Vintage Clothing and What to Do With It
RB, a loyal reader from Santa Barbara, sent me a photo of a wonderful silk blouse she made in the 1950’s. It won her a prize in Home Ec. A …
La Cumbre Center for Creative Arts
Director of the La Cumbre Center for Creative Arts, Mike Cregan, joins artists Daniel Elmer Landman, Sol Hill, and Karen Gooding Haub to talk about their Grand Opening.
WOW – A World War I Patriotic French Poster in Good Shape
CS sends me an image of a French advertising poster originally drawn by the under-appreciated Symbolist artist Lucien Levy-Dhurmer. CS’s family apocrypha claims this dates to the early 1900’s. He …
Capodimonte Porcelain Urns Reminiscent Liberace’s Taste
LH inherited two porcelain urns she displays in her home in Paso Robles. She asked me if they are ‘good’ Capodimonte. I answered, that they’re not the top of their …
35th Annual Vaquero Show & Sale
Get into the Vaquero spirit with Michael Haskell, Sarah Ettman-Sterner, Jim Jeeter, and Diane Stewart who talk about the fine art and memorabilia on exhibit and available for purchase at …
Weird Book Related Objects: The “End”
D from up-state sends me a pair of American bookends in frosted glass with a turquoise blue bust of a woman, her hair as a bouquet of flowers. I put …
Van Briggle Pottery Tells Many Tales
I confess that I LOVE this pottery piece. My partner John’s father collected this maker, Van Briggle Studios, founded by the husband and wife team, Aratus and Anne Van Briggle. …
Mack W Borgen Returns
Author Mack W Borgen returns to discuss his series of books about the patient remaking of American life.
Don’t Fear the Ghost in Your Piano
People often ask me to appraise their piano. Since with great pleasure I do this for the Music Academy of the West, I’ll discuss the value of a reader’s piano. …
The Most Horrible Collectible
SG from Rancho Cucamonga sent me two doll photographs. I thought this a joke from my best friend Eli, who trained as a psychiatrist and knows about my rare phobia …