Auction time

If you watch our auctions close enough, you might notice that the starting bid price for certain items fluctuates.  The auction website allows me to make changes IF no bids have come in yet.  The key question for me as I set the whole thing up is "What is the smallest amount that I would be willing to sell it for?"

There are some items, like "Tyson in Blue", that I am immovable.  For it to leave the studio, someone is going to have to bid a minimum of $500, which in some ways, still feels like it is too low. However, the object of the exercise is to clear out the studio and raise some money for some good causes.  With those two things in mind, I am willing to bend. Ten percent of the net sale prices of original works is going to be donated to a charity supporting flood recovery efforts in Fort McMurray.

What do I think are the best ones to grab in our Birdsong May auction?  Hmmmmm....

45 (Michael Jordan)

This recently completed painting of Michael Jordan wearing number 45 has an opening bid on it.  However, considering the fact that he is super hot right now - The Last Dance is one of the most watched offerings on Netflix - this painting is worth it.  Plus, the story of why he was wearing 45 makes it a great conversation starter.  Here is the answer to that question: Why Michael Jordan wore number 45 by Gerald Flores. 

Darth Vader

I have slowly been doing paintings of the famous characters from Star Wars.  As I had a request/suggestion from someone to offer a Star Wars themed puzzle, I felt I needed to add to the collection to be able to have enough.  Darth Vader had been on my plate for a long time.  I had lots of fun with this painting, especially creating the galaxy background.

Cockadoodle Doo

There is great enjoyment in painting roosters.  My latest was inspired by a particular fella who lives with a family that received a house from Bracelets For Buildings in Cambodia earlier this year.  He posed for me several times, almost demanding that I turn him into a painting.

Raven Raven

I think this is the buy of the auction (apart from "Tyson in Blue").  I have loved Heather's painting of the raven since I first saw it back in February after returning home from southeast Asia.  It's a gorgeous work of art.

I have a dream

One of the most famous speeches in history was given by Martin Luther King Jr. on August 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.  It rang true then; it rings true now.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. 

It gives us great joy that people from far and wide use their hard earned money to buy our art and put it on their walls.  If one of these pieces speaks to you, or if you want to see everything up for bids in the auction, please click here.  The Birdsong May auction ends at 9 pm MST on Sunday, May 24th.