SOMETIMES YOU'RE HOT.......and sometimes you're not

About two weeks ago I blogged about these two very different pieces of art that I had just acquired---and they both sold today. And I was not even there to make it happen (maybe that was a good thing?)
By hot I mean that sometimes I'm in the flow of life and have caught a glimpse of where I'm supposed to be and what I'm supposed to do--and, amazingly, I'm paying attention and follow my intuition, that quiet voice.
My goal of the last few months is to only purchase items that are soulful and that call to me in a certain indescribable way. These two pieces fit into that framework and I was listening to my intuition when I bought them. 
On Saturday, I bought a set of silly (but chic) vintage cuffs from my friend John downstairs--I love buying jewelry from John who has a fantastic and well-trained eye. John works for a nationally well-respected local auction house; so his second life as an antiques dealer is there to add spice and the joy of the hunt to his life. While I was talking to John about how much fun the bracelets were, I looked over and there, staring me in the face, was the most aethetically perfect 70's/80's bronze and glass small cocktail table.

And I knew that he had to be mine. I looked at the ticket and asked John if the price were in hundreds or thousands. John said hundreds and then sweetened the deal with a generous discount.......
Just look a the perfect balance of the design of the bronze structure and the proportion and thickness of the original glass surface....marks of top quality. I left the table in John's space as it is super heavy and Roberto is coming Wednesday and he will schlep the table upstairs.
So yesterday (I didn't go to shop as The Girls had a dance recital at 2pm---so cute!!), the top Los Angeles (perhaps national) decorative arts dealers came in to check out an item of which he had been sent a photo. JC didn't like the photo item at all but went crazy over my little table which, by then, had a sold tag on it. I knew that the table was great the moment that I saw it, but have no idea who designed it. And, although I know JC, I would never ask him who he thinks is the creator. Which means..........I have my research work cut out for me. And this is why I love this crazy business: almost every purchase is a gamble, there is loads of melodrama (hopefully somebody else's) and I get to learn something every day. 
I'm trying to get everything lined up and sales completed this week, before I have surgery on the 1st. Who knows, maybe I'll sell everything in the next couple of days and be able to start super fresh after a couple of weeks of recovery.

MIA UPDATE
Mia had her regularly scheduled check-up at St. Jude's Children's Hospital in Tenn last week. The tumor and cyst are almost gone, but the MRI revealed another anomaly in her brain. At the moment her doctors are simply going to "watch" it and she can continue on with her busy, happy and normal life. So please, send prayers, that this new condition simply heal itself. 

Sending blessings for a great last week of "real" summer.

Mary & Jones & Cole

CHINESE EXPORT REVERSE PAINTING ON GLASS--How to tell if it's antique or vintage

Last week I didn't preview very carefully; so I ended up relying on my "gut" instinct when items came to the block that I thought might be interesting.........this can either be a good auction strategy; or a very bad one (usually the later).

When this Chinese reverse painting on glass came to the block it didn't get much attention.......I've had these before, and have bought what I thought was old, when in fact the work was simply vintage (and trying to be an antique).

This piece is a bit confusing........it is well painted with a European theme of two young lovers in a naive style. The detail is quite good--I cannot imagine the thought process required to paint everything backwards so that the true image appears on the front of the glass. The European representation is not one that I've seen replicated in the 20th c. (but that does not mean it hasn't been done). What cinched the deal for me was the symbolism: the young woman is holding a basket of eggs which symbolize new beginnings, creation and protection while the young male lover holds a basket of doves. Doves have come to symbolize love and fidelity. I think we can imagine what these two young lovers are telling each other........

Don't you just love the tiny extended foot of the young female lover? The romantic setting? The well-painted trees (I think that those are supposed to be exotic palm trees) and background? What is not lovable is the reflection of the Chinese tiger-patterned rug on the images--must retake the photos!!

Checking out the back of the frame, it appears to have some age--not 18th c.vintage, but most probably second half of the 19th c. This time frame would match the Victorian-influenced symbolism of the doves and the eggs.

There was one minor detail that I needed to check out before I could be sure that this was a 19th c. work. The clothing of the lovers is in an 18th c. style--but for the piece to have been painted in the 18th c., the glass would need to be hand rolled, with tiny bubbles and an uneven surface.........This glass does not match up with 18th or early 19th c. glass (too bad for me), but it has imperfections, so I'm pretty sure that it dates to the second half of the 19th c. (Victorian era).

