I’m taking advantage of the fact that a short series of painting ideas has come to an end, to “do a Fagin” …. “I’m reviewing the situation”. I’ve decided to look at the things I’ve done on canvas and sort out the duff ideas from those which might possibly have promise. Then I’m painting over the existing image with titanium white on the ones I no longer wish to keep, so that the canvasses can be reused. It is interesting to note that, so far, the score is about 50/50, chuck/preserve. There has been one pleasantly surprising rediscovery of a piece I had forgotten.
When I’ve finished the canvasses I expect to get round to the plan chest and portfolios in which I keep unframed work. I particular, I have archives of landscape work and life-drawings. My suspicion is that there will be an awful lot of paper heading for the recycling bin!
The process was stimulated by my wife’s rather direct question: “What am I going to do with all this stuff if you die?” There is, of course, a prior question, simply, “What on earth do I still want with all this stuff?”