would anyone like to educate us on a field of collecting?

[grasswire]

I wonder if anyone using this topic area would like to make a thread to educate the rest of us on a particular field of collecting? Or perhaps in the art of restoration, or some related topic?

Don't be shy. Sharing your knowledge can only enhance the hobby or business of collecting. Many of us here are sellers, many are collectors. All perspectives are very welcome, indeed!

Just start your topic in a separate thread.

[Vinca]

1. I'm not worthy. I know little bits about lots of things.

If anyone does start a thread though, I have a vast library of reference books to go to.

[demgrrrll]

2. I would tell you what I would like to know about. I would like to know

about art. Just some general pointers about how to tell the great stuff from the dreck. Is there an art forum here? I wonder if we could look around this site and see what is going on in other threads and ask for a guest appearance! Just a thought.

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

3. The best tip I can tell you is to just look at art.

Go to museums, art galleries, etc. & just look. You'll be amazed at how much you can learn. Look at the paintings very closely. Look at the art work, brush strokes, details, etc.

Art as an investment is risky. About 2 percent of contemporary art (by contemporary, I mean art that is done today, not the genre of modern art - cubist, etc) goes up in value. But, you can score great deals on contemporary art that is sold in estate sales, garage sales, auctions, etc.

[demgrrrll]

4. That is a good idea. What I have trouble with is the folk art or naive

painters, telling if something is good or if it is just something done at home by a moderately talented hobbyist I bought an oil that I thought was awful and sold it for 200 dollars because it was a local artist and the work was outside of his usual style. I go on instinct but sometimes I feel like my instinct tells me something is not good when it is really good naive artwork.

[grasswire]

5. do you know about outsider art?

Something tipped me off to this recently, and I was intrigued by the whole thing. Here's one site that displays a lot of artists' work.

http://www.outsiderart.info/

I saw a movie last year called "Junebug" in which the very primitive work of an artist played a part. I hadn't forgotten it. I'd sure like to find out who the real artist is.

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

6. I think that once you've looked at a lot of art your

instincts are the best thing you've got. Obviously yours are good. As long as you don't get in for too much money & especially if you like the work then I don't think you can go wrong.

A friend who's awfully knowledgeable about art & I were talking. I said pretty much what you're saying; I didn't trust my instincts. And that every time there was a piece I liked up for auction I could just guarantee that it would go for the estimate or a little above & I was too chicken to bid up that high - always looking for a steal. He said my instincts were obviously good & to just step up to the plate & bid. Later on I was looking through a book & it had a bunch of examples of different styles, e.g. two paintings of still life, two paintings of ships at sea, two cubinistic paintings, etc. The point of the test was to pick out the better executed painting of the two. I got them all right. (I know it's a bit subjective, but it's what critics use.) And it was just using instincts & having studied art. I'm no pro & make mistakes, but even the experts get fooled.

[demgrrrll]

7. I want to find that book and see how I do. I just thought of something

else too after I read your post. Confidence. Being confident about your skills. That does come from looking at a lot of art, reading and buying things that actually do sell for more than you paid for them.! I bought a folk art piece of a carnival that I thought was so charming. I sold the piece to a dealer who took the piece to a big show in Texas. She came back to my booth and told me that she could have sold that painting 20 times at the show, everyone wanted to buy the painting. I bet she made a mint on the painting, I wasn't confident that it was as great as she obviously knew it was althought I did think it was charming. I too have a really really hard time bidding and paying the reserve or what I consider to be less than a steal price. I fight that all the time. I think I feel like I have to be absolutely sure I will make x dollars.

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

8. I really know very little about folk art.

The 3 holy grails are: one, the picture must be pleasing to the eye, two, the colors must be bright & three, it has to be in very good condition.

I think a carnival scene would be charming & something that buyers would find attractive. Pretty landscapes, even if they're not in proportion, but show attention to detail, attractive sitters (no ugly, old folks) dogs or ponies or kittens, street scenes, etc. All of those would probably sell easily. The trick is distinguishing between a total amateur & someone who is more professional even if self taught. And I think that that's where looking at a lot of art gives some experience.

