I say paint over them. If you’re interested in seeing your progression take a photo and then say goodbye. Maybe save a couple so your granny or whoever can have one of your very first paintings, but really they’re not work keeping. It’s hard, especially when you’re first starting and pleased with yourself, but it’s best to learn not to be too precious with your work. Hold on to them for a bit and then you’ll find it easier to get rid of/sell/paint over work. Eventually you may learn to hate your older work like a lot of artists haha.

Hi Peter, Keep painting!!! I checked out your blog. Your paintings look great. You are doing well to only have been painting for a short time. I know alot of people say to paint over them.. but I suggest giving them away. You never know how people will be blessed to get a painted picture just because.
Angela

I take digital photos of all my paintings. then I feel liberated to toss them, sell them, give them away, etc. I still have a record of the image for my self.

Definitely put your contact information on the back of any you send out into the wide world.

hey there,

so i am in the same boat as you are. what i am doing is designing my own canvas rack storage system to go in my closet, similar to what is in the studio at my school. i used to hate to paint over them because i always have thought that it would offend the painting, but i have no more room. my mom works at Sport Chalet and brought home a huge snowboarding box that i promptly filled and keep under my bed. i have one other normal box in my closet, and use the spaces between furniture and the walls to keep them. even so, i still have some large ones that don’t fit in my closet or under my bed, and have to be inconveniently left in the open for me to trip over

it’s a system that has served me well living in the dorm, but now that i have moved home, my storage is limited even less (teeny house with 5 people living in it… ugh). so i am forcing myself to look at everything i have, photograph it, and paint over the less successful ones (which i believe to be a majority of them. progress in your current work makes you realize this.)

if you are interested in looking at some of the storage rack ideas i’ve found and that have inspired my own design, let me know and i can share the link!

good luck!

Keep in mind that if you store things in a normal cardboard box, the artwork could asborb any acids in the cardboard. If you do need to store this way, buy a roll of glassine to wrap the artwork in first. This will protect the artwork, and if acrylic paint is used, will help them not to stick to each other when it gets hot.

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