Letting Go Of Unsold Art

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You are probably asking yourself WHAT IS THIS and what purpose does this serve? I wasn't sure myself at initial glance when I saw it last weekend at the Artropolis show at the Chicago Merchandise Mart. As an artist and someone who appreciates art and shows, and for every artist who is making or trying to make a living from their art and passion, this pile actually says alot. Keep reading and you'll understand.


Artropolis is three shows in one:  Art Chicago, NEXT and Antiques. Art Chicago is an international fair of Contemporary and Modern Art while NEXT is an invitational exhibition of emerging art. This exhibit/booth in question was located in the NEXT section. (Personal note: I enjoyed Art Chicago but I enjoyed the NEXT portion more.)

At first glance, I was curious, lured, and a wee cynical until I started observing and talking to the artists in this booth.  It was mixed media art, performance art, and passionate causal sales pitches all rolled into one. Some of the proceeds from the sold art were going to be donated to PAWS. The more I watched and listened, I got it and it got to me. How long should you hold onto your work if it hasn't sold?

I have earlier work and painted boxes I would love to get rid of as they take up valued space. I would also love/need to sell my new work. (Another personal note: New website is almost done and you will be able to buy from it!) It is so easy to hold on and get attached to your pieces: Personal favorites that haven't sold with the hope they still might; or hold on to see the progress and evolution made. Ha, I sure have improved since 1998. When you take into account the material expenses, time, labor, EGO, rejection, and space it takes up mentally and physically, what are you left with? A sentence ending in a preposition -a no-no.

The artist making his passionate pitch on his work w/ 19 minutes to go before potential destruction.

Should it be preserved, rescued or meet a violent death in front of an audience? You may be able to see alot of picture hooks that once held paintings. Some were sold. There were a few red dots. Many others not. The pile at the top of this post were some of the ones that didn't. This was only a few hours of a 4 day show. Can you imagine? I don't want to.

To all the art collectors: If you connect with a piece of art and can afford it, please buy it. Please don't stand idly by. Time may be running out and it just might not be around. Hopefully it SOLD and has good home.

I'm still undecided how I will let go of unsold work and set up a time line. I do need to let go though, that's for sure. I will recycle and re-purpose when I can.

One last side note: The pile of unsold paintings gets recycled by the artist.