And does the painting match up with my goal to bring items with depth or soul into inventory? Yep, I think so. I love that the eggs can symbolize new beginnings, I think that just might be what I'm attempting.

It is going to be another blazing hot day in Pasadena tomorrow (well over 100*) and the ac at the shop needs a facelift. And the SUPER GOOD NEWS is that El Nino is over 90% assured to hit this winter renewing our water table and ending this awful drought.  Of course, homes on hill sides are a major concern for work has begun to protect the burn areas......we'll see what evolves. I do know that I will not be driving in El Nino rains--California drivers are notorious for their lack of driving skills and caution on the freeways when it rains.

Have a super end-of-summer week-end.

Mary & Jones & Cole

WHAT I'VE LEARNED LATELY--VULNERABILITY

I haven't been very forthcoming lately. I've felt that I needed to control what was going on (which we know is impossible).......I've been on crutches the past 2 months. ME? Self-contained, INDEPENDANT me, ON CRUTCHES?? Definitely not my chosen style of being. But BOY, have I learned and (hopefully) grown a lot. 

People are so helpful and loving when they see my vulnerability. Doors are opened, smiles given, open hearts extended. Of course, I wonder why we don't always treat everyone we come in contact with this way. What makes this moment in my life so special? Why has my vulnerability (which I hate) achieved connectedness that I have struggled to reach? People, strangers, have opened their hearts to me--sharing their pain and troubles and challenges. At times I struggle with this; sometimes, I simply do not want to hear about another person's physical journey when I'm busy find my way along my own untraveled path. Ultimately, it is this connectedness that I have searched for. The other along my path is me. I'm so much more aware (now that I have the time because I'm so slow) of how easy it is to send love and strength through the very weakness that I have feared.

This begs the eternal question that all (most) of us ask. Why am I here? What is my purpose in this moment? Maybe I'm simply learning that I can have the courage to momentarily walk with some one who needs encouragement, but is too afraid to ask. Maybe I'm learning that I am worth having some one help me or simply learning that I am worth the effort required to surrender to the present. 

I've also started to learn a little more tolerance. I have had acquaintances/friends take pot-shots at me--firing off judgements  and very poor advice regarding my vulnerabilities....I even had some one race me to the bathroom when they heard me clinking down the aisle...really? But, for the first time, I've been able to step back and chuckle, recognizing that their aggression has nothing to do with me. It is mainly about what is going on within themselves and I'm an easy target for releasing their discomfort. Yep, I'm a lot slower (hate it). I've made a couple of executive decisions regarding my being slightly late most of the time (crutches take a lot of time)--the world will not come to an end if I'm a few minutes late, and I'm worth not putting the pressure on myself just to prove that I'm still "perfect"--I'm not.

I'm also (finally) learning how to "go with the flow"---I just don't have the TIME (because I'm always late) to do anything else, but skip merrily along. And guess what? Everything seems just a bit smoother, lighter--sales have picked up, too.

I guess that the saying is true: NO PAIN/NO GAIN.

I'm scheduled for surgery next month------surgeon is on vacation (wouldn't you know??) and then he's booked solid. (sh__!) I guess that I've got a few lessons left....

Auction Thursday is tomorrow and I have scoped out a couple of things. We'll see what turns up.

Blessing for the last full month of summer!!

Mary & Jones & Cole

I HAD A DATE WITH JIMMI (HENDRIX)

Tonight I went on an unscheduled date with Jimmi Hendrix.  That's Jimmi in the photo----Ethan is my first born grandson who is a singer/song writer, surfer, skater, and who just turned 16. Ethan adores Jimmi Hendrix (who doesn't?)--there he is in San Francisco all dressed to the nines. So Jimmi took me out to eat and then we went to the jumping spot at the Huntington Harbor Tree. Ethan sneaked a forbidden after dark jump into Huntington Harbor while I prayed that the police didn't decide to drive by. This was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience---thank you Ethan for making me live dangerously. 

There is nothing quite like being 16-- halfway between adulthood and childhood and taking your Nana on a date.

Isn't he handsome?? And super smart, too.

Be well.

Mary, Jones & Cole

CORRECTION

I pulled out my magnifying glass and really studied these paintings when I got to the shop yesterday.........They look like late 17th/early 18th c. decorative paintings, but I think that they actually date to the late 19th/early 20th c.

