Over the past few months, something unexpected has happened in my life as an artist.

After following the story of Joules and the Dancing for Joules movement , I was deeply moved by the strength, bravery and love shown by her parents. It stayed with me in a way I couldn’t ignore.

I felt compelled to paint a portrait for them, not as a commission, but simply as a gift.

Since then, I have completed another memorial canvases for a family who have lost their child, and I am currently working on a third.

Each time, the same feeling comes over me, that there is no possible way I could ever charge bereaved parents for something like this.

These paintings are not transactions.

They are acts of love, empathy, and shared grief.

They are my way of trying, in some small human sense, to stand beside these families,

to hold their hand in a moment where the world must feel impossibly quiet and unbearably loud all at once.

To acknowledge their child.

To honour their story.

To say: you are not alone.

Charging money for that would change the meaning entirely.

So I won’t.

But the reality is — I still need to survive.

Creating these paintings takes time, materials, and energy, and if I am to continue doing this for as many families as possible, I need some form of support to make that sustainable.

That’s why I’ve set up this page.

What your support will do

Your donations will allow me to:

• Continue creating memorial paintings free of charge for bereaved parents

• Cover materials (canvas, paints, equipment)

• Dedicate the time needed to give each piece the care and attention it deserves

I want to be completely clear about something:

Whether this fundraiser succeeds or not, I will continue to create these paintings whenever I can.

But your support would mean I can do more of them, more often, and give each one the time and depth it truly deserves.

If this resonates with you in any way, thank you for reading, and thank you for being part of something that is, at its core, about love.

— Sam (Sam Art)