I agree with everything the other posters have said - photograph them, linger sentimentally over them, then chuck all but a few. Lovely idea to give some to a nursing home or hospital.

I'd like to add a few other thoughts too: I am in a similar dilemma, and will be in an even worse one in a few years (or decades) when my own mother passes away. My mother is a hoarder and collecter of the worst kind. She has so much stuff (dishes, books, paintings, newspapers) that there's hardly any place to walk in her apartment. She dreams of hosting elegant dinner parties (with all the dishes) but she can't clear the dining table or living room enough to even invite people over - every chair and spot on the floor is overflowing.

When I got married she gave me several dishes - some new, some used ones. I appreciated getting some of them, but now I want to acquire my own dishes! But because she keeps giving me stuff, I don't have any excuse/reason to buy my own things. And buying new kitchen/household items is so much fun! So this is what I resent - I don't have the opportunity to acquire things that signify my own personality and tastes, because I have so much of her junky stuff.

This, I think, is in part what the Letter Writer resents - true, her mother did a kind act by giving her these paintings; however, by doing so, her personality is dominating the walls, and the daughter is blocked from being able assert her own personality in the decoration of her apartment. Now the daughter feels helpless to develop her own aesthetic tastes, and banned from the thrill and fun of finding lovely new items to decorate her beloved apartment. No, the mother's overpowering personality, in the form of the paintings, is omnipresent, and the daughter is not free to assert her own personality.

So, as an act of independence, she needs to get rid of all but a few of the paintings.

TreeTops

Pick 3 or 4 that you truly do like and hang them prominently so you can feel that you've given Mom's art importance in your place.

Then invite everyone who was ever important to your mom to come over and pick out a painting of hers they'd like to have as a remembrance of her.

If there aren't enough folks left to do that, donate the pictures to places whose walls could use some cheering up: hospitals, shelters, halfway houses, orphanages. Those flowers and such that are not your taste could well bring some happiness to others. What a great way to honor your mom and the beauty she created!

If you do decide to store the work you don't want hanging in your place, here are a few things I learned when I was in a similar situation:

- Oil paintings should be stored upright (not flat, as the canvas can sag causing cracking and flaking) in low humidity and safe from temperature extremes, dirt, rodents, pets, and children. A closet would work, but putting them in the garage, basement, attic or under the bed could damage them.

- Rolling up the canvases could also crack the paint, depending on their condition. I wouldn't do it without consulting a professional first.

- "Long-term" storage might be more economical than you think. I looked into one place that would crate artwork in climate-controlled conditions, where the month-to-month costs were quite low (as little as $40), but you have to pay when you want to access the stored items. If you wanted to set them aside and reassess later, this could be perfect.

I think it would also probably feel good to give stuff away to people who knew and loved your mom, if you decide there are some pieces you definitely don't want to keep. Because really the point is to honor your mother's memory and artistic achievement, isn't it? It's nice to have some other people helping you with that.

the walls are covered with mothers paintings. wow. it seems that the very walls are hers and not yours. to say as advice , have them appraised is not the answer because this is not about art. this is about her presence everywhere. one has to figure out when a parent dies how much to keep as memory and how much to give up, whatever it is. it could be her collection of china. so, how much is too much here. that is the decision. her paintings went with her life, made her life. it is not a legacy one has to preserve in its fullness. do what you want with it. give it away to some people or institutions that might get pleasure from paintings that seem very pleasant. i cannot believe that ones mother wanted to be a burden here with her legacy. so be kind to her memory and take down the paintings until you feel that the walls are not all covered with her. on the other hand, there must be more to her memory than the paintings. why just focus on them as the only thing. free yourself here.

I did not read any of the postings associated with you letter, because I did not want to be "influenced" by them...

I had a close to identical problem; my mother was a prolific painter. She called herself an "artist" but in fact, with one exception, she simply copied paintings of others. She was quite good at doing that but I wanted to see more of "her" in her work.

I finally talked her into actually doing something of her own. She took out her oils & her easel & did something that was original, and would have done Grandma Moses proud. It hangs above a fireplace in my home & I quite treasure it. I only have one other that she did; it's a pastel and astonishing to see. People say to me, "You mean your Mother actually did that?" To me it seems more of a photograph, as it is an exact duplicate of the original...I like the other one she did much better.

Fortunately my mother favored my younger brother and I think was not as annoyed as she might have been when I suggested she give him the remaining works. He likes that sort of thing.

So I just wanted to say I should not feel "guilty" if I were you. It's clear from your letter that you loved your mother very much, but the walls in your home belong to you. And please do try not to feel like a "terrible daughter" as I think you said in your letter was worrisome to you.