During my decluttering I’ve been having a think about painting and drawing.
In the last 5 years I haven’t really drawn much at all (2 pastels) and I’m not sure I have painted (nothing is recorded on my YOP end of year posts so probably not).
In one of my craft room wardrobes I have:
- a drawer of watercolour paper, paint, palette, brushes etc
- a drawer of pastel chalks, pastel pencils and books of pastel paper
- a drawer containing a box of graphite pencils and charcoals
- a drawer of acrylic paints and it’s associated brushes, palette, paper
- a small stack of box framed canvases to paint on
- an upright painting easel I don’t think I’ve ever used.
- a desktop adjustable easel
- a stack of watercolour paintings and pastel drawing that I have done which aren’t good enough for framing
In the house we have a few of the pictures I’ve drawn or painted, but not many have been worth framing. There’s a crayon and watercolour painting I did in 1991/92 that hangs in our hallway. In the kitchen we have a Highland cow, a lily and our dog that I drew with pastels and my husband’s parrot in pencil and pastel. In my parent’s house they have a watercolour of a basket of fruits and vegetables that I painted.
If in over 30 years I’ve only done 6 pieces worth framing why am I keeping all this stuff.
So why do I keep them? Framing is very expensive here. Will I paint and draw again? What would motivate me to use these items?
I welcome your thoughts, at the moment as pastels are the ones I’ve framed most of I’m likely to keep the pastels, but should I donate the rest? What could re-spark my painting mojo?
If you’d like to see some other art works that have appeared on the blog click here to see the category paintings or drawings.
HighlandHeffalump 
The question for me is: do you enjoy it? If so, make a plan to do more of it without the expectation you will display anything. If not, or if you enjoy it less than other hobbies, it might be time to declutter this activity. Also, when do these materials expire? Maybe give yourself that amount of time to decide, and don’t replace them if you no longer enjoy them.
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I guess I should do that then, make some time to give them another go and then donate if it’s not something I enjoy. The watercolour blocks I suspect last I definitely, the acrylics may have gone past their best or gone solid…I’m not sure. I’ll have to investigate.
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I agree with Alissa. The answer depends on how you feel when painting. For me, doing postcard-sized paintings is the most satisfying. And the finished product can be used as a greeting card. I just flip it over to the back, write my message and pop it in an envelope.
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Thanks Laura. I do have a pack of actual postcard sized paper with the postcode bit on the back, perhaps these would be a good size to start to see. I need to finish tidying up my craft room at the moment as I’ve no space to do anything right now.
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I look forward to hearing more. Perhaps those Highland mountains and lakes will inspire.
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It’s been years since I used my calligraphy pens. I pulled them out a couple of weeks ago to label a photo for the funeral of a good friend, at his wife’s request. Glad in that moment to have kept them!
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I did calligraphy at primary school, but not since. I’m not sure when acrylic painting would come in handy though.
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It sounds to me like you put unnecessary pressure on yourself. I’ve done lots of watercolour paintings lately, none of them are frame-worthy, but oh the fun I’ve had, and how I was able to relax and breathe and let stupid stuff and overthinking go while I painted! Of course, I’m a total newbie … so maybe that’s the thing: go back to the start, paint as if you’ve never done it before, watch Youtube tutorials and Insta reels, follow some artists on Insta and find new inspiration. Challenge yourself and see where it takes you. Experiment. Have fun. Have you tried Gouache yet? Or mixed media? Junk journals? Art journaling? Gelli prints? Book binding? See, so much to explore. Do give it a try, please.
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Thanks for the encouragement, I will have a look at some YouTubers and try to get inspired again. I did used to love doing watercolours years ago…like 30 years ago, but probably haven’t done any in the last 10 years so I’ll see if I can rekindle the flame.
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I’m sure you’ll make the right decision for yourself but I do love seeing your pictures – you’re very talented!
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Your enjoyment is the important thing! If you love it, keep it. It’s good to destash and rethink things, but don’t get rid of stuff you love 🙂
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