How to Decipher an Artist Signature
I want to show you how I decipher a artist difficult signature on a work. I’ll use a work I found at a local thrift store as illustration. I found …
Pipe Holder Made in Occupied Japan
What is this little wooden bird that stands about seven inches tall? His head comes off, and we see a deep scooped out area and a hole in its hindquarters. …
Midcentury Modern Hungarian Vase
Don’t let this tall orange ceramics vase with black crazing fool you. It’s NOT Asian, but a Hungarian vase. Geza Gorka, born in 1894 in Slovakia, created this vase. He …
NEW LOOK of Art Events
My art lover clients feel lonely. They long for the ole ‘wine and cheese’ opportunity to socialize in front of artwork with strangers at a favorite gallery. Collectors and art …
Wyllie Loved the Sea
PS sent me a William Lionel Wyllie etching, “On the Clyde at Govan,” and wonders about the history of the theme. The image depicts toil, industry, grime, and beauty. We …
Poking Fun with Pillsbury Doughboy
As I despaired before, I’m often asked to appraise dolls, and of course they DO NOT agree with me. This resulted from a scary doll experience at five years of …
Hanging Out with a Midcentury Modern Tapestry
JS sent me a 1980’s Polish handwoven and artist designed midcentury modern tapestry titled “Na Stoku,” meaning “On Slope.” At fifty-four by fifty inch. She wonders about the wool craft …
Reflecting on a Concave Mirror
JR sent me a find from a shed in Victorville, a vintage glass parabolic concave mirror framed in a crude wood box at fourteen inch diameter. What did people use …
9 Tips to Simplify Your Home and Life
For my birthday month, I decided to simplify my home, and my life for my next year. I canvased experts and amassed a guide. I thought MY list might help …
Thunder Mug Not For Bathroom Use
LY, a quite proper frequent reader, surprised me. He sent a recent purchase of a thunder mug. Educated in Britain, I remembered the term for the chamber pot as the …