Where does the art go?

I have often wondered what happened to some of the pieces I have created through the years. As one gets older, even if not famous, or prolific, there can be a lot of art "out there." For some reason, many drawings and paintings I have made, waaaaay back, before family, kids, "real jobs" came about are coming back to me.
Old friends are connecting again (must be a midlife thing) and each time I get together with them, one or another, will give me, or tell me a story about a drawing I had given or sold them.
One of the first in the trend was finding the WWII drawings which I wrote about in an earlier post. Now, the last few months, I have been getting drawings from a series if ink drawings in 1971. I am not super attached to them, not even sure I think they are "good" anymore. Not important. They are what they are, but they lead me to think more about what happens to our art? My friend Ellen said it best when I told her this story.
"One of the most remarkable things about life, as it goes on, is how much we really can't tell what our affect has been on other people who have crossed our paths. You carelessly give away a drawing to a friend and forget about it; and for 35 years it has a daily affect on their lives, and on the lives of other people who enter their house! It's so impossible for us, working from the inside of our heads, to have any idea what our lives have 'meant.' We don't have access to the information."
I am glad I have had some access to that information lately. It is rather provocative and certainly ego boosting ;-)

Buddha in the Tire

In the home garden I once had, I created yard art with items "rescued," most of the time, by local teen friends from the Highway Dept across the street.
Buddha in the Tire came about as what else was I going to do with that huge thing I was given one afternoon. I needed a shelter for the garden Buddha. Needed to re-purpose and save a gift from a young friend. Needed to show the teens anything can become art and recycled, especially in outdoor art.
When I left the house I brought Buddha with me. Could not bring the tire. Below is where Buddha now rests. Not quite as unusual as before but such a natural place for Him, still on the slate stone, still outside in the air and elements, but poor guy - He needs rescuing, again. from the morning glories ;-) (yes, they were removed and restrung another place once this photo was taken....)
I miss doing yard art. Still collecting rocks and smaller items to *do* something with but miss the larger picture - so to speak ;-)

Here is where He sits now - Yes, He IS in there folks! Got His own shady grove to sit in after all these years. Now we loveingly call Him Buddha in the Bush...