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Half-Chewed Cole Haan Wingtip

Introducing Half-Chewed Cole Haan Wingtip by the emerging canine artist, Jack. This unique presentation of a meticulously destroyed dress shoe is the first of its kind by Jack. The piece features absent toe and vamp portions of the shoe, removed through a secret chewing process, known only by the artist, with razor-like precision but requiring brute strength. The shoe has been severed painstakingly from the upper fine-grain leather through the inner lining to the bottom sole. Half-Chewed exhibits only the finest craftsmanship, as is characteristic of works by Jack. For the performance aspect of the piece, the artist ingested the dissected portion of the shoe. In a post-modern twist on interdisciplinary performance art, there was no audience for his act of passion.

The work has been interpreted by contemporary art critics as a statement on class in the wake of the American recession, a painful and complex subject for the modern American dog. Due to the nature of the artist's process, the collector who places the winning bid will no doubt hear gasps of "How in the hell?," "Oh my God," and "Was he using a chainsaw?" upon displaying the piece.

About the Artist
 
Jack has been active for some time in the world of artistic defacement popularized by prominent figures such as Banksy. However, only recently have his works received critical acclaim through public notoriety and the rise of social media. He is a two-year-old Dalmatian mix who started his life on the streets of rural Virginia before being detained by a county animal control facility and then adopted by his current owner, whose many possessions have become blank canvases for Jack's defacement techniques. Some of his earlier performance and mixed-media works include Berber Carpet Removal, 400-Thread-Count Sheet Shredding No. 1, A Million Pieces of a Bluetooth Headset, Exposing the Mysterious Innards of a Couch Cushion, Urinating on My Owner's Sister's Bed, Freeing of the Garbage from the Shackles of the Glad Bag, and of course, the well-known 400-Thread-Count Sheet Shredding No. 2.

This listing is only for the artist rendering of the left shoe. The right shoe is reserved for a well-dressed amputee. The artwork will be packaged in a presentation-worthy box for the winning bidder. Proceeds from the sale of Half-Chewed will be applied to replacing items destroyed for the sake of canine art. 

A note from the lister, 10/14/13, 10 p.m.:
Jack's time was short when I adopted him from a kill shelter not quite a year ago. And he's not alone. Many great dogs need a second chance but far too few will find homes. Due to the overwhelming popularity of Half-Chewed and the high bids the work has generated, a respectable portion of the funds (determined by the winning bid) will be donated to a pet rescue organization in the greater Washington, D.C. area. Thank you all so very much for your interest and generous support. Jack and I are truly humbled.