Currently we are preparing to move house, and the fact that I am an artist adds a markedly different edge to the exercise. Of course, all of the usual problems have to be confronted about what we must take with us and what it might be opportune to leave behind. We discovered, in one cupboard, a hoard of nine pillows the origins of which neither of us could account for. I am trying to find a good home for a large plan chest which is no longer needed.
Sorting through my stock of materials, I unearthed art papers of all kinds and weights. I remarked to my wife that if she ever heard me mention the possibility of buying art paper she was to stop me.
The task I have yet to undertake is the evaluation of my art work. I have never counted the number of items I have on my racks, but one thing is probable, namely that not all of them are worth keeping. Sorting through my record of participation in life-drawing classes I ended up by throwing away the major part of the pieces there. As most of these were informal sketches, and many of an experimental nature, investigating different media and techniques, this is not surprising. The pictures on my racks are, to a much greater extent, pieces that I considered “finished”, and in many cases I have exhibited, the “chuck-rate” is likely to be lower. Even so, I am reconciled (in theory at least) to the expectation that a significant proportion of them ought not to be carried to the new house. But which ones, and why?
Storing all of this work has become, to an extent, a burden, as I discovered recently when preparing for small exhibition and talk about my work. Although my pictures are all stored on racks in an (outwardly) orderly fashion, finding any item can be a time-consuming challenge. I really do need to get a grip!