A St. Paul resident contacted me recently regarding a donation of a framed print for my duck project. The framed print, created by artist Robert Duncan (the second piece I have done with this artist!), illustrates a young boy constructing a snowman in a field, accompanied by a dog and another child observing from the sides. Originally titled, “Winter Friends.”
I painted a large snowman-themed rubber duck on the print and plan on returning this ‘new’ piece back to a thrift store sometime this winter. But I think…I think with this project I’m going to try something new.
I’m going to make some prints of this upcycled artwork and then put those framed prints into various Twin-City thrift stores instead of the ‘original’ (I still feel weird calling what I do original). I reason with the prints I can reach a bigger audience. Maybe send some out to different cities throughout the US and have friends donate these prints to local thrift stores. Maybe… maybe someone will paint on top of my print and then return that piece back to the same thrift store to continue the cycle! (Haha! THAT is a piece I would like to own!!!). I will keep the ‘original’ for an exhibition in the future where I give everything away(?). Or maybe… put it in a thrift store in a real remote location. Thus making it a genuine collector’s item. Hahaha, or maybe not!
The negative with this whole process is that my expenses now increase exponentially - I buy the painting, I pay for the prints AND the frames AND the shipping costs. Makes me wonder why I am doing this, it doesn’t make much sense does it? But… it just feels right. TBD
New upcycled artwork by Robert Duncan and Seamus Liam O’Brien, 2026