Friday, August 12, 2011

TREASURE HUNTING


CHAPTER 1
TREASURE HUNTING

My artistic journey began with a trip to the antique mall with my mom.
My mother has an amazing eye for treasure hunting.  She got me started as a young girl when we would spend the entire day at the local antique mall scavenging through aisles of junk to discover that one special treasure.  She opened the door for me into a glimpse of cultural history and gave me a heads start in developing an eye for collecting unique pieces.  This is where my art begins, with a visit to the flea market.  It is a voyage into the past as well as connection to my childhood.

I love shopping flea markets, those shops that you are afraid to walk into because they smell like old people and are so full of clutter -THAT is the place for me! I am almost guaranteed to find exactly what I am looking for, something CHEAP!


“What do I like to collect?”
Antiques have to speak to my soul.  Some seem to say, “Look at me, I’m for you!”


There are certain things that bring me back to my childhood.  #1Paint By Numbers paintings.  Paint by number kits allowed us all to think of ourselves as artists.  Introduced in the 50’s, these paint kits let everyone create their own masterpiece, that is exactly why I collected and painted them during my youth, and why I still draw on them for my inspiration.  #2Porcelain flowers because they remind me of  my Aunt Ida.  I can still see her collection of long stemmed porcelain roses in glass vases, on every table throughout her house.  Flowers are a motif that runs throughout my work in all forms.  And #3 ANGELS, my first collectable- a small porcelain angel with yellow hair, that I still treasure.   I have an extensive collection of angels, lined up on a shelf, watching over me!


And of course there are the plates!  My favorites being anything in warm tones.  It is challenging to find colorful plates because as my chef sister-in-law always tells me, food looks best on white & I think designers of fine china agree with her. But, of course, anything with flowers will get me excited too!  The plate has to be covered in color, very little white. I especially cherish those plates so worn that you can sense the formal family dinners in every detail.

TIPS: most of the time you can buy a set of plates for less than you can buy a single plate in the same pattern.  I NEVER spend more than $5.00/plate.

anecdote: 
When searching for treasures always remember that if at first you do not succeed- then physically switch the direction you are walking and see all the JUNK from a new perspective.

1 comment:

  1. Love the longer post - you write really well! I also love the photos of the plates. I scour the second-hand and thrift shops for old plates for mosaics, then end up displaying them on my walls because they are too pretty to break. I actually like buying chipped ones, then I don't feel guilty about breaking them.

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