What do you value, how do you value it and who will value it when you're gone...

Value: The regard that something is held to deserve; the importance, worth, or usefulness of something. Value is often taken to mean monetary but there are many different applications for the word; Or more specifically I guess, there are many ways to apply the word to us and our lives. I just read a really great post by @dissfordents about his priceless art collection and it made me think about art, life and value.

My dad was an artist, is an artist I should say. He is afflicted with dementia these days at almost 82 and so his artwork is not of the same quality and complexity as it once was. It's still better than I could achieve, but compared to his work of the past it's somewhat...Different.

I have several pieces hanging in my home and have many others stored dating back to prior to my arrival on planet earth. It's interesting to see how how his style changed over the years but not surprising; We all change through experience, circumstance, wisdom, emotional influences and of course changing one's location certainly can change an outlook. No matter how my dad's work evolved though he applied the same care and effort to what he did. Hours and hours of time and effort. Relentless dedication.

He worked in acrylic on canvas mainly and his work is generally quite large being at least 1 to 1.5 meters in length generally. They were quite impactful when hung on a wall typically, and gave one the idea of looking out a window into some distant place. I have my favourites, the most favourite of which was commissioned and purchased so hangs elsewhere unfortunately. Having said that I am fortunate to have some very favourite works hanging in my home.

Please forgive my lack of photography skills but the two images you see here are a couple of paintings that I have in my home. Both my dad's of course. Both are quite large.

The most highly esteemed @dissfordents talks about value and pricelessness in his recent post...He says...

"I have several pieces of artwork hanging on the walls of my home that I consider priceless. Mind you, if I were to bring any of them into a gallery for an appraisal they would laugh. Their standard of valuation is very different than mine."

...And he is probably right about a gallery not valuing them as highly but to him they are unique, irreplaceable and indeed priceless. They have history and emotional value. Mine are the same. My dad was a professional artist selling work all over the place, domestically and internationally, and his work had a dollar value to those who followed his career however to me he was just dad and his work is valuable for a different reason.

These days my dad still paints. I visit him at the nursing home and he is almost always painting, although he's slowing up a little now. His work is a shadow of its former self and he struggles with composition, perspective and colour-balance a little but he paints still. His work is still valuable to me, and the rest of my family and we encourage it.

I wonder what will happen to his work when I am gone. I have no children and my siblings are spread out all over the world and in no real position to move or store his artwork. Of course it will be willed to them but I wonder about the logistical challenge of dealing with it. I suppose I won't have to worry about it as I will be a pile of smoking ash on a viking-style funeral pyre but one thing gives me some comfort which is that my dad's work will continue to have value, not necessarily a monetary one, but a deep emotional and sentimental value, for whomever care-takes them when I am gone.

A big thanks to @dissfordents for writing his great post and provoking these thoughts in me. Thanks brother.

Design and create your ideal life, don’t live it by default
@galenkp