Frequently Asked Questions

We're in the process of compiling a list of questions that people tend to ask about the One Thousand Thousand project and we'll post them here along with the answers. This page is tended to as often as time allows and chances are sound that there is new material here since you were last here.

And if you can think of any questions that you may have please do let us know. We'll get them answered too.

---

​What number are you on?

As of March 2016 we've finally moved past The First Third at 333,333 pieces and we had a massive exhibition to celebrate that. There are always pieces that are being worked on in some way and are at different stages in the process. For example, there are some pieces that have wet paint on them right this very second. But including the pieces that are waiting to be numbered I'd guess we're closer to the 335k point .

How long have you been doing this project?​

Before it was ever an actual project or a thing it was just a creative exercise that was started back in 1988 or so.  But it really starting to be thought of in terms of an actual full-on effort about 10 years ago. When you are young you frequently feel like you can accomplish anything. You take big and wild chances and you announce your grand and grandiose intentions to the whole of the world. Or anyone that will really listen to stuff like that. It seemed like an easy enough task back then. But we're still going at it after all of these years and don't see us giving up any time soon.

​What's the point ? Are you trying to get into Guinness?

There are easier ways to get into the record books. And much more fun ways to be sure. It all started innocently enough as a creative exercise that evolved into just some "What if?" sort of thing. After doing a series of 100 or so pieces the question of "What if we did a thousand of these things?" came up. So we made a thousand of them. Then it just went from there and nobody ever saw a real reason to stop. The only Guinness we care about is the kind that come in pints. 

Who's behind all of this?​

Jason A. McHenry and Christopher Dyer are primarily responsible. These two have been working on the One Thousand Thousand project together for a long, long time. In recent years there have been more and more artists contributing work to the edition. Some of the contributing artists include Angelica Paez, William Schaff, Kim Keek Richardson and Katherine Ogg. [And plenty more.]

Please Note: Dyer is sadly burdened by an extreme case of The Fear when it comes to most every internet-related activity outside of email so McHenry is the one that is responsible for this website and the other online stuff. Every once in a while I'll use the 'we' bit when writing about the projects and that's who this mysterious 'we' really is. I am Jason. The one typing this.

​So are these prints of originals or are they the original originals?

This is, perhaps, the question that is asked the most often in a gallery setting when viewing the pieces in person. These pieces are original and these same pieces are the ones that are offered for sale. Each piece, to sheepishly coin a phrase, is one in a million. They are NOT prints. They are not copies of originals. 

I am inclined to believe that one of the reasons this is asked so often when showing these things in a gallery environment [or offering them for sale online or in other locations] is that they are always made available at prices that most typically are associated with prints of some sort.

At any rate, the number that is assigned to each piece is unique and once the piece is sold off or given away or whatever else happens to them when we're finished with them you'll never see it again.

Does that make sense? [I'll work on this one.]

​How many paintings do you make in a day? How often do you make them?

Just about every single day there are new pieces being created in contribution to the project. On a slower or less productive day we may only make a small series of 10 or so pieces.  When working together Dyer and McHenry have been known to make hundreds per day. I think the record for number of pieces created in one day was really near 1,000+ pieces in a 24-hour period. We made a set of 2,000 in a very short time as a spur of the moment idea to pass them out at Burning Man. [We did that set in around a week I'd guess.] Anyway, to answer the question we make new pieces every day and between the two of us we make an average of maybe 50 or so pieces every day.

​How do you keep track of all of these things?

Whew. This is one of the most difficult aspects to the whole project. Keeping track of all of these pieces. There are spreadsheets involved for sure.

There is a post about this topic over on the News + Updates page that gives a fair amount of insight into this process.

[A whole lot more is being said about this and will be posted soon.]

​Who the hell do you think you are anyway?

​The website known as www.anti-product.com is a website.

How do I get ahead in life? This sucks for me lately.​

Lie, cheat, bourbon, poke, rake, chop, smoke, take, swear, monkey, sever, grill, ram, borrow, stick, grab, tool, gorge, jimmy, rummy, jaunt, steak, and file accordingly. See if any of those don't do the trick.

​How can I participate in this project?

I'm glad you asked because we would really, really like to share this with other artists. We're currently preparing a more detailed description of the process and techniques we use to make these pieces. In a perfect world you could just come over to the studio and visit and we could give you the full rundown on things. But, since that's not a real option for most people we're doing our best to bang out a walk-through.

The section you might want to check out is here.

Additional Resources

This is a big project and there is a lot to know and see. Some other places for you to check out are as follows:
News + Updates
G+ Page
Facebook Community
Flickr Photostream
These places are typically the most frequently updated and new content is being added there just constantly.

---

What Number Are you on now?

As of January 2016 we're just past the 333,333 mark. There are always pieces that are being worked on in some way and are at different stages in the process. For example, there are some pieces that have wet paint on them right this very second. 

How can I participate in this project?

I'm glad you asked because we would really, really like to share this with other artists. We're currently preparing a more detailed description of the process and techniques we use to make these pieces. In a perfect world you could just come over to the studio and visit and we could give you the full rundown on things. But, since that's not a real option for most people we're doing our best to bang out a walk-through.

The section you might want to check out is here.

How many paintings do you make in a day? How often do you make them?

Just about every single day there are new pieces being created in contribution to the project. On a slower or less productive day we may only make a small series of 10 or so pieces.  When working together Dyer and McHenry have been known to make hundreds per day. I think the record for number of pieces created in one day was really near 1,000+ pieces in a 24-hour period. We made a set of 2,000 in a very short time as a spur of the moment idea to pass them out at Burning Man in 2000. [We did that set in around a week I'd guess.] Anyway, to answer the question we make new pieces every day and between the two of us we make an average of maybe 50 or so pieces every day. There are more and more artists joining in and contributing their work to the edition and now that we've got help the numbers will be a lot greater.

How Long Have you Been Doing This?

Basically this project began about 20 years ago. But it really starting to be thought of in terms of an actual full-on effort about 15 years ago. When you are young you frequently feel like you can accomplish anything. You take big and wild chances and you announce your grand and grandiose intentions to the whole of the world. Or anyone that will really listen to stuff like that. It seemed like an easy enough task back then. But we're still going at it after all of these years and don't see us giving up any time soon.

What's The Point in All Of this?

There are easier ways to get into the record books. And much more fun ways to be sure. It all started innocently enough as just some "What if?" sort of thing. After doing a series of 100 or so pieces the question of "What if we did a thousand of these things?" came up. So we made a thousand of them. Then it just went from there and nobody ever saw a real reason to stop.

So are these prints of originals or are they the original originals?

This is, perhaps, the question that is asked the most often in a gallery setting when viewing the pieces in person. These pieces are original and these same pieces are the ones that are offered for sale. Each piece, to sheepishly coin a phrase, is one in a million. 

I am inclined to believe that one of the reasons this is asked so often when showing these things in a gallery environment [or offering them for sale online or in other locations] is that they are always made available at prices that most typically are associated with prints of some sort. 

At any rate, the number that is assigned to each piece is unique and once the piece is sold off or given away or whatever else happens to them when we're finished with them you'll never see it again.

Does that make sense? [I'll work on this one.]

How DO you Keep Track Of Them?

Whew. This is one of the most difficult aspects to the whole project. Keeping track of all of these pieces. There are spreadsheets involved for sure.

There is a post about this topic over on the News + Updates page that gives a fair amount of insight into this process. 

[A whole lot more is being said about this and will be posted soon.]