Whenever I lose out on a painting I just remind myself that something else I like will come up later.

As far as your carnival scene; you did sell it for more than you paid so you done did good girl. (That's what the appraiser at the Antique Roadshow told me. lol.)

:thumbsup:

[demgrrrll]

9. Thanks for your help I am going to make a point of looking at more art.

[grasswire]

10. this site on "discard art" is interesting, I think

Many examples shown of art that was purchased for less than $5, or just found somewhere.

http://www.outsiderart.info/discardart1.htm

There are more pages to the site.

[demgrrrll]

12. I love this site. I love outsider art. LOVE it.

Thanks for the link.

[demgrrrll]

13. I went to an auction on Saturday and there was a lot of original art there

some lithographs, some woodblocks from the mid 20's, they do not sell as well as they once did for me. They had some dutch windmill scenes, those do not sell well around here. Framed prints, framed needlepoint but nothing that I was jumping up and down to own. Have you noticed how much some frames are worth? Just the frame can be worth as much or more than some of the artwork. I wish I knew more about frames too. You can still sell a double walnut for decent money. I need to start carrying my book or a laptop with me to check out some of these lithographs when I see them.
The one that got away this year was an oil I could have purchased for $50.00 that I later saw on ebay for 1000.00. I know who bought it too. A smarter feller than me. I looked and looked at the painting but I wasn't sure about the quality at that time. Found out she was a well known western artist and western art does sell well, it was a prairie scene, but muddled and it seemed like a mish mash and it looked so plain I just balked. This is great to be able to talk these things through.

[grasswire]

16. I have seen people at auction previews and estate sales...

...who are talking on the cell phone to someone at home who is obviously doing the Internet research. That's a cool way to work it, if you have someone at home to answer the phone. Ha!

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

11. I forgot all about this until just now.

I was at an auction preview & there was a painting at the end of the corridor. It was a semi-nude of a woman standing on a shell. She was draped in green chiffon. It wasn't signed, just dated 1890. The catalog said that the frame was late 19th century. It was almost as if they're saying that the frame does match the date, fwiw, but made no claims to the authenticity of the date.

Anyhow, it was at the end of the hall in a corner & before that were some very important art works that were going to go up for auction. The auction house gave an estimate of 100 to 150 bucks. I thought that no one would notice it & I could probably get it for for the low end or maybe even 80 or 90. I barely got in my seat when the bidding started. I never even got in. It sold for 300. There had to be half a dozen bidders. DH slid into his seat as the bidding was going. Sold! He turns to me & says "Those were all dealers. You should have bid". I proceeded to brain him with my catalog. I just didn't have the confidence to get in there. Too afraid to get in a bidding war. I still will not get in a bidding war, but I'm much more confident to set my limit higher than the estimate.

[demgrrrll]

14. Hi I replied above.

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

15. I wondered if they were going after the frame. It was nice

- gesso, gilt, etc - but I don't think that was the reason. Though I do wish I had run up to the buyer & asked. Maybe he was just bidding for the frame & I could have bought the painting from him.

Framing can be wildly expensive.

[zabet]

17. Carnival Glass

This is the most comprehensive
site on carnival glass available
on line. I cannot tell you how
many times over the years I have
used this site. Mr. Doty even
tracks what the glass is bringing
on ebay. Over 10,000 pictures of
carnival glass. From the everyday
pieces to the rarest.

http://www.ddoty.com/

from the site:
What is Carnival Glass?
This is a question that confuses many people new to collecting Carnival. Primarily, Carnival Glass is pressed glass that has had an iridescent coating applied. Remember, if it isn't iridized, it isn't Carnival.
Pressed glass? This is glass that has been formed by being pressed into a mold while in a hot molten form. As it cools, it takes on the shape and detail of the mold. Once removed from the mold, and while still relatively hot, it is sprayed with metallic salts in liquid form which gives it the "oil-on-water" multicolor appearance.

