Why do I burn my art?

I get these angry messages in my inbox. Why do I burn my art when I could donate it or paint over it or other things. 

So, I know this won't stop the angry messages and I hope those people start having a better day soon. Instead, I wrote this for you, the person reading this right now. 

I burn my paintings because I want to. 

I have to move soon and storing these 50 some odd paintings is going to be a problem. These aren't my beautiful originals, or my treasured oldies. They're painting party designs which I need to let go of. 

So, let's get into my most commonly asked questions. 

1) Why don't you donate your paintings?

Thrift stores often have stacks of paintings in there. I don't think they're adding any value to the store. 

2) Why don't you paint over them?

In order to paint over them, it takes a couple of hours to properly gesso and sand the canvases. Frankly, they're not worth the effort. It would be worth the effort if it was wood, but not on a canvas. Again, I have 50 canvases. 

3) Why don't I just throw them in the garbage?

Most of the painting is actually an item which will release methane when it decomposes in a landfill. Burning it will release carbon dioxide, which is not as dangerous as methane, in terms of climate change. 

4) Why don't I restretch them? 

I could. But I'm not packing around a bunch of stretcher bars in hopes that I one day have the time.

5) Why not give them away to other artists?

I have a lot of actual art supplies which will be more useful than some old paintings. I do donate art supplies. 

In reality, these are my paintings. They are my items that I can do whatever I want with. 

I've worked at a landfill. I've seen people throw in 7 working TV's, an entire kitchen worth of dishes and pots, brand new hardwood flooring, an entire apartment's furniture and more. All of these things are genuine items which could be donated and reused. In fact, my kitchen table is one that came from the dump over 10 years ago. If the 'waste' of my paintings bothers you, I hate to tell you what's being thrown away on a daily basis. 

The Real Reason

More than any of that. The real reason that I burn paintings is that, burning is actually a therapeutic process for me. There's something calming about the fact that the painting no longer exists. Maybe other artists will understand me here.

Sometimes I see an older painting of mine and I just want it to not exist any more. There are some paintings that I remember and I'm honestly relieved that it no longer exists. It's gone forever, baby. 

I keep my older paintings, the ones that tell the story of my progression. So, storage is one of the main reasons that I need to get rid of everyone, so that I can safely store the paintings that I am keeping for a good reason. 

Painting Party designs were made to help teach people and I have a huge stack that's taking up space. So, they aren't useful anymore. I will likely make a new collection of painting party designs one day, and these old ones will just be retired forever. 

I retire old designs because I get sick of them, or I created them so long ago that I can't remember the steps anymore. So, it's always important to create new ones. 

I often sell these paintings and I'll hold onto whoever doesn't sell. This time, everyone has to go. 

I've already sorted through the paintings and selected those for the burn list that don't even get a chance to be purchased. They might have a hole, or just not be up to my standards. This is an opportunity to get a great painting for a cheap price. Some of them are actually quite nice. 

My Birthday

These paintings will be available until Feb 12th. On the 13th, I'm going to bring all the unsold paintings outside and burn them. The 13th is my birthday. Lately, I haven't been enjoying my birthdays. With having to move, I'm really dreading it. 

This is giving me something to look forward to. I'm able to get some closure on a period of time in my life and move forward to better things. 

All the money raised by this sale will go towards our moving costs. It's all directly helping our family. 

So, enjoy shopping for your gems. There are some really pretty paintings in there. 

Thanks for hearing me out. You can leave your comments under this blog, right here on my website if you want. 

Also in Main Blog