Art and Grieving
When I was 12 years old my mother died. In her bible there was a book mark with a picture of a guardian angel protecting small children as they crossed a bridge.
This is a very famous image by Heiliger Schutzengel. As a grieving child this image brought me great comfort and throughout my life that picture has been a loving reminder of my mother.
One of the first Kinkade’s I sold here at T.K. at the Village was “Cobblestone Mill.”
A woman came in and asked if we had it. I didn’t even know what it looked like, but she did and went right to it. It seems that her and her husband had looked at purchasing the piece before he was deployed to the middle east. He didn’t come home. She bought Cobblestone Mill that day. That was my first experience assisting someone with art that perhaps would help them with their grieving and serve as a future reminder of their departed loved one. My challenge was keeping it together so I could help her.
On two other occasions I worked with people that were looking for that special artistic remembrance. One woman had lost both of her parents at the same time. Her family gathered around her in support while she pondered over “The Guiding Light.” Her mother had loved Kinkade’s lighthouses and had them hanging in her office. Now “The Guiding Light” hangs in her home as a loving tribute.
Most recently I worked with a family that had lost their 13 year old daughter in a tragic car accident. They came in looking for the Kinkade image that had been on the daughter’s memorial card. The piece was “Nanette’s Cottage.”
In front of this peaceful cottage is a small row boat with a teddy bear perched on one of the seats. In the back ground there is a church steeple reaching into the heavens offering courage and hope. There was no hesitation, the whole family was united about having this image to remind them of their darling girl.
I could not hide my tears when working with each of these families. I feel incredibly blessed to have been able to help them find one piece of their healing puzzle and my prayers are with them all.
Art ennobles us, inspires us, transports us, and can help to heal us. I believe that art is a gift from God, the artist blessed with the talent so that we may be blessed with their work. My blessings are being able to represent these incredible artists and having an appreciation for art that stirs my soul.