Mollie, aged 35 and working as a professional artist in Falmouth<\/a>, explained that the concept occurred to her unexpectedly while contemplating how best to commemorate him.<\/p>\n (Image: Jam Press\/@molliehughesart)<\/p>\n “I was creating abstract seascapes before but wanted to create something for Will’s family to signify him as he loved sunsets,” she said. “Then I had a light-bulb moment where I thought, ‘I could add his ashes into this’.”<\/p>\n She collaborated with Will’s sibling, Mike, who discreetly supplied a portion of the ashes without informing their parents, ensuring the completed artwork would serve as a surprise.<\/p>\n Mollie described the experience of working with the ashes as deeply moving.<\/p>\n “I had to take a little breather when I had the ashes as it was such a surreal moment,” she said. “I felt sadness but also warmth knowing I was creating something that could bring comfort.”<\/p>\n (Image: Jam Press\/@molliehughesart)<\/p>\n The artwork draws upon a sunset scene Will had captured on film while travelling along the coastal road.<\/p>\n His mother, Nicky Charman, said that the completed piece “took my breath away”.<\/p>\n “Our darling beautiful son, Wills, had the biggest heart and smile,” she said.<\/p>\n Will Charman, 22, died in a motorbike crash in Falmouth in April 2023 (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)<\/p>\n “At just 22, he was a strong, tall protector whilst also being the warmest and most humble boy who would do anything for anyone.<\/p>\n “He was so proud of his siblings and always said he ‘has the best parents that brought him up right’.”<\/p>\n She explained that Will had been making his way home when the collision occurred.<\/p>\n “He took a video of the beautiful view before driving home to have his dinner,” she said. “Despite only being down the road, he didn’t make it back to us.<\/p>\n (Image: Jam Press\/@molliehughesart)<\/p>\n “I will always wait for him to walk through our garden gate but until then, we will love him with all that we are.”<\/p>\n The piece of art now has pride of place in the family’s home.<\/p>\n “Receiving this beautiful painting absolutely took my breath away,” Nicky added. “It references a photo that Will took himself \u2013 he loved how the sun set over the bay.<\/p>\n “I think it is the most endearing and personal act of love.<\/p>\n “Every time I look at it, I imagine he really is there living his best life in another dimension.”<\/p>\n (Image: Jam Press\/@molliehughesart)<\/p>\n Mollie continues to produce similar works for bereaved families across the globe.<\/p>\n “Every piece I create really does hit me,” she said.<\/p>\n “But knowing I’m bringing comfort to families going through the hardest thing in their lives is my biggest achievement.”<\/p>\n (Image: Jam Press\/@molliehughesart)<\/p>\n Want the latest Cornwall breaking news and top stories first?<\/strong><\/p>\n Get all the latest stories, sent straight to your WhatsApp – all you need to do is click the link: <\/strong>https:\/\/chat.whatsapp.com\/CKObHkgJF4T5fRZxiGdYqd<\/a><\/strong>We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don\u2019t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you\u2019re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice: <\/strong>https:\/\/bit.ly\/41EZjzx<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An artist from Cornwall has incorporated her friend’s ashes into a specially created painting after he died in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":952053,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3939],"tags":[4021,4020,4022,77,457,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-952052","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-design","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-people","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116554543536390887","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/952052","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=952052"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/952052\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/952053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=952052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=952052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=952052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Woman](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0_Woman-blends-friends-ASHES-into-painting-after-22-year-old-dies-in-motorbike-crash.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Woman](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778481080_697_0_Woman-blends-friends-ASHES-into-painting-after-22-year-old-dies-in-motorbike-crash.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Will](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1_MS_DL_08-05-2023_willcharman.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Woman](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778481084_946_0_Woman-blends-friends-ASHES-into-painting-after-22-year-old-dies-in-motorbike-crash.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Woman](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778481086_389_0_Woman-blends-friends-ASHES-into-painting-after-22-year-old-dies-in-motorbike-crash.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Woman](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778481087_849_0_Woman-blends-friends-ASHES-into-painting-after-22-year-old-dies-in-motorbike-crash.jpg\")
<\/p>\n