we helped him develop the Star of Texas Casket Company. This experience gave us insight into the changing funeral industry, the rising rates of cremations, and the lack of inspiring urn choices on the market.
By the end of February 2014, we had completed enough of our new home to move into it. Two weeks later, our joy turned to sadness and loss again with the passing of Rob's mother on March 10th. The family had a small private gathering to remember her, and a couple weeks later a small package arrived by post containing her cremains.
Rob's mom, Beckie, had a great artistic influence on him growing up. He spent years as a child helping in their family-owned gifts and ceramics shop. As an adult, Rob naturally found his artistic niche in clay sculpture. Faced with needing a proper memorial for his mother, Rob knew that he must sculpt for her an urn. It would have to reflect her passions and personality- a most fitting memorial for mom.
The need to produce her tribute had us reflecting on a unique sculpture we created in 2006 for our friend, Ron. He was a fun-loving guy with a big personality. We discussed urn ideas with his widow, and gifted her a wall-mounted, big mouth bass fish sculpture. A portion of his ashes were inurned into it, and to this day it hangs at her country home. She developed a sincere heartfelt connection with his unique memorial. From her experience, we knew that our art served well in this function. It meant so much to us to bring her comfort and honor his spirit with our craft.
These experiences had us researching the urn market further. We wondered if our ideas for cremation vessels were available. Overwhelmed by the amount of uninspired, mass-produced urns saturating the market, we knew we could offer more. If we put our sculpture ideas into action, we could provide unique, handmade urns different from the rest.
As the popularity of cremation options grow, we want to help to change the notion of the typical urn form. We create works of art that are out-of-the-ordinary and down-to-earth…honest in subject, but discreet in function. YURNS don’t look like an urn. They’re more. They’re more uplifting, more personal, and they’re crafted with more heart.
Self-taught, we've been sculpting together since 2005.
Cremation urns are a sacred space and it's a great honor to be of service to families in such a meaningful way. This art is a part of our soul. It is the result of great loves and great losses. We understand the desire to find that “perfect place” to remember your loved one properly. It’s more than an urn... it's a work of art, a precious heirloom, a family treasure that you can find comfort in, feel a connection to, and inspire stories of your loved one for generations to come.
Our nature and philosophy strives for more than a just business transaction. Please connect with us anytime to ask questions or share your ideas. We are here to help celebrate the life of your loved one in a special way. Just let us know how we can help you.
Blessings,
Rob & Jamaica
MorzArt