Art and Antiques: The Art & The Deal & Tales of Junque

An antique is something old and is not worth anything unless someone is collecting it.

Art is always in the eye of the beholder...it could look like crap...but there's always someone who will adore it.

You are so right colorbook and welcome to A2k from me. Do you color in your color book a lot and would you be interested in joining the A2k Cyber Art Forum.

Generally we meet every Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. EST in the A2k chat room. You have to suscribe to use it. It is cheap though $15.00 per month and well worth it.

Thank you JoanenDorel. I've dabbled in all kinds of art media. Regarding your Cyber Art Forum: can't join at this time, but I'll keep it in mind for the future.

Art and antiques
Hi, colorbook, and welcome to A2K!

And just for fun, you might check out a recent thread, 2" Kincaid Galleries..."

Art and antiques
Hi, Joanne Dorel - haven't seen you around lately. Maybe all your energy goes into the Sunday Chat...

Anyway, good to come across your name again.

Thank you Tomkitten.

Many antiques have better craftsmanship, beauty, and lasting ability than modern production-line products. Sometimes you can find antiques for less money, that you know have lasted and will last for years. I would like to get into a bit of restoration at some point.

People used to hate my commercial work until I started giving them what they wanted - even if it was tasteless or bad. I used to think they'd be happier with me if I applied my scholarship, but people usually just have somthing in mind they want fulfilled, and if I can translate what they want into the assignment (tasteless or not) they are always happy. Iv'e learned to ask lots of questions.
This one woman wanted a picture done of her mentally retarded sister, gave me a picture where she had kind of an evil grin and missing teeth. I asked if she wanted the teeth filled in, the smile changed, any cosmetic details, and she said: "No, we're proud of her just the way she is." So I drew her in verristic style with every missing tooth, every wrinkle, and so on. The lady ended up hating it. I should have read between the lines.

I also used to volunteer at an old folks home, and sometimes I would draw the old people. One day I saw an old lady seated with captivating blue eyes. I had a blue pen, and began to sketch her. I captured her futility, her desires, every wrinkle time had put into her face, and those longing, piercing blue eyes. When I was finished, I looked up and a crowd had gathered around me. They said "Show her the picture!" Reluctantly, I showed her the picture. She looked at it and started bawling, as though she had never realized she was old before. It turns out she had escaped from the mental ward and also had alzhiemers. I wonder if she thought she was young, and my picture brought her to a relization of place and time, or whether I had captured her expression a little to honestly. I tore up the picture, and stopped drawing at the old people's home.

That's very interesting Portal Star (drawing a patient with Alzheimer's). I'm sure she thought she was younger. If you've ever drawn your self-portrait you begin to see all the imperfections in your face. It will never reflect the way you think you look.

Hi TK, I have not been around so much because I no longer own my own puter, sigh. However, there is hope for me and soon I hope.

Art and antiques
Well, JoanneDorel, I certainly do hope you get your own computer again, and soon! It sure does make a lot of difference...

Okie dokie TK but well I need help in that category - I no longer have access to my own personal IT person. I guess I should post something int he computer forum.

Now for a story re my antique junque experiences to date.

First I will tell on my self. I am a newbie so am really a sitting duck to the old timers. But for the most part the are a great help.

My first show I took almost all of my own stuff and everyone stopped by and looked, commenting on how colorful my work was. Now I have some vintiage/contempory items along with just a few items of my own.

My biggest problems so far is the minute I sell something I run and buy something - a habit I have been slowly getting over.

My last show in OKC, OK was a great success and not I feel like I a moving slowing but surely into the apprentice dealer phase. I made the cost of my booth plus expenses.

And only spent a small amount of money buying - two cow skulls and horns to paint. which I plan to sell as they are very popular in Tejas.

JD - I thought it was $15 for 3 months! or $6/month?

Righto Margo, see how I am - I need watching all the time.

Good to see you by-the-way!

This weekend was first Monday in Canton, TX - called first Monday because it is the frist weekend after the first Monday of each month, don't ask me why this is Tejas.

It was planned that I would meet some antique dealer firends there on Saturday and just sit with them in their booth and learn. I am a novice and they are mentoring me.

As I was leaving my aunt Jane asked me if I know their booth number and of course I did not. She said I probably would not find them since this place is so big. I of course was sure I would, huh. The place is acres and acres of junque dealers.

Needless to say I never found them but I did get a tee shirt with a MinPin on it, not antique or junk!

First Monday - The Canton Flea Market

This weekend we did a show in Adamstown Pa. Actually we shopped and were "picking"
We tend to specialize in just a few things , and we make it a passion to learn as much as we can about the makers.
Having said what I did on another thrad about outsider art, we are collectors (and dealers) for works by Wilhelm Scvhimmel ,a nasty ole drunk who carved wooden folk animal;s. He is most famous for his "tramp Style" eagles .

Lehnware, its a local , turned wooden utility ware that is decoratively painted. Weve had egg cups, wooden bowls etc

Arts and Crafts pottery, This is our favorite
Pa Dutch painted furniture. This weve collected and put all over the house. Some stuff is ratty , but with an aging blue paint its "Rodentesque" as opposed to ratty

Indian artifacts of all kinds. Im a paleo Indian nut and spend as much time following the artifact market

Stuff we dont follow are things like pop collectibles. I dont have the patience with chochkies.

My greatest story is about a painting i b ought at an auction in the 80s it was a thomas eakins portrait of some philly doyen , (he did a lot of full face portraits) Its worth something but I really dont care because i got it for less than 100 bucks. Ive done that with a few paintings. You gotta be at the right place. nowadays its much harder, everyone seems to be into antiques today
AND--believe me theres a lot of fakery out there. From furniture to baseball cards. If I dont know about it and the price seems waay too good, I pass.

Boy oh boy are there a lot of fakes but they seem to have takers.

I love picking and finding something nice once in a while.

My area is glass (fenton, fostoria, pressed and pretty colored blown glass) and pottery (Hull, Hall, and California 70s.

I have picked some old stuff and have found some great deals at estate sales here in Dallas.

So far I am really low budget but am trying hard to do good so I can move into real antiques.

I am still trying to unload my Japanese art but it seems people do prefer fake Japanese wood blocks instead of 20th century, oh well so it goes.

what are some good examples of California Pottery of the 70s?

Around here, the really hot pottery is antique redware and 'spatterware" porcelain and stone. the early potteries in the colonial tradition produced some very interesting stuff. goes for very high prices at auctions. if you see spatterware or spongeware out your way, snap it up and bring it east. ill send you the names of some auction houses that specialize in that stuff where you can do very well.
most of the stuff i pick will be sold at auction. I do do some picking for close friends and a very few clients whove become antiques nuts .
Ive got a client from a mineral company in canada, who , after 19 years of hanging around me , has he and his wife out collecting painted furniture from the mid west and western pa. (Soap hollow and Sharon furniture)
We have a local glass called Blenko that is also becoming quite premium at auctions, even though its still made.
do you have a copy of Lois Lehners book 'uS pottery Marks"? Its a real resource and short history of just about every potter mark till the mid 90s

Yes I have several books re identifying itmes. Warner's price guide.

My favorite is the pattern glass book. I study and study. I visit lots of local antique shops and feel the glass and pottery.

The California stuff is pretty easy for me as is the Asian. And the glass, the kinds I grew up with, family items I am ok with. But there is so much more than that out there.

My only realy firm rule is I refuse to buy anything as collectible that I got as a wedding present that would be 1965.