I have art stacked on shelves, under beds, in closets, on the walls, and in the basement.
Yeah, I hear you. That's why I have after the FIRST canvas decided to limit myself to one reasonably sized format (30cm x 40cm) painted only on PAPER. That works out fine as I prefer watercolor, gouache, and soft pastel anyway, which are paper media, so to speak.
I have begun painting only in 2019, but that's 2 productive years so far, and my entire stack of art has only grown to about 6 inches in that time, including the thickness of the cellophane envelopes I protect my art with. I expect to fill no more than two moving boxes in the next 10 years, which puts me in my seventies.
So the big advantage of my strategy is, my art is coming with me, even when this big house is sold and we're moving into something smaller! In the meantime, I have 5 paintings in frames over my desk, which I exchange occasionally as the mood strikes. It makes me happy to look up from the computer and reflect: "Was that REALLY me who painted those? Damn!"
By comparison, my wife @caro-art paints mostly on canvasses, and those darn things are all over the place! The staircase and hallways of our 4-storey house: FULL! A ground-level gallery store (we live in a downtown townhouse) is also FULL! Our living space, although not as cluttered as the hallways: FULL! I have tried to convince her to take the canvasses off the frames to save space, but no dice so far. Her acrylic works are going to make either a nice donation to somebody, or a flea market, or a bonfire one day...
The only sales effort the both of us have been making is the American art fairs at nearby Ramstein AFB (Germany). That "got rid" of some excess, but unfortunately these fairs have been canceled lately due to COVID. Trying to sell via the web is not much of an enterprise unless one is willing to promote the living daylights out it, on Instagram, Facebook, etc.. Too much work - and a small Hive account isn't cutting it for that. The store is generating a sale on occasion, but it's not staffed (appointment only) and our small town doesn't have an art scene, nor is it touristy...
So you're not alone, Brad, with those troubles :-)
Oh wow.. I see that I am NOT alone in this journey. I figured that at least one or two artists would know what I am talking about. I too made a move to more easily storable painting surfaces. I use hardboard and paper most of the time, although I must have 50 or so canvas paintings here and there.
Sounds like I would enjoy a visit to your home. I would be wondering around looking at the art for days! lol. Sounds like your wife has found her passion, regardless of whether or not she is making sales. Sometimes I struggle with that. I ask myself "Why am I doing this? Why do I continue to create just to store it away?" Then I will also have those days where I know why I do it and don't give a crap.
I suppose it's all part of the artistic process.. but validation is nice from time to time.
I'll have to head over to your wife's blog and check out what she's been up to.
Thank you for the comment and the assurance I am not alone in this dark cold artistic world. hehe.