China is famous for its martial arts

Over the world, China is famous for its martial arts. China brought Kung Fu and Tai Chi to the world, which is something we are all grateful for.   Although Japan offers a unique blend of martial arts, many people consider China to be the founding father of martial arts.   

The Chinese have used martial arts for hundreds of years - showing how dominant it is as a means of self-defense and a way to live your life in peace.

Although Kung Fu is the finest martial art in China, there are many different forms and styles that have come from it.   There is also the Shaolin style, which offers several different styles of Kung Fu, including the world famous "5 animal system".   

The five beast system is one of the most popular in China and is famous the world over for its devastating techniques and incredible strength when used in battle.

Below, we'll take a look at some of the other Chinese martial arts that aren't as well-known as Kung Fu.

HSING-I

It is actually one of the internal styles of Kung Fu, very closely related to Tai Chi. It prohibits students from bending their bodies, creating powerful movements with the least expenditure of energy.  

HSING-I is not very well known, although it is very powerful and well known throughout China.  The United States and other areas are not very familiar with it, with little to no school or dojo out there banning it.

Like Tai Chi, HSING-I has deep roots in Chinese medicine and the Chinese perception of nature. 

The punch that comes from the HSING-I comes from the five Chinese elements - metal, fire, earth, water, and wood.  

Similar to other forms derived from Kung Fu, HSING-I offers complex movements such as movements adapted from the desired way to react and move.  

Because the practice is very demanding and rigorous, and the practice of breathing is very demanding, those who practice this martial art have extraordinary physical skills and great endurance.

Tai Chi

For those living outside of China, Tai Chi is more like dance. The slow, calm movements he teaches are balanced and precise, performed when the stylist is in a state of deep relaxation.  

While in this state of deep relaxation, the stylist will be fully aware of what she is doing and her movements, even though she will appear asleep to those around her.

In reality, Tai Chi is an energy exercise that increases strength, stamina, and flexibility.  By using deep relaxation conditions, Tai Chi allows stylists to benefit emotionally and spiritually as well.  

Tai Chi also uses deep mediation states, helping stylists to learn how to reach their high levels of calm.

Along with Kung Fu, HSING-I and Tai Chi are great martial arts that help train endurance and flexibility. Many Kung Fu students in China choose to learn one of these arts as well, as it helps to increase their physical and emotional strength.  

Students who study Tai Chi or HSING-I as well as Kung Fu, have a higher level of endurance and spirituality that cannot be matched.

All over the world, Chinese martial arts are well known and respected. China was a pioneer of martial arts, invented some excellent styles. 

Although Kung Fu is the most well-known Chinese martial art, there are other martial arts that are just as good. 

READ MORE

The key to spiritual and material success for Muslims

"Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise" - a famous maxim coined by the American scientist, writer and inventor, Benjamin Franklin. And he was not alone in these beliefs. The writer Samuel Johnson also warned that "nobody who does not rise early will ever do any good".

This is not just opinion but proven scientific fact. A study by researchers at Brigham Young University in Provo in the American state of Utah found that:

"students who habitually go to bed late and sleep late the next day have lower grade point averages (GPAs) than students with early-to-bed and early-to-rise sleeping habits. The later students slept in the morning, the lower their grades tended to be. Out of all the factors studied, weekday and weekend wakeup times had the strongest association with students' GPAs. Each hour over the average that students slept in on weekdays was associated with a 0.13-point drop on the GPA (0.0-4.0 scale)." Source: Journal of American College Health 2000; 49: 125-130

Of course, we Muslims are well used to getting up not just at the crack of dawn but actually half an hour before it to begin the day with the ritual worship of fajr salat (and even earlier in Ramadan before starting the day's fast).

Spiritual Success

What are the spiritual blessings of fajr salat?

According to a hadith recorded in Sahih Muslim, prophet Mohammed saw stated that the action which is dearest to God is salat at its proper times. On another occasion prophet Mohammed saw also said to his companions:

"The five set prayers may be compared to a stream of fresh water, flowing in front of your house, into which you plunge five times each day. Do you think that would leave any dirt on your body?' When they replied: 'None at all!' Mohammed saw said: 'Indeed the five prayers remove sins, just as water removes dirt." (Bukhari, Muslim)

And once while standing beside a tree in autumn, he stated:

"When a Muslim observes his salat with due attention and devotion, he sheds his sins just like this tree is shedding its leaves." (Ahmad)

Moreover, in the Quran we are told that prostrating (in salat) brings us closer to God (96:1).

