View of branch/fleece sculptures in my studio at Vermont Studio Center, 2008
All that art that has been made…. A blessing and a curse. Why do we make it? (That’s a rhetorical question.) Years of art-making = a lot of old art. The worst is the big stuff, the awkward mixed-media sculpture, the fragile stuff, the found object assemblages, the large paintings, not to mention the framed things under glass.
It’s shocking how it multiplies.. the older the artist gets, the more old art there is.
“A New Bamboo Cross Statement” salt-fired porcelain, black bamboo.
16″ diam. x 18″ h. 1977 ©2014 Karen Rand Anderson
Some years after graduating from art school (where I majored in ceramics) I stopped making art. For 10 years, when I became a wife, then a mother, from 1985-1995, I focused on life without art-making (however, there was still plenty of old art to haul around.) And then I reclaimed who I was, who I am. I started making art again (it saved my sanity) and the work slowly began to pile up— pastels, paintings, figure drawings, then mixed media collages, and assemblages, and then sculpture, and then graduate school, and whoa!~ !
“For Love or Money” mixed media under glass, 24x35x3″, 2004. ©2014 Karen Rand Anderson
I recently had to take full responsibility for many years-worth of my old work, loads of old art which I had conveniently forgotten about, stored at my old home. The past several weeks have been a stressful marathon of clearing out my old home and studio, which was just sold. A bittersweet event. Though I have not lived there for the past four years, the place still harbored a lot of my old art (and art books and art supplies, not to mention memories) My ex-husband and I designed and built it, in 1995, and the amount of artwork that was still there was overwhelming.
It was not only my own work I had to determine what to do with, but that of my two daughters— also artists, both prolific (think large paintings, some of them in the 6×8 foot range, and art school portfolios, and more that I just CAN’T throw out… )
The questions always remain— is it good art? Maybe, some of it. Meaningful? Maybe to me, on some level, but to others? And does anyone want this stuff? And what the hell does one DO with it all??
“Door to a Mystery” found object/mixed media assemblage on canvas, 52x58x7″. 2007 (it made great bonfire fodder.) ©2014 Karen Rand Anderson
I did the sacrificial bonfire, tossing bad paintings and sculptures that I once thought were.. well, pretty good.. into the flames. The work was at one time meaningful, as a record of personal creativity, but not worth keeping. In the end, lots of stuff went to the dump. (And my garage, and my basement, and into a storage unit…not to mention my studio, which is overly-full at the moment.)
“Very There When Here” mixed-media sculptural assemblage: found objects, natural materials, oil painting. 18x46x10″ 2004. (it found a home at the Stonington dump.) ©2014 Karen Rand Anderson
I also discovered that some paintings were “borrowed”, or lifted, from my home studio after I moved away… they just disappeared. (there were various people coming and going from that locale. I still am not sure just how much was taken. I keep remembering various pieces, wondering.. hmmmm… what happened to that one?)
“Gestation” 33×44″ oil on canvas, 2006. (“missing” painting) © 2014 Karen Rand Anderson
“Energetic Tryptich” 30×36″ mixed media on canvas, 2005 (“missing” painting) ©2014 Karen Rand Anderson
Some paintings have been donated to non-profits, like Art Connection RI and to galleries with permanent collections, like Alexey von Schlippe Gallery of Art.
“Spaghetti Sauce Still Life” 24×30″ oil on canvas. 2000. (donated to Art Connection RI, a non-profit which connects art donors and community services) ©2014 Karen Rand Anderson
I’ve donated art countless times to good-cause fund-raisers. (I’m pretty much done with that. I’m tired of being asked to contribute my art, with no recompense, to raise money for “a good cause”) Some pieces have gone to friends who really loved them.
“The Lucky Heart” acrylic, mixed media, found objects on canvas 12x38x6″ 2004. ©2014 Karen Rand Anderson (collection of a friend)
What do you do with old art that is taking up space? Give it away? Donate it? Burn it? Take it to the dump? Put it in storage? If you feel like it, add to the conversation.
“Nesting Fleecebox” drawing: gouache, acrylic and graphite on paper 30×30″ 2008
sculpture: charred paper, bronze wire, acrylic, black birch branches, sheep’s fleece. 34x27x12″ 2008. (Collection Alexey von Schlippe Gallery of Art, University of Conn.) ©2014 Karen Rand Anderson
cleaning up the studio 
I smile as I write this with so many pithy ideas already presented to you — but have you ever read “The Life in the Studio” by Nancy Hale? She had to deal with cleaning out her parents home and both were artists! Maybe, just maybe you’ll find a hint therein!
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I just changed from a house to an apartment and I’m dealing with cleaning my art studio. I decided to leave some of my big paintings and just put them in the trash and I’m cutting some of my canvas to reframe them into smaller paintings to sell them.
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I just came across your blog today because I was searching around the web for some ideas as to what to do with a ton of my old art, and I mean old as in all of high school and college (fine art degree). It has been stored in my old room at my mom’s house and completely forgotten about for the last 20+ years. My mom has finally decided to reclaim/remodel my room (about time) and wants me to “deal” with aka remove all of my old stuff. Some of it will get trashed I’m sure but a lot of it I can’t bring myself to throw out, it is a part of my history but it will also not go on my walls, or be sold so then what?..put it in a box or bag and stick it in the attic? I guess that is what attics are for. Maybe I will take pictures of all of it and make a photo collage and save it that way. Still haven’t figured it out but thought I would share.
