Letting Go of Artworks

Where do I begin?

The last several weeks have been socially busy. I spent time with my youngest sister who flew for a visit and a very dear overseas friend whom I hadn't seen for 7 years. There are relationships that through time fade like furniture that had been constantly exposed to the sun but there are those that regardless of time, distance and absence remain the same.

Week 7's topic is about Personal Belongings. I will be answering the Option 2 question: What are some of your struggles and dilemmas in letting go of your personal belongings? and how have relationships allowed me to face that struggle head-on.

I had an artist phase before my daughter arrived in our life where I spent weekends in DUCTAC (Dubai Community & Arts Centre) studio painting in oil with other fellow art lovers. The guest bedroom in our apartment villa turned into a studio and during a year of hiatus and soul searching, I spent a lot of my time locked in that room painting.

For many years I have amassed several artworks and we took them with us in the 20 ft container when we moved to the Philippines. I value each of those paintings. A part of me seemed to have been captured within each stroke on those canvases like babies that one had nurtured and cared for. Hence, I had grown attached to most of them especially the ones that had significant memories.

They have been mostly hidden away while we were living in Dubail until I started displaying some of my favorites in the houses we moved into in the Philippines.

Love & Hate Relationship with Art

I have a love and hate relationship with art but I couldn't bring myself to let go of personal artworks and art materials.

The hate relationship resurfaces with the memory of being thrown out of the house after declining to draw real scaled horses for a glass partition due to a lack of creative mood. Moreover, there is a sense of restlessness when I couldn't get an art right which resulted in many unfinished works.

On the lighter side, there were days when the freedom of creativity in a supportive space provided healing. This is the ardent reason I hold on to the art materials and artworks. My daughter turned out to be enthused with art, more than I, so I bequeathed most of my art materials to her and continue to teach her everything that I know.

The Importance of Letting Go

The paintings were all stored in the hangar when we moved to a tiny apartment. A hangar that was destroyed by Typhoon Odette. The helpful wrapping of paper, bubble plastic, and carton that I learned from the professional movers saved them from the flood.

The aftermath drew a question, "Would the paintings be better off somewhere else than locked away in a storage?"

Here are 2 paintings of my niece and nephew which will most likely go to my parents-in-law's home when we visit France. I blogged about the process of this on Hive once here.

Years ago, I received a few private messages from close friends who asked to buy the paintings. I wasn't ready to part ways with the ones they wanted at the time because they were displayed in our home.

These friends were the ones who had encouraged me most when I moved back to the Philippines. They had been tremendously supportive when I was struggling and adjusting to our life here. Even though we don't talk as often as we'd like, conversations rekindle the friendship that has always been there.

In a light bulb moment, I called them to ask if their interest in the paintings is still there. They happily texted me their mailing addresses and within a short time, three artworks had been sent to different destinations as gifts.

One displayed the tea painting next to her desk inside her bedroom suite in Ayala Alabang, while the other was in another friend's family hall in Cagayan de Oro. The Wife, an old woman painting was adopted by an artist friend in Manila.

It felt light and joyful to see them leave the nest.

As creatives, we get attached to our works, our tools, and our materials. I guess the problem lies with the word "our" or "my." This was and at some point remains to be a difficult thing to let go of. For one, the art materials are expensive and even though the paintings I had done felt more like experiments, I had grown attached to them.

Hearing my friends' appreciation triumphs over the feeling of holding on to these pieces locked up somewhere. The flooded floors of the hangar taught me that these pieces mean nothing unless I let them go. This simple act reminds me of the value of flow. It is the process of making them that is more important than the end product.

Do you have art pieces that you value at home and will never let go of?
How do you feel about letting go of your work?
What is that thing you own that you find hard to part ways with?

Thank you for reading and sharing these art reflections with me.

All photos are taken by the author. The cover image and collage were edited with Canva

"I am an old soul who simply loves coffee, who finds joy and beauty in both tangible and the unseen."

@discoveringarni

_{Curiosity and imagination lead to unexpected experiences. Interested in Nature, Places, Roads Less Traveled, Minimalism, Authentic Living, Anything French, and International Cuisine. Feel free to follow her, re-blog, and upvote if you enjoy her content.}