by Daniel Grant

Barbara Nechis designed a storage space within her studio that can accommodate hundreds of her watercolor works.

Most artists want their paintings to be viewed and appreciated by others, and many hope that connection will result in the sale of their work. However, a lot of artists produce more paintings than they sell, and even the most acclaimed artist cannot boast of selling everything he or she ever created. The result is that artists end up with a surplus of work for which they must find a home. Those who create works on paper may have it the easiest, since most of their work can be stored in flat files. But for those who paint on canvases, with frames adding bulk to the finished work, other options often need to be explored.

The first recourse is usually self-storage. California watercolorist Barbara Nechis stows her paintings in “a large, deep bin that I designed, which is recessed into a cabinet in my studio,” she says. “I can fit more than 100 matted watercolors in that space, and the paintings are easily accessible.” The studio is an obvious place to keep art, but over time that area can become inundated with extraneous work, lessening the amount of available space for creating new pieces. William Reese, a painter from Wenatchee, Washington, built a climate-controlled, 16'-x-20' studio over his garage, but already half that space is used for storage—which he doesn’t necessarily view as a disadvantage. “Overproduction serves a purpose,” the artist says. “If you get sick and can’t work, you have artwork to sell. It’s a retirement plan, too.”

Some artists forgo storage and instead decide to destroy paintings that aren’t up to par. “Over the years, I have burned a lot of my paintings,” Reese admits, “sometimes 100 paintings at a time.” Indianapolis artist Charles Mundy also believes in discarding unwanted paintings. “There’s enough bad art in the world,” he states. “I want to spare the public bad art—especially if it’s mine.” However, the artist still produces an abundance of work, averaging 100 paintings a year. “The more you produce the more experience you have,” Mundy says. “Being prolific means accelerating one’s talent.” Another prolific artist, Frank Webb of Pittsburgh, takes a similarly ruthless approach when his work doesn’t measure up—but he prolongs the process. “I store surviving paintings in boxes labeled A, B, C, and D,” he explains. “If inventory becomes unmanageable, I destroy the paintings in the D box, and then downgrade some of the paintings in the C box to the D box.”

Discarding art can be quite freeing, but it is not something to be done lightly. New York City painter Will Barnet—-who rents public storage space for works that aren’t on display in his gallery or stored in his apartment or studio—says that he has destroyed many canvases prematurely.  “At the time I just didn’t like them or maybe I was no longer working in that style and didn’t want to exhibit those paintings, so I got rid of them,” he says regretfully. Larry Fane, a metal sculptor in New York City who rents a storage facility in New Jersey for his excess work, states that he has weeded out works he no longer liked, only to later realize that he made a mistake. “I’ll see a slide of one of those works later and think, Wait a minute—I threw out the wrong piece!”

Of course charity is always the altruistic alternative to discarding paintings, and one many artists opt for. Nechis distributes paintings to family and friends as “gifts and loans” and has also given work to hospitals, schools, and libraries. Some artists have put works on display in their local city hall or in trusts for their children as part of early estate planning. Geraldine McKeown, of Elkton, Maryland, and Lee Weiss, of Madison, Wisconsin—both watercolorists—regularly donate work to local charity auctions for civic and cultural groups. Ken Austin, a painter in Orlando, Florida, holds annual open-studio sales for long-time collectors, to whom he offers up to a 30-percent discount.

Whether storing, discarding, or donating paintings, every artist deals with their surplus artwork differently. And, unless artists decide to go on strike, it seems the problem of too much art will remain. However, those who choose to discard their work may come to find that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. “I have often thrown out sketches or demonstration pieces from workshops because I just didn’t think it was worth keeping,” Austin tells. “Problem is, my studio is next door to the gallery that represents me, and the gallery owner often goes through my trash can to find the works that I threw out. The next thing I know, she’s framed it and put it on display.” Of course now it’s her dilemma if the work doesn’t sell.

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Comments

Dealing with surplus:

Are artist too caught up with $$ and their self image of fame to not give away an unwanted painting? Have they no friends who wouldn't want one?

One thing I often tell painters is that those old unwanted reject paintings offer a great learning resource. You can paint over them and be totally wild and fix and change things with wild abandoment. You can't buy that kind of education at any price.

Sometimes those unsold, subpar or unfinished works will stiffle new art. You look at the pile, hope to resurect one or two, but the interest is gone. I say spring cleaning is a good studio tradition.
Review and sort all works, storing those "almost great" for your heirs and then destroy the rest. Make room for a fresh breeze of creativity.

This is the very subject I've been tearing up over today! I'm so thankful to see that I'm not alone in this. I don't know who you are, but I thank you for being within a part of me: an artist who creates more than has time to market and sell.

After 220 painting in 15 months these ideas are helpful. I have given away many and have started paint overs on some. The net step is to donate or hang in hospitals. I have an endless supply of used frames that makes it possible to do for very little money. Check your local solid waste transfer stations and you may find a wealth of frames available at no cost. A litte paint and you'd be surprised at the wonderful frame you can create.

If any artist has surplus, I will buy it or take it.
Bhupinder S Sood CPA
pinder321@gmail.com

I need to store a lot of canvases upright in a small space - right up against each other. What is the best material to separate them with? They are acrylic. Should I use cotton or some kind of plastic?

You shouldnt need anything as acrylic is pretty hard to ruin once it's dry and especially if they are varnished. Acid free bristol board would be ideal if you really want to use something but it's not cheap so maybe just regular posterboard or cardboard.