This painting will sell for at least $234 USD in the next 7 days or else I’ll destroy it.
Kyle MacDonald
Link to auction here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/-/141899940120
Let’s talk about consequence.
I initially started these auctions as a standalone project called “Buy It Or Else”. The idea is that artworks will either sell or else they’ll be destroyed.
If a painting doesn’t sell I’ll wreck it in an interesting way and will use shrapnel from the artwork as raw materials for a new artwork which will be turned into a new artwork which will eventually be auctioned under the same “Buy it or else” premise.
Each artwork for sale on these auction is an original one-of-a-kind piece. It either sells or is gone forever.
Sure, there’s always the remote chance that a sold artwork will wind up on a secondary market and you might have another chance in the future to buy an exact piece of art you like. But for the most part it’s a “you snooze you lose” situation.
But when I list an item with a starting price of $0.01 with no reserve and FREE shipping anywhere in the world there’s a near 100% chance everything will sell…if even for only $0.01. There’s little to no consequence. The greatest risk is I spend countless hours creating a work of art and somebody buys it for a very low price and they’re really happy about the situation. I might not make much on the sale or even might drop into the red when art materials and shipping costs are included, but as far as things go, this is a pretty small risk.
You might ask “Why are you selling your art this way?” and here’s my answer.
I want to avoid:
-putting a price on my work
-building up a stockpile of artwork in my studio or in storage
-having dozens of paintings on gallery walls that “might” sell one day.
I want to make art and ship it to people that want it.
That’s it.
But I also want a real element of risk to this project.
So I’m upping the ante.
This auction has a reserve price of $234 USD.
Two outcomes possible:
1) The artwork sells for more than $234 or more.
2) I destroy it.
The $234 Bill painting is filled with lots of inside jokes and references to things I like:
-The United Ghinds of Burquitlam
-Department of Money
-Counterfeit Note
-Regional Minivan Reserve
-This note is 100% legit for all van purchases
-Signature
-Treasurer of Fakecouver
-The Free Taxi Rooster
-the serial number is my phone number aka The One Red Paperclip Inc. HOTLINE
I was really proud of all the details of the painting and the execution isn’t perfect but there’s a certain amount of charm and whimsicalness to the haphazardness of the piece. The rectangle doesn’t fit the frame perfectly because this was the first canvas I stretched onto a frame and I didn’t know what I was doing but after I saw how crooked it was I liked the kooky look and think it looks cool…but I’ve also upped my canvas stretching game since. There’s also a few scuff marks on the paint from when I moved the painting from location to location and I didn’t know about clear coating and when I finally did learn about clear coating I forgot to clean up the rub marks before applying the clear coats and then the clear coat dried so now the marks are there forever. This painting isn’t perfect — but that’s the point. It’s a time capsule of my artist skills of the time. I like the way it looks and it has sentimental value.
Which is why I want to sell it for its face value of $234.
Or else.
I really want to rid my life of material things that I covet. I have a one month old daughter and am trying to make as much room possible for her in my life — and that means having less stuff in my life that isn’t her.
Painting Dimensions:
50" x 22" (127cm x 56cm)
Acrylic paint on canvas on wood frame 2" deep.
Auction Summary:
-1 $234 Bill original painting by Kyle MacDonald
-1 autographed copy of the book One Red Paperclip by Kyle MacDonald
Shipping:
FREE SHIPPING ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.
-faster “paid” options as well. Please select options if you’d like RUSH delivery.
Provenance:
-Last summer my friend Mike Reed and I took dozens of paintings out onto the sidewalk and posted them for sale and we played live music and hung out in his van and talked to people about our art and we both sold paintings that day and had a very fun time but not a single person mentioned this painting or showed an interest in buying it.
Artist:
Kyle MacDonald BA UBC GEOG
aka The Rooster
Has a HOTLINE: 514–833–3980
Canadian
1979 -
Link to auction here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/-/141899940120
