We moved into our house a year and a half ago and it has helped transform my art. The loft space in the house is semi-converted so it has great storage space, carpet, built-in desk and very good lighting with a decent roof window and LED strip light. Also, the pitch of the roof is at quite a steep angle so having an easel up and walking round without banging my head is no problem. It is a brilliant studio space.
It has no similarities to the space I used to paint in at my previous home which would often be the kitchen. I’d have to pack down and set up everyday or spend a few days manoeuvering round my easel and other materials to get to the fridge or sink. Now, at the end of a few hours painting, I can leave everything where it is and close the loft hatch without having to worry about the mess.
The down side to this is the space gets quite untidy very quickly until I get to the point of having a big sort out. During a recent clean I started thinking about all the paintings I have in storage. Many of them are shown on my website gallery and are for sale but I also have loads that I don’t consider representative of me anymore. There are probably about 30 or so canvases and countless sketches just collecting dust. I don’t know what to do with them. I don’t want to throw them away as they represent progress over many years but equally I don’t want to show them anymore. I wouldn’t want to give them away as I wouldn’t want them to be displayed but they’re taking up space which could be put to better use. Any ideas? What do other artists do with their old work? For now they’ll stay where they are I guess until one day I’ll have no choice but to get rid of them (or move into a much, much bigger studio with a lot more space).
As well as tidying I have been spending time sketching around London SE1. It’s been a great way to explore areas close to work.
That’s all for now but I have some exciting paintings planned which I look forward to sharing when they are complete.
Thanks for reading!
What about photographing each painting and then making a folder of your past work? That way, you have a record but it also takes up less space. Maybe you could donate your work to a local school to sell at a school Gala or another worthy cause that you would like to support? When you first painted them, you would have likely been happy for them to be displayed? Just an idea.
Thanks Cherie. Some good ideas there to ponder. Thanks for reading my blog!