Honey Bunny's Art

At Honey Bunny's funeral we displayed her artwork. Mom was was always very private about her watercolors and other art. During the receiving line someone asked me what I think she would have thought about having her artwork displayed like that when she wouldn't share it with people during her life.

It is a question that has rattled around my brain for the past couple of weeks. What would she have thought?

Over the summer we displayed one of her pieces of artwork at Art All Night in Trenton. She knew it was going to happen. I gave her pictures of how it was displayed, and told her about the positive reaction we received. A couple of people came up to me and told me we should display her work while she is still alive. I am working with a couple of people to make that happen, which means my office is stuffed with her artwork.

Random stranger who happened to be
studying her picture while we were there.

Less than a month before her passing, Attleboro, the assisted living facility where she was living, held a one-day art exhibit. I dropped off ten pictures. Don, Ashley, and my parents went to the exhibit. Between coaching Girls on the Run and back to school night, I could not make it. Don and my mom took pictures. They showed them to Honey Bunny, who by that point was mostly bedridden in the rehab building. She enjoyed seeing the exhibit on their gadgets. I didn't have time to print pictures and give her copies.

We took the pictures to the funeral parlor and displayed them. Her friends and family were able to enjoy them, mostly for the first time. Back at our house we encouraged people to take pictures home to remember her by.

People took us up on it.

There are still hundreds of pictures. 

One of the reasons I feel justified in sharing and displaying her artwork came in a moment about a week before she moved to Attleboro. She was looking at her artwork for the last time and saying wistfully "I guess all of these will end up in a dumpster." In that moment I decided I didn't want that to happen. I'd rather people enjoy them then throw them out. I certainly can't keep all of them here to collect dust.