Prophet Mohammed saw also tells us that fajr salat along with isha is particularly rich in blessings:

"If people only knew what blessings are in the fajr and isha prayers, they would come to them, even if they had to crawl." (Bukhari and Muslim)

And according to Utham, (RA), prophet Mohammed saw said:

"To perform the dawn prayer, [fajr], in congregation is like keeping vigil throughout the night." (Muslim).

Material Success

In Surah 23, ayats 1-2 of the Quran we learn that:

"Certainly the believers have succeeded, those who offer salat with devotion."

Spiritual success certainly. But as Muslims we are also called upon not just to earn spiritual blessings for the next world but also to be materially successful in this one. Despite the obvious call to work hard and make the most of our abilities demonstrated in the parable of the talents, the Christian West has often had an ambiguous attitude towards wealth, sometimes glorifying poverty and misinterpreting Jesus's gospel statement that "love of money is the root of all evil" to mean that money itself is the root of all evil. As a Muslim, I am more inclined to agree with the playwright George Bernard Shaw who is reported to have said that "lack of money is the root of all evil".

[Shaw was an admirer of prophet Mohammed saw and in the 1936 book The Genuine Islam referred to him as "the wonderful man" and "the saviour of humanity".]

Prophet Mohammed saw himself stated:

"There will dawn a time over people when the destruction of a man will be at the hands of his wife, parents, and children. They will humiliate him because of his poverty and will make such demands which will induce him to engage in such activities (to gain more money) which will finally destroy his religion." - Baihaqi. Narrated by Ibn Mas'ood (RA) and Abu Hurairah (RA)

The other side of the coin, so to speak, is:

"How excellent is the wealth of the Muslim". - Sahih Bukhari hadith 4.95 Narrated by Abu Said Al Khudri (RA) 

It is wealth which enables us to take care of our families, keep on the straight path and avoid doing wrong in order to make ends meet. It is wealth which enables us to meet our obligation to pay Zakat. It is wealth which enables us to help others and contribute to Dawah through additional charity. It is wealth which enables us to meet our obligation to go on Hajj.

It was wealthy Muslim traders who peacefully spread Islam throughout West Africa and the areas we now know as Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. And if we look at the first generation of Muslims, we find the shining example of Abdur-Rahman Ibn Awl. The eighth person to embrace Islam, he migrated twice to Abyssinia. Abdur-Rahman distinguished himself in both the battles of Badr and Uhud, suffering more than twenty wounds at the latter. Then starting with nothing, he went on to achieve tremendous success as a merchant, becoming the richest of the companions. From his great wealth, Abdur-Rahman financed the Muslim armies, contributed to the upkeep of the family of Mohammed after the prophet's death and was universally renowned for his fabulous generosity.

So how can we turn getting up for Fajr to our material advantage? Certainly not by slinking back into bed again and snuggling up for another few hours. As prophet Mohammed saw said:

"The most excellent jihad is that for the conquest of self." (Bukhari)

In the context of fajr, what this means is, once up, stay up! Stay up and do something useful. Work on your goals. If you don't have any, set some. Decide what you want to achieve in life. Devise a plan to make those goals a reality then take action. You will be amazed at what you can get done in those few quiet hours when most of the rest of the world is still asleep. You can organise your day, learn a language, work on your degree course or get fit by going jogging in the coolness of the morning.

You can also turn staying up after fajr to your career advantage by driving into work earlier, beating the traffic then packing so much productive work into the next hour without interruption because no one is there to pop into your office and the phone hasn't started ringing yet.

A further fajr advantage is that along the way you can listen on cassette to the wisdom and inspiration of motivational and business speakers. We spend hundreds of ours commuting in our cars every year, by some estimates the equivalent to two full terms of university tuition. Put this time to good use, especially first thing in the morning when you are relaxed and driving on a virtually empty road, when you are bright and fresh and can best take it all in. Turn your car into a university on wheels.

Each of our lives is different, but you know how to apply these ideas to your own situation.

Take action now!

