Thinking about death helps us to clarify our lives now.

“Two of the things we all have are time and our relationships. Life is brief and tender preparing for death is one of the most powerful things you can do, thinking about death clarifies our life’s.” By Candy Chang

I love Autumn the colours of the leaves and the opportunity to have fires in the garden.

This week I went to the park with one of the classes and the children kept picking up leaves ‘Look at this Miss so many colours! I’m keeping this forever!’ We all know that is not true! However much we would like to keep things forever one day they will pass away.

I lost Dad earlier this year and its always in the back of my mind, especially as it was his birthday this week. Grief is a process we will all have to go through, with little children its realising that the leaf you wanted to hold onto will crumble.

Loss is something we have all faced or will do at some point in our lives. So it got me thinking: how have artists shown or dealt with the topic of grief or loss?

Most artist use their artwork as an outlet for their emotions so it makes sense that it will have been tackled in different ways. This is my top five artists work on grief and loss that have inspired me, I hope that you are inspired too. I love how art can not only help us face our emotions, but it can be used in a way to inspire others as well.

Five Artists who have dealt with grief:

1. Oak fractured by lightening by Maxim Vorobiev a Russian artist. 1842. I

This painting is an allegory of the pain of being separated from his wife.

The artist has used oil paintings to show his powerful feelings.

This painting is a powerful representation of strong emotions. It is clear that he feels that he has been painfully and suddenly separated from his wife who was part of him, like losing a major part of your very being.

2. ‘Before I die’ by Candy Chang 2011. This is my favourite! This artist created a wall, and it’s a very inspiring idea, so much so that it’s been copied in over 70 countries since its creation. The wall is painted in chalkboard with space for people to write Before I die I will….

A great thing to think about before I die I will ?? What will I do a great question to explore.. Within a day of being created the wall was entirely filled out and it kept growing: Before I die I want to… see my daughter graduate, sing for millions, abandon all insecurities, get my wife back, be someone’s cavalry, tell my mother I love her, make a livable wage, follow my childhood dream, have a student come back and tell me it mattered, hold her one more time, be completely myself.

It was such an inspiring idea she was asked to do a TED talk:

https://www.ted.com/talks/candy_chang_before_i_die_i_want_to?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare

I love what she says in this talk: “Two of the things we all have are time and our relationships. Life is brief and tender preparing for death is one of the most powerful things you can do, thinking about death clarifies our life’s.”

A book I highly recommend as well that has just come out on amazon is called Living to finish well by Marjie Sutton. This book highlights Candy Chang’s message above.

3. The next artwork is called Return to the sea by Motoi Yamamoto

This artwork is an installation of salt patterns on the floor. His sister died aged 24 of brain cancer. At the end of every exhibition, he encourages people to take a handful of salt and return it to the sea where it came from. It’s about reconnecting people with the sea and other people.

4. Everyone needs life jackets, not just people in the sea

- Diala Brisly, artist

The artist used art to help her breath! The art was therapy for her, it changed her life.

The artist worked with children for this series of paintings, she was careful not to form close relationships with the children she worked with. “Children have to see that they are the hero of themselves,” she said. “You can’t be their hero because you can’t change their situation. You have to inspire them to be strong where they are.” The approach, though necessary, was “soul-destroying,” she said.

“I always ask children to draw themselves and to imagine themselves as something really important, because that can help them connect positively with themselves,” she said. “So now I’m doing the same, painting myself at different stages of my life. These paintings are extremely personal. I’m pouring my feelings into them.”

Another four of Brisly’s canvases depict the artist going through different stages of her life as a displaced Syrian, under the titles Survival Mode, Solitude, Integration, and Shattered. Her work focuses on the courage that a refuge shows.

5. Finally, we move on to an art installation by Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg.

As part of the installation, thousands of small white flags were placed outside the D.C. Armory. At this time, each flag represents an American who died from COVID-19.

Firstenberg encourages the viewers to write the names of loved ones who died from COVID-19 on the flags. “Even in death, we need to be seen,” she says, “because it suggests value—that the person is valued.”

I hope this blog post has inspired you to not shy away from the topic of death and loss but to share your experiences and help others. I miss my Dad but it has helped me so much to talk to others who have experienced similar loss. I wrote a poem when he died. Maybe you too could create an art piece, a poem, a story, a wall that represents your losses but also helps others to express their loss too..

RIP Dad love you.