Where and how to store oil paintings while they dry?

I love painting in oils but they do take a long time to dry - up to 6 months (and sometimes longer) before they can be varnished.

Since I don't have a dedicated studio I need to store my paintings somewhere in my house.

I have been keeping them on the mantle piece, and they do look fabulous there, but now I have too many so need another solution. This is what I came up with...



All I needed was a piece of wood from the garage, a pack of long nails, and a hammer - and now I can store 28 more paintings!

My paintings are very small, just 2.5 x 3.5 inches. The nails I used are 75mm long with an oval top, and they are spaced at 1 inch intervals.

If you need to store larger paintings than this you could use wooden dowling instead of nails, and simply drill holes to fit the dowling.

9 comments:

  1. Lucy Blossom11 February 2014 at 19:36

    I never knew that they took so long to dry, but I love your little storage rack and the fact that you can see them too - adds lots of colour.

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    1. Stephanie Guy11 February 2014 at 22:14

      Thanks Lucy. The whole process takes even longer - after varnishing they need another 6 months to complete the drying process! It's well worth the wait though, I think the results from oil painting are amazing.

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  2. Ali11 February 2014 at 21:37

    Your storage idea looks brilliant and you get plenty of time to enjoy them if they take 6 months to dry.
    Ali x

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    Replies
    1. Stephanie Guy Fine Art11 February 2014 at 22:16

      Thanks Ali, I have lots of room to paint more now too :)

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  3. Wendy12 February 2014 at 10:49

    That's a nifty drying rack and how brilliant that it cost so little to make!

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    1. Stephanie Guy Fine Art13 February 2014 at 10:37

      Thanks Wendy, I love to solve problems and I love a bargain :D

      Delete
  4. margaret rose stead23 October 2022 at 22:28

    good idea but mine are quite big and i live in a small house so dificult

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    1. Anonymous24 October 2022 at 09:11

      It can certainly be tricky. How do you store yours Margaret?

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  5. margaret rose stead23 October 2022 at 22:31

    thank you for that advice Stephanie its good advice need that we need more artists to give advice on lots ot things just like the old artists who used to meet up for coffe etc and exchange view etc ie monet etc

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