On Sharing Old Work;
(Big thanks to all the artists/collectors who took the time to chat with me about how they feel about seeing/sharing old work! If you want to join in the conversation leave me a message below or follow along on instagram!)
One of the (many!) reasons for my site re-design was to allow easier access to my older work. On the previous version of my site it was there… sort of? Definitely not able to be found without several specific links or lots of digging/clicking. Which was not my intention, just merely the result of lots of little updates moving older things out of view.
Why showing past work is important:
If you’re anything like me, keeping things compartmentalized is a really important part of my process. (Like keeping separate sketchbooks for different endeavors. See: A Look Into My Composition Book)
So, for a while I was comfortable showing a small, super-curated collection of my super-current work. Like a French/Capsule wardrobe, but for my art. And yes, while it presents a quick, easily-understood snapshot of exactly what I’m interested in at the moment, it doesn’t offer any clues to the path ahead or address anything I’ve already explored.
The current work is just out there, free-floating without information on how it got there or any hints as to where it might be going.
From collectors to galleries, to viewers just interested in what you are making, giving them the access to that history is a great way to share the process and enthusiasm for what we do - without having to state it. Even if the past work is different from what’s being made right now, it’s important to show that things are being made.
Like this 10 x 10 from 2015. Is it what I’m working on now? Clearly, no. But a lot of the same motion, contour and linework is still in play in my current work. Also this was exhibited during Miami Art Basel - which is something fun to share too.
Here’s a peek at some REALLY old work. (Ink on paper, for an auction, from like 2012….)
How far back is necessary?
This changes from artist to artist, there’s no magic number of works that has to be displayed.
Factors like time spent working and style exploration play a big part in deciding what/when gets shown. For me I went back to 2015, which is about the time when I felt my work starting to speak to the paintings I am making right now.
(Plus, at 2021 - I felt like 5 tabs would be enough to dig through. )
I debated adding an ‘early life’ tab for fun, to share some my favorite paintings from growing up - but I think I’ll save those for a blogpost instead.
As the feelings around ‘old’ work can be so personal and can differ extraordinarily between artists I thought I might see what instagram had to say.
I asked two questions; one of the artists and one of collectors and had some amazing conversations about old work. Thanks again to all of you who took the time to write me messages, it is always so wonderful to get to chat with you (whether I used your message or not!)
I don’t see it as older work looking from the outside in. It is your work!
When I find an artist I really like or am inspired by, I always scroll to the beginning of their Instagram to see how their work has changed and evolved. It’s always so interesting! I’m a long time follower of you and I love your older work, but the things you’ve been doing in the past year have been cool too. I guess I like seeing it all 🤗
I feel almost naked when I show old work. I hate leaving it out for the world to see, when it feels so far removed from what I’m doing now.
-Anonymous
I think showing previous works to be very important. It shows growth and direction. As well as giving your audience a better understanding of who you are as an artist and who you want to be.
As an artist, I feel like showing my older work shows the progression of my style over time, and how my work is always evolving and changing while still being inspired by older work of mine.
I totally understand Anonymous’s gut feeling about sharing past work, it can be really scary to show the world something we believe we have ‘moved past’.
It is an act of real vulnerability to let others see where we came from. But in the case of our work, our art - it’s so important to leave that visual history trail behind. (To a point, no one is demanding the macaroni collage for 2nd grade… though I always love to childhood projects!)
What do you think? As a collector do you enjoy seeing earlier pieces? Or, as an artist how do you feel about sharing those pieces?
