What Was Given

Limited Edition Archival Photograph with Matte
Edition: 1 of 20
20" × 30"

$650

“What Was Given” is a photograph about value—how it changes, how it’s measured, and how it’s remembered. This image features a 1966 Fender Stratocaster, finished in the iconic sunburst fade from yellow to orange to black, an instrument that has shaped generations of music and musicians.

As a young man, my father owned this exact model. In the 1970s, he sold it for $100 to buy a calculator so he could prepare taxes and better support his family. It was a practical decision, made without regret at the time. Decades later, as the value of these instruments has risen, the guitar has taken on a different weight—not as something lost, but as something meaningful once held.

When I found this Stratocaster at Willie’s American Guitars in St. Paul, listed at $16,500, purchasing it wasn’t possible. Instead, with Willie’s generous permission, I borrowed the instrument for a few days and created this photograph—an act of preservation rather than ownership, and a Christmas gift meant to honor both the guitar and the choice that came before it.

Produced as a strictly limited edition of 20, this work is intended for collectors who understand that the most powerful objects often carry stories far beyond their materials. My father owns print number 1 of 20, get your print to honor the legend of the guitar and the man who inspired it.

Print Details

• Edition Size: 20 total (each hand-numbered)

• Print Size: 20" × 30"

• Finish: Deep matte archival pigment print

• Paper: Museum-grade fine art paper

• Signature: Signed by the artist

• Matte: 24” x 36” overall matte included, ready for framing

• Certificate: Certificate of Authenticity included

This piece belongs in spaces where music, memory, and craftsmanship intersect—studios, listening rooms, private collections, or homes where the story behind an object matters as much as the object itself.

Once the edition is sold out, this photograph will never be reproduced at this size.