I Am the Joke and Weirdly Thrilled
This Old Artist Walks Into a Bar and the Bartender Says, “Yup Man, That's the Joke!” 2026. Oil on paper, 18 x 24"
Have I got a tragic hero story for you! Last Thursday I spoke about my 20,000 Paintings Project on our Black Ivory podcast. Specifically on the durability of the paper I was using, which I thought was appropriate but turns out to be the worst. The paper is not “oil friendly”. In fact, after a brief color holiday, the linseed oil will begin to break down the paper until there is nothing left but chewed up pigmented cotton fibers. The paintings could last up to 50 years, but after that, confetti’d down the memory hole! Oh boy, I just might be the art world’s greatest village idiot!
Well, that’s nearly 400 paintings to receive special notice on their storage box covers:
Do not open box to let in air or light, or it will poof back toxic paper dust.
I just ordered 100 sheets of primed paper, safe for oils. However, they’re smaller in size (11 x 14"), which can’t be helped because the larger is unaffordable. The dimensions can grow over time if my financial situation improves. I will meet my painting quota today and tomorrow with gesso-primed loose canvas. Tuesday I take a day off to travel to Cooperstown to pick up disintegrating paintings I was trying to sell in a gallery (none sold, phew). They’re in frames, so I’ll hang them up in the studio to watch them wither away every day in unison with my self’s demise.
I guess it’s just a minor setback in the entire 20 year scope of the project. I’ll just double down and push out more paintings to catch up.
In a way, there is something timeless and romantic about a disintegrating archive. As long as the story gets told. I am serious about putting the notice on the box covers of the stored paintings. Like my ashes in an urn. I’ll print out thumbnail images and titles of the contents, so their memory will remain.
God help my lazy idiocy! What a perfect nothing to hang my hat on!
Judging By the Gestures of This Scribble Bird, One Can Deduce Its Inevitable Migration From the Genocidal States of America 2026. Oil on paper, 18 x 24"
A Few Years Ago, When I Got Diverticulitis, I Realized That I Am a Big, Fat, Fu‽ing Baby* 2026. Oil on paper, 18 x 24"
A Couple Shapes and Their Hideous Cult Leader 2026. Oil on paper, 18 x 24"
Hangover and Its Demons 2026. Oil and pastel on paper, 18 x 24"
King and Chicken 2026. Oil and pastel on paper, 18 x 24"
Whales Don't Suffer Depression, Though They Have Every Reason To 2026. Oil on paper, 18 x 24"
Wood Sprite Calisthenics 2026. Oil on paper, 18 x 24"
Do You Wanna Live Like This? Do You REALLY Wanna Live Like This? 2026. Oil on paper, 18 x 24"
Severed Head in the Robot Army 2026. Oil on paper, 18 x 24"
Don't worry Ron, collaboration paintings Billy Childish and I did together and being sold for big money that are oil straight onto unprotected paper. Albeit with my name conveniently removed. These recent paintings of yours are fantastic.
Thanks. This helps very much. I thought about some of your paintings on cardboard. A.I. is so dramatic. I’ll pack these first 400 away, mark them up honestly, and then sleep better with the primed paper. I cannot believe your name is removed. Are you referring to Heckel’s Horse? I thought there were no sales yet, just talk about the series.
There's some oil on unprotected paper from 2013 I did that still look fine. I think it's also possible to lift paintings off their support and attach to another, if our works considered worthy of such restoration efforts in the future. There was also a Kandinsky painting I saw at Tate on cardboard, must be around 100 years old. The paintings I did with Billy that they sold as exclusively by him weren't Heckel's Horse ones. I don't think any Heckel's Horse have sold yet, at least not that I've heard about!
I saw old paintings on paper, board and wood and so on. It feels it is not all about theedoum but also how it is stored. Seems most do it best in the dark and of course, no humid environment.
Saving in plastic boxes might be a solution too @rhonthroop.
Good luck to both of you.
This booming vote is yours and well deserved.
❤️🍀
I have mine in boxes of 100 right next to the dehumidifier. All is good until the electricity goes out:)
Yeah, thank you. After my initial freak out, I did some reading across the web. I’ll be long dead, and then we’ll let the biographers deal with it:)
Please, keep in mind that the first hashtag of this community is #artonsteemit
There is no longer any need to use club100. The clubstatus is no longer important to steem curators or anyone else.
Still on track? I love that, not depressive, whale. 😍
This booming vote is yours and well deserved.
❤️🍀
Good counsel, thank you! #artonsteemit it is! Can I still be in the club even if nobody cares? :)
Many of us are in clubs we just no longer mention it. If so better use not as one of your first 3-4 hashtags since Steemit's algorithm prioritizes these more than the rest. And you need these hashtags to promote art and yourself.
Of course. Thank you very much!
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