A couple of times a year I do a clear up and purge of art supplies and old paintings. I throw out or burn unusable things, give away what I know I'll never use and recycle what can be saved. I also vow to not buy more supplies than I know I'll use. Well, I try. To be honest, I don't buy a lot of random art supplies any more. I have a pretty strict art supply list that I stick with that consists of oil paints and canvasses and tend to buy in bulk twice a year. Of course a few "treats" find their way into those orders, using printmaking supplies and a nice fountain pen and ink. See how easily I get waylaid?
Among the usual stash of pencils, paints and papers that I part company with, there are always starts on canvasses. They were ideas that never took shape or simply went in the wrong direction. If they're not textured and if the medium used can be painted over, I reuse them for another piece. Sometimes, I gesso over the piece, sometimes, as in this one, I draw directly over the old start then paint over it.
This was a start of a flooded path in the woods that didn't inspire me so I turned it upside down and created this dory. I rather like how the boat form envelops the previous work in its initial stage.
So what does your stash look like? Do you have a sampling of everything or do you stick with materials that you constantly work with?