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Hi Shawnee… I know JUST what you mean. And as we age, it doesn’t get any easier, as there is more and more art, and less and less space. And– I have two artist daughters, and my garage and basement already hold lots of THEIR old art as well. I know how your mom feels! Good luck with all of it; you might just have to rent a storage unit someday! Cheers.. Karen
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I’ve also been going through my ‘old’ art in preparation for moving my setup to my studio. I think the idea of having an open house type event and saying “make an offer (reasonable)” on any of the more unwieldy or no longer wanted work might be a good thing. And I also paint over things – I love doing that!
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Thanks…I’m with you, Linda. Open house/fire sale event sounds like a grand idea for the spring. And how many times have I painted over and morphed old work into new? Stopped counting years ago.
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I’ve just spent two weeks cleansing and renovating my upstairs space in the barn. The old art is such a reminder
of how many hours we pour into this ritual of art making. Is it to become a better person? To make the world more beautiful? to understand the incomprehensible? I don’t know, but we are just chosen to make art- if you’re making it at our age its not a passing fancy–, as others select themselves to count the dollars that accrue in their bank accounts.
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Ana… Lovely to read your response here; it’s encouraging to me! Excellent (unanswerable) questions you pose.. such truth. The ritual of art making=a lifelong passion and necessity, for whatever reasons. Especially at our age. I feel incredibly blessed to have the time, opportunity, space and passion to continue to follow it, in spite of the fact that I’m not sure what to do with it all. Also— it is time to tackle, once again, cleaning up the studio and clearing space for new work (always my challenge) as well as resuscitate my blog… Thanks for the kick!!!
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The Art Abandonment Movement is going strong, book just published (good luck clearing out the old for new): http://www.northlightshop.com/the-art-abandonment-project-group
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Yes interesting.. I read something about this. Used to do something similar in my old RISD undergrad days; we’d draw people and scenes on cocktail napkins in bars, and leave them there. Thank you Catherine.!
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Even photographers have this problem. Right now, I have two exhibits worth of matted and framed prints stacked up in my studio. I’m starting to re-use frames, so I can more easily store matted prints in storage boxes. But, it still piles up in my studio. My husband and I have talked about having a “starving artist” yard sale. Old work for sale, just name your price.
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As for my drawings,I have picked the ones I like and put them in a binder. I don’t work on a large scale so they fit nicely. Once in awhile I pore over those sketches as they give rise to new ideas for a painting. I have tossed quite a number of drawings into the recycle bin and some paintings into the trash. But these days I choose to paint over work I don’t like or in some cases rework a painting if it’s worth it. I have lots of pastel drawings,too,in portfolio cases and in my flat file. Before getting rid of any I’ll probably let people look at them to see if they might be worth selling,donating or tossing.
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You sound far more organized than I am, Diana…! I paint over things as well, and re-cycle sculptural work too.
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Seems harsh to ever trash good art. 😦 If you think it’s bad though that’s another story. Maybe you could sell it or show it as a “life’s work” type show. A progression of your work in one show?
Maybe someone who has purchased your work recently would be interested in seeing your earlier stuff. Personally I think collections with different time periods of the same artist are the coolest. If I were you, I’d try to place older work with newer work maybe?
I agree that giving it away is a bad choice too though.
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Recycle, Repurpose, Consolidate. I think Robert Rauschenberg’s “combines” are a good start. 2D and 3D in tandem. I have an artist friend who’s made single works into diptychs that are so much better than the originals. AND there’s always the possibility of making a donation of your art to a museum, an arts fundraiser or a friend…
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Some people have ritual bonfires once a year. If I did that I think I would have to have a longer cut-off date – even a year isn’t enough for me to decide what is worth keeping… so maybe every year I’ll burn what doesn’t hold up to my scrutiny that’s older than 5 years… And for my stacks of works on paper, it’s not the work so much as the *!?$* shipping containers!
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ONce a year seems a little harsh… Works on paper are a lot easier to deal with than weird and bulky found object assemblages.. I’ve realized I just cannot do that work anymore. Too impractical! I just trashed two huge wooden shipping crates because I had nowhere to store them anymore. *sigh*.
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I think all artists can relate to this. I know I can. I think with the ease of photography now, I feel I can at least have a photo of pieces I am letting go or getting rid of and that makes it a little easier. Unfortunately, as you mentioned, it’s a never ending process, especially because making art is sometimes more about the process of making then the art itself a lot of times.
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Yes, it’s so much about process. .. and thank goodness for digital cameras. !!
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Interesting. I have the same difficulty. I have started throwing some pieces out that I think will never be of interest… Or used. But I have rolls and rolls stored and piled in my basement.
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@Trish… it’s a never-ending journey, Im afraid…We’re all in it together. lol. Good luck!
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At this point, I’ve thrown out, lost or given away so much art over the years I can’t begin to remember it all. 🙂 However, also at this point, the goal is to sell the work instead of letting it pile up…
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