"Pay What You Wish" - 5 Paintings

I've recently been inspired by an artist friend to consider the idea of artwork as a gift.  That is, the enjoyment/inspiration that comes with experiencing a work of art is a free gift passed from artist to viewer/owner.  The actual object you pay for.  But that something extra that comes with art, that's free.

Additionally, there's been a lot of talk about a gift society, and to put that idea in motion, artists in NYC have opened the "Free Store."  The Seattle Art Museum is advertising the fact that you can pay what you wish to visit the museum.

It is in this spirit of gift giving that I offer up the following five paintings for whatever you wish to pay (nothing, perhaps?).  I've been busy cleaning and organizing my studio and I have found that these paintings don't exactly fit in my body of work.  However, I'd hate to just dispose of these and thus I am looking for some good homes for the paintings.  If you'd like to have one, please email me at jtkirkland [at] gmail [dot] com.  If you do not live in the D.C. area, I will ask that you help with shipping costs.

Thanks so much for looking and please let me know if you'd like one.

Untitled 1 (TAKEN)
Enamel on canvas
20" x 20"
2007

Untitled 2 (TAKEN)
Acrylic on canvas
20" x 20"
2007

Untitled 3
Enamel, masking tape on canvas
20" x 20"
2007

Untitled 4
Enamel on canvas
12" x 24"
2007

Untitled 5 (TAKEN)
Spray paint on canvas
12" x 12"
2007

Comments

[Chris Rywalt]

A. These are really excellent.

B. I'll take the first one. I wouldn't want to take it for free but I can't pay what I should. Hold on to it for a bit for me and, if this job I supposedly am doing actually pays me in the next few weeks, I'll buy it.

C. Unless someone else offers you money for it.

[Brian]

This business model certainly works for Radiohead, but come on, they're already kajillionaires. I'm struggling to pay my rent and NOW I have to compete with people giving their work away for free?! You're killing me!

[Knikkolette]

I think it's great that you want to give your art away - but my questions are... how's that working out for you? Are you independently wealthy and not have to worry about paying bills? Are ppl actually taking paintings & not paying or are they paying ridiculously low prices?

If the model works in a way you can earn a living - I say go for it... maybe you're a visionary & we should all follow in your footsteps...

[Candice Herne]

Read the post in the "spirit of gift giving". Obviously a new concept for some.

[J.T. Kirkland]

Brian,

If you look at my Web site (www.jtkirkland.com) you won't find any of these paintings there. I don't consider these to really be part of my body of work. They were experiments for a potential new direction and I got all I wanted out of them. However, they still possess a "gift" of sorts and instead of storing these for decades or throwing them away, why not allow someone else to enjoy them?

Knik,

I'm not sure how to answer your comment. How do we define "wealthy"? Do I need to sell my work to live? No. Am I doing "pay what you wish" for my entire body of work? No. As stated in the post, as I was cleaning out my studio I found these 5 paintings and decided to try to find them homes. So far 2 of them have been reserved.

Candice,

Thanks for reminding them of the point of this. And I hopeyou enjoy your painting!

[Matt Sargent]

I love the idea of gift economy on the local level (such as NYC's "Really Really Free Market"), as a means to reuse materials (clothing, furniture), spread good will, and save resources. (This seems to be more what you're thinking, J.T.) At the same time, I think in the artistic world we need to be realistic about finances.

(disclaimer: the rest of this comment box speaks more to the rising gift economy movement in the arts in general.)

I challenge anyone to present an example of gift economy that actually works in the independent artist's favor. Large-scale gift economy cannot be supported without the backing of a large corporation. Every gift economy model I'm seeing in popular culture (from Radiohead to Hulu) are examples of giant corporations taking a loss leader to undercut and suck the air out of independent media and independent artists.

(by the way, I'm aware Radiohead is "independent", but any band who blogs about working at their office [http://www.radiohead.com/deadairspace/] is its own corporation.)

If anything, rather than following the Radiohead (Yorkeian?) model, I think that the model of Dischord Records and similar organizations should be followed -- making good products available for prices the average consumer can afford. Their CDs have been consistently marked $10 (includes shipping) for years, and I spent a lot of my high school and college years able to discover new bands on that label due to the low price tag. They still made money and I still got a new artistic experience. I think that iTunes' model, along these lines, also works remarkably well.

Likewise, I would love to see more of my favorite visual artists producing more modestly priced, quick format prints to be sold. I frequent galleries all the time, but as a young musician, I don't have the flexible cash flow to buy paintings. I would plunk down $50 on a well-made print in a heartbeat.

[Joseph Barbaccia]

Artwork exists in 2 economies. A gift economy, in which the "Art" component is exchanged and the market economy, in which work itself is traded.

Art comes to an artist for free; it cannot be acquired by anyone, including the artist themselves. No one "owns" Art. You might own an artwork whose gift of art still resonates you don't own the art. That inspiration cannot be sold or purchased. But it can be given and received.

[Michael Fitts]

A risky proposition.