"Ah, that's too hard", I hear you say. Well God assures us in the Quran that:

"We do not lay a burden on anyone beyond his capacity." (Quran: 23:62)

It is possible to turn these early hours to great advantage. It's desirable and it's beneficial. We are obliged to get up for fajr anyway. From this we derive a spiritual advantage. Let's stay up and get to work. Why have just one type of advantage when we can have two - spiritual and material. As Muslims we are uniquely placed. The next fajr is less than 24 hours from now. First thing tomorrow morning make sure that you take advantage of your fajr double advantage. ( islamfortoday.com )

READ MORE

Martial Arts Training For Kids

Admit it. When the going gets tough at home, we’ve all plopped the kids in front of the television and breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, we can get started on dinner, maybe check email or sort that massive pile of laundry.

But when your five-year old yells at you “Mom, Kids Rule!” or your ten-year old horrifies you with language that would make a sailor blush, you realize there must be something amiss with what these “family programs” really teach our kids. And sadly, its happening all over the media today, from sports to cartoons, and our children are learning things that we, as parents, vowed we would never teach them. Old fashioned values like respect and self-discipline, seems to have been forgotten, replaced by the dreaded “bling bling” pop culture of today.

Just the thought of your angelic three-year old morphing into a designer-clad, smart-mouthed, money-worshipping, me-obsessed, lay-about is enough to make any parent consider that threatening military school brochure, but there is a solution out there to consider.

Martial Arts training.

From Ninja Turtles to The Karate Kid

You and your kids have all seen the flying kicks, battle cries and mighty chops of their favorite TV characters, as they beat the bad guys to submission – but, you may ask, how on earth can these acts of violence teach my child anything worthwhile?

First, know that what you see on television (save perhaps the Karate Kid) is a far cry from what real martial arts are all about. The fact is, martial arts training is based on non-violence.

Originating in Asia (mainly Japan, China and Korea, although Thailand and Vietnam have their own practices as well), martial arts range from a variety of types and styles, all of which are based on well-rounded, moral teachings. The beauty of learning martial arts is that it encompasses not just the physical aspect of the “sport”, but mental and emotional lessons as well.

Comparing that to other kid’s activities and sports, where fierce competitiveness and “winning at all costs” seems to be the order of the day, it’s not surprising that many children grapple with issues of self-esteem and misplaced aggression.

Now imagine your child actually learning valuable life lessons, skills that he will take throughout life, laying the foundation for a happy, well-adjusted and fulfilled adult life. If only karate for kids was popular in the 70’s, when I was growing up!

The Advantages

• Karate, and other martial arts for kids, builds confidence and self-esteem as well as self-discipline, respect, concentration and courtesy.
• Many martial arts schools also offer leadership courses for kids, in conjunction with their karate for kids programs, or similar lessons.
• Martial Arts is ideal for children who do not do well in team sports, giving them the ability to flourish this activity, while combining physical and mental practices.
• Many do not realize this, but it is a fact that martial arts training are safer than most school sports.
• Children with special needs, such as ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), learning difficulties and hyperactivity are often recommended to participate in martial arts for kids because of the clear benefits in its structured training techniques.

Kung-Fu Master or Ninja Warrior?

Before you sign up Junior for the first martial arts class you see, take some time to check out the different methods available, and match it with what you know would suit your child best. This is a good way to avoid any problems that may sprout from a conflict of your child’s personality and the training techniques.

Is your little Zach a sensitive soul? Then maybe a class that doesn’t center on sparring (full-on kicks and punches training) but rather, slower, defensive maneuvers would fare better for him. Kids with an aggressive streak, however, may prefer the more forceful moves and thrive in competitive sparring.

Here’s a quick primer on the kid-friendly martial arts training you’re likely to find:

Martial Arts From Japan

Karate

• Uses defensive and aggressive moves
• Centers on building strength and endurance
• Involves chops, punches, kicks, strikes, blocking and sparring
• May use weapons

Jujitsu

• Uses defensive and aggressive moves
• Involves lots of sparring
• Teaches a fair amount of weapons training

Aikido

• Uses a more “spiritual” and harmonious style in redirecting the aggression of the attacker as the form of defense, using throws, pins, rolls etc.
• Taught on the premise of disabling an aggressor without attacking, through your individual inner energy
• Does not involve sparring or competitions

Judo

• Uses gentle, “wrestling-like” movements
• Considered one of the safest methods of martial arts
• Emphasizes physical control as well as mental development
• Engages in competitions

Martial Arts From China

Kung-Fu

• The generic term referring to Chinese martial arts with a variety of styles
• Involves attack movements as well as defensive techniques
• Teaches kicks, punches, chops, throws, falls, grappling, katas, leg sweeps and blows among others.
• Engages in sparring competitions

Martial Arts From Korea

Taekwondo

• Competitive in nature, involves techniques using elaborate footwork and unique high kicks.
• Emphasizes strength, force and attack methods.
• Engages in lots of sparring and competitions.

