I might have mentioned in an earlier post that we are preparing to move house. After 27 years in our present home it is, not surprisingly, quite a strenuous process in a number of respects. Thinking about the move to new accommodation it didn’t take me long to realise that I am going to need to get rid of a lot of things. I began with the weeding of our library, but I have to confess that this was largely a delaying tactic on my part, in order to put off the task of slimming down the collection of my art. In more than a quarter of a century it is possible to turn out a lot of stuff …. and I have to confess that not all of it is worth preserving for posterity. So, I screwed up my courage, and grappled with the task.
In the event, this has not been too traumatic, although there is still body of material for which I am going to need more time. It soon became evident, however, that a decision on my part to consign a painting to oblivion left unanswered the question of what to do with its frame. I have always taken care to present my work well, and in retrospect I have found myself admitting that some of my pieces were worth less (in every respect) than the frames which surrounded them! Even where that judgement was a bit harsh, it still appeared to be wasteful to throw away a number of perfectly serviceable frames. There are several instances where I want to keep an item as a significant element in the story of my work and an artist, but its is unlikely that I will want to exhibit it again, and the frame adds considerably to the space required for its storage.
Then I had an idea! In the New Year I will hold an event in which I will sell off the frames I no longer need. This will be widely advertised among Bradford’s extensive artistic community, any of whom are young and impecunious. Surely the opportunity to pick up good quality frames at a fraction of their original cost will be attractive. So: this afternoon, visiting the South Square Centre, I arranged to take space for two days in February. The staff with whom I spoke were very encouraging, and I have become quite enthusiastic about the prospect. The details have yet to be determined, but you will certainly hear all about it in the New Year.