The auction for the banner pieces I mentioned a few posts ago was last Sunday and it was an amazing success.
The banners were hung all along Washington Street, and the auction took place on a blocked off section of Elizabeth Street next to Bluegrass Kitchen. All the pieces went for high prices, but the surprise of the night was that my piece went for a whopping $675, the highest price for a single piece lot at the auction. I was blown away, and still can only sort of believe the bidding war that took place.
Yes, that is a drag queen auctioneer. Her name is Ms. Vikki and she did an amazing job, and as it turns out also cuts my girlfriend's hair. I couldn't have been happier with the auction or the project as a whole, but more important to me is what it meant to my family and friends that could be there. They were all ecstatic when my piece went for such a high price, and I think it was because this was something to do with my art that they could really get excited about and participate in, rather than the usual "Hey, I designed some T-shirts and they sent me a check." I've been just as proud of many T-shirt designs as I was of this banner piece, and I've made plenty more money from shirts, but this just seemed to mean so much to everyone, almost like a validation of my career as a professional artist. I guess that just goes to show that it's all in the presentation.
Also, in what I consider a very Kyle Quinn move, I approached all the losing bidders for my piece and gave them my contact info, and I already have several orders for more prints. I think I'm going to only offer unframed prints, though, as that only seems fair to the gentleman who spent over half a grand on the first one.
