Mexican Pottery
Well, I have been rummaging through the archives trying to find more neat stuff. I have taken a little hiatus from the blog for a few weeks due to a backlog of “honey do’s” that needed to be done. I finally found the time though, to drag this baby up and get a picture of it. This thing has to be forty years old. My family brought it back from a trip to Mexico city because they thought I would like it. I had it in my apartment for many years and I now keep it in my office. As you can see it is very colorful. It was purchased from a “street vendor” and was one of the largest being offered. I have no idea if these are still being made for the tourist trade or if it is a rare item. It is fairly large being 18″ tall and 15″ wide at the handles. The top opening is almost 10″ in diameter. I think it is very funky looking. -JPA
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Ugly Oil Painting
Colorful yes, and plenty ugly but it’s probably what attracted me to this ugly oil painting. I picked this up at a local art show, many years ago. I was one of the first there and picked this painting up for 100 dollars. Some TV geek told me recently that this picture was on the set of a local television show that played scary movies on Saturday nights. The show was suppposedly on many years ago and was hosted by a witch named Crematia Mortem (aka Roberta Solomon). You couldn’t prove it by me but it is a really neat oil painting. It is signed on the back JARNO and dated 1979.
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Tags: alterego, crematia mortem, Oil painting, scary movies, ugly painting
Towle Pewter Elephant
This is a pewter elephant that I bought from a strange lady at a makeshift garage sale. She had set up her boxes of junk on the side of a busy throughfare near some commercial buildings. Before I left with this little treasure I remember we ended up arguing about something. I don’t remember exactly what she was mad about but she almost chased me to my car. Anyway I ended up with this little jewel for under ten dollars. It was made by Towle Silversmiths who, I think, were a famous company that made a lot of sterling silver flatware. I have tried to find out about this little elephant but I have had no luck. I would appreciate it if someone could point me in the direction of finding out more about it. I have had it for about 10 to 12 years. It is 4″ long x2.5″ high. It is marked on the bottom: TOWLE PEWTER and then the number 7622. JPA
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Royal Doulton Flambe Fox
I bought this little sitting fox about ten years ago. It is by Royal Doulton and was made in England. The red and black color is what Royal Doulton calls “FLAMBE.” Over the years they have produced many figures is this style. A lot of collectors specialize in these types of figures, some are worth quite a bit. I think this piece has been retired since 1996. I paid fifty dollars which probably was market price at that time. I think it is worth about $250 or $300 today. Let me know if I am wrong or if I am putting too high a value on it. It is perfect with no cracks, crazing or chips. JPA
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Tags: Flambe, fox, red and black, retired, Royal Doulton, sitting fox
Judgement Day- Oil on Canvas
Here is another painting from my collection. I have many paintings by this artist. Most of them I purchased 25 or 30 years ago at various art shows. I bought this particular painting in 1981. I can’t remember exactly what I paid for it but it was around two hundred fifty dollars. It is a big painting measuring 48″ x 36″, I don’t know who the subject of the painting is, but he is obviously in the process of making a decision. One of his hands holds a big cigar and the other is gesturing or pointing down. The title of the painting is “Judgment Day,” which makes sense to me. It is very simply framed with 2″ woden slats. The artist has signed it on the back, and (as in my other paintings of him/her) I find it very hard to read. I think it says “JARNO.” I am trying to do more research on this artist, as I would like to see what the current works are like. All of the pieces that I own are from years ago. JPA
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Tags: judgement day, oil on canvas, Oil painting, Painting
I consider myself pretty lucky to have obtained this wonderful vase. This was given to me by the artist herself, back in the late seventies. During this time she was expirimenting with clay/potery and the use of unique glazes. She called this a “crayola vase.” As you can see it is very unique and colorful. It is a one-of-a-kind piece and is very artistically rendered. Philomene Bennett is a mid-western artist from Kansas City. She has exhibited her works in galleries around the world and has works in public as well as in private collections. You can see more of her work here. The “crayola vase” is roughly 8.5″ tall by 4.5″ wide. It is signed on the bottom “PHILOMENE.” JPA
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Tags: artistic, crayola, glazes, philomene bennett, vase
Elephant- A.Santini (Italy)
This is a nice statue of a big-eared african elephant. I bought this at a close-out store back in the early eighties. There was a rack with about 50 or 60 of these statues on it and they were going for about ten dollars each. There is nothing great about this other than I think it looks a lot more expensive than it is. The tag on the bottom says A. Santini, Sculpture, Italy. They are still making statues and selling them everywhere on the internet. I havn’t seen an elephant like this though, maybe they are no longer making it. It is 11.5″ tall and 12″ long. It is made out of imitation marble. It looks a lot nicer than the photo. JPA
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Tags: a.santini, animal, elephant, figure, italy, statue
Bronze Horse Figure
This is a very interesting little horse. I purchased it at an out of the way flea market that I recently discovered. I paid eight dollars for it. I don’t know what kind of metal it is made from, but it is very heavy. It looks like bronze but it just as easily could be spelter. This horse is in a great pose with one of his front legs lifted. It is a small piece 5″ tall x 7″ long. The only identifying mark is on the bottom, in black ink printed “JAPAN.” It looks really good on my bookshelf, thats really all I care about, except the fact that I only paid eight bucks for it. JPA
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Tags: Animals, bronze, figurine, horse, spelter
Monkey Ashtray
Another example of something purchased new. I bought this back in the 1980’s at an import store. There was a lot of high-end statuary and decorative items for sale that I couldn’t afford or didn’t care for. However when I saw this blue monkey ashtray I just had to have it. I really liked it and I thought it was unique enough that it might increase in value someday. I love the great colors and the glazing. It is 4″ tall and 5 ” in diameter. There are some identifying marks on the bottom: (I A and then a three digit number that is unreadable because it is not embossed well on one end.) It’s a great little piece. JPA
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This is a very creative painting by an artist I have been following for years. The distortion you see is not the result of my photography, it is painted that way. It is also framed in a way to enhance the distortion. It looks exactly as you see it, narrower at the top than the bottom and wider and thicker in the middle. It is a fair sized painting 38″ x 26.5″ x 5.5″. It is signed on the back JARNO?? 1978. The title is “two views of the same pot.”
Back in 1979 I was in Kansas City, Missouri for a work related convention and happened upon an art show being sponsored by a local women’s group. This painting was one of many that were being exibited. The painting was priced at five hundred fifty dollars,which was a lot of money for me back then. I bought the painting anyway and it has become one of my favorites. Since then I have amassed quite a few of this artists paintings and drawings. I believe his work is fantastic and very creative. The title supposedly comes from the fact that the artist painted this self-portrait from his image as it was reflected by a small polished coffee pot. Once when held vertical and then again when held horizontally. At least that is what they told me when I bought it. I will be posting other works of his that I own in the days to come. JPA
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Tags: art, coffee pot, kansas city, oil on canvas, Oil painting, self portrait
Rare Flea Market Finds 