Choosing The Right Instruction

If you have an idea of the type of martial arts class you’d like your child to participate in, the next step would be to find the right school. Finding the right class that not only matches your child’s and your needs, in terms of teachers you feel comfortable with, the price, facilities and so on, are all important factors.

Say you’ve found a local place that specializes in Karate for Kids. What are the things you should look for?

1. Good Instructors: Check out their qualifications, teaching methods and watch carefully how they interact with the other children. It should be a fun learning experience!
2. Space and Safety: Obviously you would want to entrust your child in as establishment that is safe, well-maintained, and clean with ample space as well as decent facilities and equipment.
3. School Values: Different martial arts schools inevitably go by different values, for instance, one kid’s karate class may handle aggression in one way, while a judo class would have a different approach. Take some time to observe which school’s ideals match your family’s principles.
4. Prices and Schedules: Prices for martial arts training can vary according to school and location, so make sure you the instruction you choose represents fair value. Finding the most effective way to fit martial arts training into your family’s lifestyle is also essential, knowing what works best with your schedule and other activities.

Baby Blackbelts

Starting your child young in karate training is ideal (children as young as the age of four are usually accepted, as it is also a good way to hone fine motor skills), and lots of parents have found that in as little as a year, their children who were involved in martial arts had noticeably gained positive traits such as increased self-esteem, respect and overall physical fitness.

Many parents also opt to join a martial arts training program themselves, making it a great bonding experience for the entire family.

READ MORE

Finding Vintage Disneyana

Vintage Disneyana has become a personal passion of mine. I’ve been searching for it for years now. I attend art auctions regularly, but usually only find vintage Disneyana at a small percentage of them.

I found a darling 1938 Knickerbocker Mickey Mouse dressed in a Santa suit at an art auction a few years ago. This was an extraordinary vintage Disneyana find. There was some very fine crazing to the face, but no flakes in the paint.

I did some research after the art auction and it turns out that my vintage Disneyana has quite a history. This toy was a one of a kind Mickey Mouse toy made by Knickerbocker for a department store at Christmas and was given away for a contest. I was happy that the beard was real wool fur.

I searched for several years at art auctions until I found a Mad Hatter china teapot. This vintage Disneyana was made in 1951 by Regal for Disney. I always loved Alice in Wonderland and this teapot was very special to me.

My love of vintage Disneyana runs through lots of mediums. I buy figurines and paintings and anything else that strikes me as special while I’m at art auctions. If something is really rare or unusual and still has a whimsical feel to it, I’ll try to win it.

I found a painting that I fell in love with. It fit with my love of vintage Disneyana. The painting was created in 1949 and depicted the Cinderella castle. It was originally created for a Disney holiday card. I won the painting for four thousand dollars and felt like I had gotten a great deal.

The old Disneyland maps have become very expensive pieces of vintage Disneyana. I have been finding more of the old maps at art auctions, but they are usually not in good shape. The nicest map I’ve found was from 1958, which is also the year I was born.

The 1958 map of Disneyland was the first one that was made poster sized. The art auction I found this piece of vintage Disneyana at had numerous Disney lots up for auction that day. I had not expected to find such a great item. This map had been stored rolled and had never been folded. I paid two thousand dollars for it and it was worth every penny.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was my little sister’s favorite movie when we were kids. I look for vintage Disneyana that features it when I am art auctions. The best item I’ve found for her was figurines from the 1950s that were of Snow White and six of the seven dwarfs. There was one figurine missing, Sneezy.

My daughter has fallen in love with Bambi. She had me buy her the DVD and she has watched it over and over again. I was at an art auction and found a nice Bambi figurine while they were auctioning off vintage Disneyana. I gave it to her for her last birthday and she says that it is her most prized possession!

I was shocked at an art auction that I attended that had a wonderful 1930s Mickey Mouse lamp and lampshade. The art auction had not even advertised that they were auctioning vintage Disneyana. If they had advertised this item, I know that more people would have come to the auction. I won the lamp for five hundred dollars because I had no competition.

