Representation Matters card set & print pre-sale!
Everything you need to know about ordering card sets & prints of Series 1 Representation Matters pieces
Hello folks!
From now until the end of the month you can pre-order card sets and limited edition prints of the full-colour versions of Representation Matters Series 1!
I’m doing a pre-sale on these as the surplus funds I had were needed to cover the cost of getting the originals framed (they are quite fragile) and imaged. Framing came in at $686.44CAD, and imaging1 was $60CAD/piece. I’m sharing this for full transparency, as I’m aware most folks don’t know about all the little costs that go into making ones art available.
What is available in the pre-sale?
You can get a set of five blank cards. The card sets include all five pieces on 5X7” cards, envelopes, and an artist’s statement for $20CAD.
Each piece is also available as a print individually for $30CAD (Buddha Family, Vajra Family, Ratna Family, Padma Family, Karma Family) or you can get a set of all five for $120CAD at a discounted rate of $24/print. The prints will be signed and numbered and include an Artist’s Statement.
What about shipping?
For Canadian orders, shipping is either free or calculated at a small fee on check-out. There is a flat rate of $14CAD for orders outside of Canada.
When will I receive my order?
My aim is to have these printed and shipped out by the end of December, with priority given to card orders since it is the holiday season. Whether this happens is dependent on selling no fewer than ten sets of cards and ten prints by November 30th. This amount will guarantee I have enough to cover printing costs and will also make a small profit for funding future projects.
Financial Transparency
I’ve written before about my misgivings about selling my Thangka art work. These pieces are deeply personal and connected to a Buddhist lineage I’ve been practicing in for over a decade, and I am a white person creating work that comes out of Asian cultures and practices. I have made a commitment to ensure any funds that come from these pieces are used to benefit as many beings as possible.
I have three plans for any income these generate after the cost of printing and shipping:
I will make a contribution to up to three organizations working towards our collective liberation. This will be dependent on how many sales there are, as I wouldn’t want to contribute less than $50 to any one organization, but I will let everyone who buys prints and/or card sets know which organisation(s) I choose and how much they were sent when all this is said and done2. Ideally, there will be enough sales for me to make a $50 contribution to three different organizations or groups. Subscribers/inner circle folks—please share suggestions for where I could distribute these funds in the comments!
I will be hiring another artist to teach me silkscreening. Paying living artists is so important! I don’t want to be exploited and I don’t want to exploit anyone. Unfortunately, the costs of putting your art out into the world are high3 if you haven’t built an audience or don’t have a gallery4 to show your stuff in. I love being able to pay fellow creative folks for their labour and this sale will make it possible for me to do just that!
I will be able to pay folks to model for the next installation in the Representation Matters series. It has always been my intention to create another set of the Five Buddha Families, this time representative of the wisdom of Disability Justice and those who lead in this movement. I already have models for Amitabha and Ratnasambhava, and have started on those pieces. I would like to reach out to some of the Disability Justice folks5 who have most influenced my own practice, and offer them payment for posing if they would like to collaborate as models.
Last but never least…
Thank you to my subscribers and patrons!
Ya’ll helped me to buy the supplies that went into making each of these pieces. Working on them has been a rich and joyful experience, and I’m excited to share them with others who want to or have been working with the Five Buddha Families in their own practice.
May they be of benefit!
“Imaging” for those unfamiliar with the term, is when an artist has their work photographed or scanned at a hi-resolution so they can make reproductions. Without imaging, artists can’t have prints made. This is a huge upfront cost if an artist wants to sell copies of their work. This is the first time I haven’t had to pay out-of-pocket for imaging! Thank you to my small patron/subscriber community for making it possible for me to cover this most-expensive aspects of being an independent artist.
As it stands, I currently make monthly contributions out of my art funds to TransLifeLine and Buy From A Black Woman. I highly recommend visiting the latter for your holiday shopping and considering becoming an ongoing supporter of the former because we need trans liberation now.
See footnote 1. Also, web hosting fees, art supplies, framing, and design programs. Never mind the hours that go into making art! Each of these Thangkas took around 50 to 80 hours and used hundreds of dollars of paper, markers, pencil crayons, and art pens. Originals are not currently for sale, but based off a calculation of time+supplies+fees+framing, the originals should be priced around $8,500. When you consider that all five pieces were completed over a period of two years, even if I sold all five that would be like making a salary of a little over $21k a year. Like I said, this is by no means a living.
Even then, gallery owners generally take about 40% of the sales, which is a lot. A lot a lot.
I am specifically hoping to engage Imani Barbarin and Alice Wong, as well as a mutual connection from a friend. The chances of this are slim, but if I don’t ask, then there is zero chance. If I can offer a stipend to them, it increases the possibility because (and I cannot say this enough) People Deserve to be Paid For Their Labour.