Friday, August 19, 2011

Old Painting Dilemma

I spent today organizing my studio for September and beyond. 
So what do I  do with these old paintings?
There has to be over 200 panels here. 
Most are class work or failed experiments.
Nothing I would ever want anyone to "own".

I've been told to never 
put them in the trash. 
(Because they could end up on some one's wall)
My friend Sally Dean 
told me a friend of hers burned all of her old paintings 
and then used the ashes to make new ones.  

Any other ideas? 

7 comments:

  1. I have a teacher (Dawn Whitelaw) who takes Gamblin Ground and lightly covers the entire oil painting with it and repaints them after it dries. A little bit of a different surface but keeps down the waste! She corresponds with Gamblin professionals and this is where she got the idea. It comes in cans and it is safe to paint over it. You might give it a try and see how you like it before you trash the pile!

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  2. I have the exact same dilemma, Nancy. My husband suggested I have a huge studio sale, through a local art center, so they can promote it thru their large email network. I'd sell it at really low prices. A lot of the work is decent, but nothing I would submit to a gallery or want on my walls. NOT my best work, but not horrible either. well, actually some of it is pretty bad - i'd paint the signatures out. i don't have room to store it anymore, so i is inhibiting my ability to do new work. anyways, i'm too chicken to burn it... esp the stuff that someone might actually like at a cheap price. one person's trash is another person's treasure! (minus the signature) I told my husband I'd sign his names on the flops LOL

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  3. I just toss mine in the garbage. Who cares if someone finally takes it? Even the masters have student works from the past...

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  4. Hold on to them as long as you can without feeling like you are sacrificing too much space. You just NEVER know when you'll want them for reference or a buyer falls from the sky!!

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  5. We all seem to have this issue. I am frugal so I re use the panels...Just paint over them...makes for an interesting painting sometimes

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  6. I paint over my panels with gesso. Once it dries I sand them down. Sometimes you may need several coats of gesso.

    Hope this helps.

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  7. hmmmmm. I still have a box of paintings that were going to the Thanksgiving bon fire but I forgot to take them over to my mother's house that day. They're still in my studio.
    Wanna have that beach bon fire we talked about?

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