# Human Ash Portraits Raven J. Collins' Ash Portraits Pay Tribute to the Dead By Michael Hines | Published 2011-04-19 | Lifestyle Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ash-portraits References: [odditycentral](http://www.odditycentral.com/pics/artist-draws-portraits-using-the-ashes-of-her-subjects.html) & [portraitsfromashes](http://www.portraitsfromashes.com/) Raven J. Collins is a Tampa-based visual artist who creates [portraits of deceased loved ones](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/virtual-memorials) using their actual ashes. Collins' [ash portraits are hand-drawn](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/glass-portraits), with each featuring a small amount of the deceased's ashes. The ashes are sent through the mail and are mixed with a special paste and applied anywhere on the portrait except the face. The portraits sell for anywhere between two and three hundred dollars and Collins says they make up about 90 percent of her business. Working with ashes has become popular as of late, with [artists creating sculptures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/shiyuan-xu), drawings and even paintings using the ashes of the deceased. You can check out a few of Raven J. Collins' ash portraits along with other cremation innovations here. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 4.3/10 - Popularity: 51% | Activity: 69% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Lifestyle](https://www.trendhunter.com/lifestyle) > [Life](https://www.trendhunter.com/life) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Ash-based Art:** Creating art using the ashes of the deceased presents an opportunity for artists to offer personalized and sentimental tributes. - **Cremation Innovations:** The increasing popularity of working with ashes opens up opportunities for businesses to develop new products and services related to the cremation process. - **Custom Memorialization:** The demand for personalized memorials using actual ashes provides an opportunity for businesses to offer unique and meaningful funeral products and services. ### Who This Affects Most - **Art:** The rise of ash-based art creates a disruptive innovation opportunity for artists to explore new mediums and expand their artistic offerings. - **Funeral Services:** The trend of using ashes in memorialization opens up opportunities for funeral homes to offer customized ash-based products and services, catering to the demand for personalization. - **Cremation Products:** The growing interest in cremation innovations presents an opportunity for businesses to create and market unique products specifically designed for working with ashes. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Commemorative Urn Designs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/commemorative-urn.md) - [3D-Printed Ecological Funeral Reefs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/resting-reefs.md) - [Post-Mortem Pet Projectors](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cirius-beam-projector.md) - [Custom Pet Portraits](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/portrait-mom.md) - [Human Hair-Made Pots](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/range-of-pots.md) - [Expandable Spherical Monolithic Urns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/urna-project.md) - [Biodegradable Pet Urns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/paw-pods-1.md) - [Stunning Origami Portraits](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/origami-portaits.md) - [Mycelium-Made Biodegradable Urns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sail-funerary-urn.md)