A collection of six ceramic urns with cork lids, featuring a glazed blue-white and brown clay, arranged on a marble surface.

Our story

I have been a ceramic artist for most of my life, but my work shifted to specializing in cremation urns when my Father died in 2006.  I felt moved to created a beautiful memorial to hold his ashes. It was important for me to honor his life with the beautiful and to create something with my own hands to honor his spirit.  

In the years since, I have become part of the blossoming Death Positive movement, which seeks to return our cultural perceptions of death to be a part of the cycle of life rather than a morbidly feared inevitably.  Through my clients, I have discovered that creating beautiful, meaningful memorial urns to honor their loved ones also aids with their grieving process. My urns provide a small palliative, lending a sense of closure.  Created from the earth, fired into stone and eventually returning to the earth, just as our bodies do, our ceramic vessels are a beautiful metaphor for the natural cycle of life and death.

Touch Formed Memorial's founder shaping a rectangular piece of clay on a wooden work surface in a pottery studio.

Podcast Interview

Want to learn more about John’s journey as an artist, urn craftsman, and human? Listen to Paul Blais interview John for his podcast The Potter’s Cast.

Touch Formed Memorial's founder wearing a black apron, standing in their pottery studio.

Etsy

While John’s true passion lies in creating beautiful urns to help people honor their loved ones, he also likes making lots of more “traditionally” functional pottery. In his Etsy shop you can discover all manner of vases, plates, cups even the odd pottery tool!
John started out selling on Etsy in 2013 and has since earned over 200 five star reviews for his quality work and excellent customer service.

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