Carnival Glass was first produced by Fenton in 1907 and continues to be made today. There were 5 or 6 major makers of it originally, but Fenton is the only one of the original group still in business
.
There are about 2,000 different patterns in Carnival Glass, and many similar ones, leading to much confusion. This site details most of the known patterns but there are also many obscure patterns that I don't cover.

[demgrrrll]

18. Cool! This is an area where I falter because I do not know the rare

from the common patterns. Thanks for the link.

[zabet]

19. With something like

2000 different patterns...it
is hard. You can spend hours
and hours on this site. It has
helped me immensely in scooping
up some rarer pieces that people
did not recognize or listed wrong
on ebay. I picked up one of these
cracker jars for $9.99 plus shipping
on ebay because it was listed in the
'kitchen colletibles' instead of in
the glass ware categories.

http://www.ddoty.com/invertedfeather.html

And mine has much better irridescence
than the example pictured here.

[Love Bug]

20. They need to update their site

Sadly, Fenton is going out of business. They can't compete with the stuff coming out of Asia.

[zabet]

21. Yes...

Approx. a year ago, Mr. Doty
had heart problems and had to
have serious surgery. He has
not done much other than keep
up with the sales prices. He
is still listed on my members
list to the International Carnival
Glass Collectors. I hope with
continued recovery, he will be
able to do more with the website.
He used to change the feature pic
every week and featured some uber
rare pieces with wonderful little
stories with the pic.

[Hubert Flottz]

22. Don't buy it if you wouldn't take it home to meet the family.

I've been at it for a long time. And I've been stuck with some things I've bought with the intent to trade off, or to turn a profit on. Did I ever cry and brood about getting "Stuck" with it? No, because I never would buy anything that I didn't like. The possibility of keeping it was ever present when I located some prime plunder to wheel and deal on. The chase is and always was, a big part of the fun for me, over the past 30 years of hunting and buying or trading for, old plunder.(I've been sorry for parting with a lot of the goodies I've had over the years)

I love to buy an old painted or scratched up piece of furniture(mostly oak)cheap and restoring it, but the chemicals are so harsh and the work is so hard for me, as I've gotten older, that I won't buy it if it isn't something that is fairly valuable and it's something I really do want to keep. I gave up on refinishing stuff a long time ago to make money, because my wife always wanted to keep all my "Plunder" after she saw it turned from trash to a treasure. Failing health has slowed me down on the refinishing thing, to the point that I'd need to charge a fortune to re-do anything anyway. I miss it though.

So what's an old worn out codger("picker")like me to do?

Well, I love Black Amethyst Depression Glass, or just old black glass, for one thing. I've even collected a bit of the newer Fenton and L E Smith black glass, but only if it's really nice. Gotta' have it, if the price is right! Heck I've even been known to get "the thrill of the chase" out of finding a good old out of print book on old black glass, now and then!(Got a copy of Marlena Toohey's first book "A Collectors Guide to Black Glass" you'll part with for about $20.00?)

Fact is, even my truck and me are antiques!

Good hunting...BTW, the hunting is still pretty good here in West Virginia.

[grasswire]

23. hmmm black amethyst

My mother had a set of dessert plates that looked black until you held them to the light, and then you could see the color. That's what you're talking about, right? Gee. They were supposed to be mine, but my sister has them. (Like a lot of other things.)

[Hubert Flottz]

24. Are they purplish when you hold them up to the light?

You might want to get them back. They might be worth some cash. Do they have any silver flowers or etched or pressed decoration on them? Are they square or round? How many in your set?

Here is a good place to look at some black glassware.

http://members.aol.com/blkapp/index.html#AMETHYST

http://members.aol.com/blkapp/blklinks.html

[grasswire]

25. yes, purple when held to light

No silver or pressed decorations. They are very simple in design. I haven't seen them for twenty years, so I wish I could be more specific. I always liked them quite a bit.

[Hubert Flottz]

26. I guess the black glass they are still making today, on the GOP's

watch would be...recession glass.