Eliminate.........eliminate.........

Well, first of all Sylvia, I had a giggle myself at the thought of the bin men giggling....I don't know how you tackle this - we've been in our present house for 24 years and it's stuffed to the gunnels. It would be nice if someone rushed up and begged for some but somehow it doesn't happen - your own kids would be good but they seem oblivious. I might just leave it all for someone else to sort out ( when I pop off I mean ) but that doesn't answer your question. It's quite amusing really, we create these problems for ourselves, the more we do, the bigger the problem we create. For the moment I'll just have to say well done to you for being decisive - you'll have to tell us if it feels as if a weight has been lifted and you are excited to make a new start.

My wife and I are both minimalists and only keep things for which we have a use. Our house is clutter free following a down size about 6 years ago and we have stuck rigidly to the minimalist approach ever since. In fact my modern paintings would go well indoors but we don't want to clutter up the walls. Well as far as artwork is concerned I take the same approach. If I do a demo I usually give the result to anyone who shows an interest (unless it's something exceptional). As for magazines I take out any articles that interest me and bin them once they get over 12 months old (or give them away). I only keep paintings if I think they are worthy and regularly review them every so often discarding some from the pile so it never gats too high. Yes I know folk say it's nice to keep some old ones to see how you have progressed but I really don't want to be reminded of how bad I once was - I get frustrated enough with my current attempts. As for equipment you can only use one brush at a time. I have a basic collection of equipment and limited space in my studio and, bearing in mind I open a couple of times each year and want it to look good I simply get rid of anything I haven't used for a year or so. If I don't use it I don't need it so out it goes!

I don't throw things away on the whole. My mother, taking a look round my flat, said "I pity whoever has to clear this place out when you die": we're close like that........ So I have 50 year old tubes of paint; a collection of oil, acrylic and watercolour brushes, in different containers; subdivided into flats, rounds, filberts - though I do let the fans share space with the filberts; old paintings - I throw out the rubbish work, but, naturally: most of it isn't rubbish. Ahem. The biggest problem is books - I have a lot. I may have to move one of these days, given the proximity of the house to the Niton landslip which may one day threaten it. But the pain in having to get rid of a large collection of art magazines, which I couldn't even give away, has deterred me from any tendency to minimalism; and while I talk of digitizing my sketch-books, I know I'm not going to. So - not overly helpful, I'm afraid.......... If I'd been you, I wouldn't have moved: I'd have kept the house and kept on filling it up with stuff. And I've got to have somewhere to put the wine .... No, sorry Sylvia - I'd much rather up-size than down-size. I go for maximal, not minimal.

Might be an idea ..... the landslip has been stabilized by drainage and by laying rock armour at the foot of the cliff, but the trouble is that the land here is gault clay, which moves when there's too much water in the landscape, and there's no strength in the topsoil. Now what have we had buckets and buckets of lately? Yup - water; endless rain. Everyday we go and look at the cliff edge, to see if chunks have fallen away. Thing is, the word "cliff" is misleading; you think of chalk, granite, limestone .... but it ain't: it's basically mud, although there's some rock in it: they say the house is built on a rock; it may be, but what's the rock sitting on? Still, it's been here since 1840-odd; it that means anything - gulp; it doesn't really, does it? You get better cliffs in Wales - perhaps it's time I bought a set of water-wings.... Someone can paint us as we go over the edge; very dramatic.