A friend passed away a while back. His family is faced with his passion for drawing and painting the human figure. What to do with 18,000 works of art on paper. He loved his art and kept perfect records of his entire collection. What he failed to do was build a name for himself and now his family is at a loss for a solution. His very distinct style, outside mainstream art, is another drawback for the family. Eventually they may have to burn or just dump many of his works.
What the family needs to understand is what artists gain from the creation process itself. Just experiencing the creative process is a reward in itself. The finished piece is simply a by-product of special moments of understanding. Understanding of oneself and how one fits in to this world. Drawing and painting can be more than simply making a picture. Even though one's art may disappear, it was that moment of clear understanding that never leaves the family of an artist. Artists share such moments with everyone they meet, even when they are unaware of doing so. Once I realized what it meant to be an artist I saw everything under a different light. A brighter light. Artist are visual poets, one may forget their work but the effect of their work is now a part of their soul.