I still love them, but the price point will definitely be a lot lower......maybe I'll feel justified in keeping them?

As far as I'm concerned: "Nothing ventured/nothing gained."

Stay cool and dry.

xoxoxo

Mary, Jones & Cole

17th c./18th c. IMAGINARY BIRDS & FLORA

These guys are definitely making me happy. I bought them last week at auction sight unseen (I didn't preview them); just went with my gut. And I love them. I suspected that they were 17th c., but really didn't know as the backs looked new from a distance. But they had simply been relined. (If I were to have them relined, the cost would be around $500--so I was given a gift)

I love interjecting animals and flora into a room--they add so much life and positive energy. I think that these paintings would look good in a modern room, as they are very angular and the black background adds just the needed counterpoint.

Here are a few detail shots

The original heavily oxidized stretcher is further indication of the age of the paintings--love it. I will be sad when these guys are sold (but hopefully the new owner will show up ASAP)

Sending blessing for a fantastic week with play time, and lazy summer days. I hope that the Northeast cools down pretty soon--you guys are not used to all that heat.

xoxoxo

Mary & Jones & Cole

STUFF--SOMETIMES IT DOES MAKE YOU HAPPY

Contrary to the popular saying and despite the fact that I'm not very materialistic or consumer oriented, some times "stuff" does make me happy. The stuff that makes me the happiest is to see a project that I envisioned FINALLY materialize. Like the leather clad tables above. I've been blogging about this adventure for at least a year and then some. I found 4 c. 1980s (1970s ?) brass frames and immediately saw that I could copy (or find inspiration in) Jacques Adnet tables. The first pair were completed and sold last year

I had envisioned covering only the top bars and the leather straps--this is a photo of the tables taken from 1stdibs. I was happy with the results and with the fact that the tables sold quite quickly (cash flow is a challenge). When I took the second pair of frames to my leather person, the new employee came up with this 

......now that is what I call taking an idea and running with it. There has been one problem (and it has taken months and many trips back to leather guy to resolve): the new employee is creative, but the details were never right (all stitching must be the same, the seams must be all going in the same direction, the brads and strapping must be equal, etc., etc., etc.,). This week was the week that everything came together and eureka. I am so grateful that the owners of the leather fabricating company didn't kick me out the door (they have multi-generational contract (for at least the last 30-40 years) to fabricate all of the specialty shoes for Disneylands every where--they do not need my little projects!). When I get back to normal after my hip surgery, I will design a similar table and THE Leather Guy will figure out the leather. Now, to make the iron guy understand that everything rests on the details. (Surgery has been delayed--don't ask....)

This week at my auction I continued my quest for more soulful objects......I bought three paintings. One is a little 19th c. seascape which I didn't even preview, but the other two are a pair of 17th or 18th c. panels of a "Nature Mort" type with a black background. I didn't take a photo of the paintings...I'll post photos next week when I go pick everything up. But I did take a photo of the pair of French Walnut Louis XIII style corner cabinets that mysteriously ended up on my invoice (no mystery--I just couldn't keep my hand down).

Right now French (or English or American....) antique furniture is not selling too well, but these were too good to pass up and they fit the soulful category. Although these cabinets are not the period (ie. late 17th/early 18th c.) that I really love, they do date to the last half of the 19th c.; are solid walnut; are beautifully carved; have a superb natural deep patina; don't need too much restoration work; have a "look"; and are a matched opposing pair--not that common. These cabinets are the perfect Santa Barbara pieces--could work with a Spanish Colonial inspired house, a French house, a Mediterranean house, a Tuscan Villa, a great kitchen, wine cellar--etc.

And finally look at this frittata that my daughter made--meat free and gluten free (maybe it has a tiny bit of gluten?? in the chorizo) and delicious. It is made with Trader Joe's soy chorizo, kale, grated cheese, eggs and half & half. So easy and so yummy. I think that the prep time was about 10 min. She chopped the kale super fine, which took up the most prep time.

  

IT RAINED YESTERDAY AND TODAY. NEED I SAY MORE? AND IT WAS A GOOD HEAVY AND LONG SOAKING RAIN. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. This will not relieve the drought, but it will definitely help. And it looks like we will have a strong El Nino this year. We desperately need several years of normal rainfall to break the back of these years of drought with dried up lawns and severe water restrictions.

Have a blessed week.

Mary & Jones & Cole