Demo Week

This collage exists only as an image.

The original was one of many that I destroyed over the past week.

I regret that this one is gone, but cleaning out other works felt great

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I’ve felt overrun with artwork. Every room in my house has a piece (or several) hanging on a wall. It was too much of me.

I began by pulling everything out of the flat file drawers and beginning a ruthless sort. Anything that I instantly disliked went into a discard pile. Pieces that had bits of potential went into an edit pile. I was left with a small pile of works that I enjoy and those went back into the flat files.

The discard pile stayed where it was for a few days. I sorted through it a few more times, moving pieces back into the keep and edit piles before sending the rest into the trash.

Pieces that I’d selected to edit are back in my studio where I’m cutting them down into smaller works to give away and use as notecards.

This entire project felt good, so next up was dealing with the work on panel. In a hidden corner of my studio was a stash of works on panel that needed to go. I brought them outside and chipped off most of the layers of collage with an Exacto knife. Then I used a palm sander to remove what was left. I taped the edges, brushed on a layer of gloss medium and two coats of gesso, and had a stack of panels ready for new work.

I might, okay, I definitely, got too enthusiastic with my demolition. I had some new works that needed revision, like the one above, and when the revisions weren’t going well, I ripped off the entire piece and started again. Destruction is not the same as a revision. Lesson learned.

Are you on team destruction or team save everything? Is it possible to be in the middle?

When we Now Lament 10” x 8”

I was ready to gesso over what was left of the original collage when I picked up a scrap from my studio table. On one side as a bit of letterpress printing and on the other the words “When we now lament.”

The Universe had something to say.

I skipped the gesso, obviously, and began to compose something new on top of what was left of the original. I selected new papers that had imperfections of their own. I scribbled over both sides with a pencil and then erased the marks. The new composition is both new and old. The polish and order of the first piece are gone in favor of texture, age, marks, bumps, and life. I love it.