Stacks of Paintings! Tips for organizing your body of work.
It might just be the hardest part of making art - figuring out how to sort, store and categorize the paintings I make. Evaluating whether or not a painting is successful takes time. I don't usually know if a painting is good based on my first impressions, and so I never rush to judge a painting, and I throw very few paintings away.
I made a video with a little behind-the-scenes look into my studio so you can see the ongoing task of sorting through art. It's less than five minutes but there are a LOT of paintings in it!
Paintings can be half-finished, never-finished, maybe-finished. They can be "development pieces" that teach me something that I apply to a future, better painting. They can be scarily vulnerable, "I love it but not sure anyone else will" paintings that I'm not quite brave enough to frame yet.
And all are valuable to my process as an artist!
I have lots of room for storage in my big blueprint cabinets, but somehow the paintings still end up on the floor, getting sorted.
Right now (this video was filmed a few months ago), I have about 200 paintings stacked on my studio sofa, a true indication of the time I've invested in growing as an artist. I am learning that while I would like to be a more organized artist, these stacks of paintings are the truth of how I operate, and instead of looking at them as a sign of my lack of organization, they show that I am an active, productive painter, learning and growing all the time.
A few tips for dealing with the stacks:
Stack paintings by size. If I'm looking for a painting, I usually have an idea of its approximate size, so this can help me more quickly find it.
Sort by subject. I categorize florals, landscapes and abstracts into separate piles.
Keep series together. If you've painted several versions of one scene, it's tempting to want to throw away the ones that didn't turn out. I've always regretted this; it's so neat to see the process of learning a new subject illustrated by the development pieces from start to finish. It's a great teaching tool for me that I love to show to others.
No guilt! In my stacks there are inevitably paintings that I've lost interest in and don't plan to finish. I try to never feel obligated to finish a painting if my heart isn't in it anymore. Calling it a "development piece" helps me remember that not every painting needs to be finished in order to be a valued part of my process.
Do make a pile of the treasures you want to frame, and then set a date with your framer. Celebrate your best work! And if the percentage of truly great paintings is far lower than the sum of all your work, you are in good company. It's supposed to be that way!
Every painting is helping you become a better artist! That is a cause for celebration.
Do you have any painting organization tips to share? Post them in the comments!