Framed drawing pick up

Image

October 6th 2022

Tony from the frame shop called a couple of weeks ago to let me know that my artwork was ready to be picked up. My schedule has been busy with many on-site projects and weddings on weekends.  I have just been floating the note to pick them up. On Monday he called again and said Charles had noticed that they were still sitting in the frame shop and wondered why I hadn’t been in. For some reason, I had a little hesitation in wanting to go and get them. I had thought it was going to be just the two gaclays of the ballerina and of Charles Lindbergh, but when he told me the final price, I knew that there had to be one more. The framed original drawing. I had thought that Charles would have that framed until the end of the project and yet here it was ready for pick up. I asked Tony if he could do me a favor and send me a couple of photos of the framed items. A few minutes later I got some images text to my phone and there it was the charcoal drawing framed and looking ready to present. Seeing the photos pushed me into creating the time to swing up to his little frame shop in Little Falls and get my artwork today.

Tony met us right after we walked in the door, and I walked over and just stared at the drawing of “the Best of Him” and found a lump forming in my throat. I didn’t know why, but I didn’t want to take it home yet. Tony talked about how we were going to transport this the 30 miles home and where we planned to hang them. He helped my husband and I load all three pieces into the car. As we were grabbing the frames off the floor, he motioned to me to pick up the drawing and I again didn’t want to do it. If I had had a say in it, I would have stood there a while longer and just looked at it. No time for that and it was in my hands and into the car in minutes headed him.

The tears started as we pulled away from the curb and drove around the block to get back into the flow of traffic on the interstate. The lump in my throat now a total blockage. This drawing and piece of art really does represent the best of my father and in having it in my hands, it reminds me that he is gone. It feels more final than the funeral did at the time. It’s not like I didn’t know this day was coming, I just hadn’t thought it would feel this way.

In creating this art with Charles, it has been such a therapeutic process for my grieving and a resource to heal and continue to love on my father. By having this 1st of the two pieces I can feel that this process will come to an end and I ask myself, how will I keep his memories alive after that? A wave a piece just fell over me as I type this and I realize that there will always be ways to share his story and our journey in finding the best of him.

I miss you dad and I wish you were here to see this.  I would love to hear your thoughts on my project, well then again, maybe not.  We were never ones to see things the same and we both would take things personally and get our feathers in a tussle. Funny how that works. Since your not here to comment in person, I am going to tell myself that you would be humbled, speechless and really enjoy taking it in a little at a time.

That is what it reminds me of, how humble you were.

In many ways the charcoal drawing for me it is it’s own stand-alone piece of art.  It’s like a black and white photo. There are no colors to distract you from the details, just shadows and depth of lines. There is a richness to, that draws in the observer to find more detail and yet in places, there is no more detail. It wasn’t necessary on this phase of the project to have the detail that the painting will have.

I can see that when people leave our lives, we are just left with the pieces and each day you get to choose how you put the pieces back together to make the next day another great day and continue to move yourself ahead.

PHOTOS