This past month has been a trip down memory lane. My parents were both artists and big believers in never throwing anything out, at least as far as artwork goes. As a result I have held onto plenty of paintings, drawings, and sketchbooks. Some date back to highschool or earlier. Needless to say, I have stacks of paintings, drawings and mountains of sketchbooks.
However, my parents’ house where I have stored my art, has been sold. I need to either take my artwork with me, place it in storage, sell it or throw it away. Thus, I have taken on the task of taking inventory of all my art. I have photographed nearly three hundred of my paintings and drawings, as well as titled them, noted the medium and recorded their sizes.
This has been an amazing process. It has helped me organize my art and eliminate artwork that no longer needs to be saved. It stimulated me to convert my website to a marketing site, so now I am able to sell my artwork to friends and fans who have always wanted to own my art. I dropped my prices and I have been selling more of my art. It’s rewarding to know they are going to people who have followed my career as an artist for a long time. My aspiration has always been to inspire others through art. It’s wonderful to know they are going to homes where they will be much appreciated.
I have also had the pleasure of tracing my path and observing my growth and stylistic changes. My artwork is a record of my life starting in high school, spanning through art school, my years living in San Francisco, my job as a waitress, views from cafes in the Mission district, hikes in Marin, Oakland hills, travels down the Pacific coast, as well as my journeys to Brazil, Europe, Asia, my master’s thesis, and my recent trip to India. Indeed, these sketches and paintings are the journal of my life.
What a gift that I can gaze back on this visual record of an amazing, adventure filled life. Not all moments were happy. My paintings also reflect lonely times and emotional struggles. It’s just that it’s all there to view. This has been an opportunity to gaze back on the past with an eye on the future, and note that my art always mirrors the present.