The most common vintage Disneyana that I find at art auctions is watches. I don’t like watches. I never buy any of the Disney watches. I am usually disappointed when an art auction advertises vintage Disneyana and all they have up for auction is watches.

I bought an autographed Fantasia album at a vintage Disneyana sale. The art auction had a lot of signed and autographed items and Disney items were among them. The signatures on my vintage Disneyana included Walt Disney, Leopold Stokowski (the conductor) and both of the original animators, Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnson. This was a fantastic find for my collection.

READ MORE

The Techniques Of Muay Thai

The Techniques Of Muay Thai - A majority of the offensive techniques that are used in Muay Thai utilize a students hands, feet, elbows, and knees to strike an opponent. In order to bind the opponent for both defensive and offensive reasons, there is a small amount of grappling on the feet that is used - the clinch.

The clinch occurs when someone gets in your circle of radius, inside of your comfort zone. To execute knees and short kicks from the inside, the clinch can be very useful. The Thai fighter makes great use of the clinch, tying up on opponent on the feet then pounding his stomach, ribs, knees, and legs with brutal knees. Knees are very popular techniques with Muay Thai, as Thai fighters spend a lot of time training their strikes - especially knees and elbows.

Although high kicks to the opponents head looks amazing during the fights, experienced Thai fighters always say that knees and elbows have a lot more impact, and they do the most damage to the body. If a Thai fighter is very experienced and has enough power in his strikes, he can quickly and easily kill someone with his techniques.

In all Muay Thai techniques, two in particular have become very popular with other styles of martial arts.

The roundhouse kick
The roundhouse Thai kick is a very useful technique for both self defense and competitions, proving to be very efficient when it is executed properly. Thai stylists execute the roundhouse kick by a straight leg and the entire body rotating out from the hip. The hip is locked shortly before the thrown leg makes impact with the opponent. If executed properly, the roundhouse kick can easily render someone unconscious.

The low kick
The low kick is a common Muay Thai attack, that involves a circular movement from the stylist’s body to kick the opponent in his upper shin area. If the low kick isn’t blocked or defended, it can quickly lead to fight being ended. After a few well placed low kicks, the opponent will be unable to put pressure on his legs due to the bruising, and will eventually crumble.

With other martial arts styles, such as Tae Kwon Do, stylists use snapping kicks that are indeed faster to execute, although they have less power. Muay Thai on the other hand, teaches stylists to follow through with kicks, using the shin instead of the foot. Nearly all of the techniques involved with Muay Thai emphasis movement with the entire body, which means rotating the hip each time the stylist kicks, punches, or blocks. The techniques are slower, although they are far more powerful that techniques found in Tae Kwon Do and even Karate.

As a lot of people already know, the training and conditioning training found in Muay Thai is nothing short of legendary for the intensity and rigorous training. The training in Muay Thai aims to harden the weapons used in the martial art to a high degree. Students who have been training in Muay Thai for many years can absorb a beating, yet if they land a shin kick it will feel as if you have just been hit with a sledgehammer.

All in all, Muay Thai is a very dangerous martial art that teaches punishing blows with very little grappling. Thai stylists are physical strong, capable of taking an opponent out with just one well placed strike. Muay Thai is also one of the most well known and most popular styles in the world today - which is why you shouldn’t hesitate to study.

READ MORE

Native American Art Auctions

Native American Art Auctions: Art Antiques - Whether traditional or contemporary, Native American artwork is both highly collectible and universally appealing. Native American art forms the basis of many exemplary public as well as private art collections. People that collect Native American artwork can be very passionate about their collections.

Older, more traditional Native American artwork and cultural artifacts are not merely revered and / or emulated by modern artists, they are also held dear as parts of art collections the world over.

Fine Native American art done by well known American Indian artists, such as Nampeyo, the Hopi potter, can raise the caliber of a private or public art collection quite significantly. Iris Nampeyo lived on the Hopi Reservation in Arizona. She made a good income making pots and selling them at local trading posts.

A remarkable aspect of Nampeyo’s work is that over time she became more ad more interested in making pots according to ancient ways, as opposed to the modern pottery that was being made by people at the time. The quality of her work, as well as her interest and use of ancient pottery techniques certainly add to the demand and high price tags of her work.

If you find yourself in the market for Native American art antiques, be prepared to pay the price. Particularly with Native American art, availability doesn’t correlate to demand or cost, as is the case with many other highly collectible art types.

Items such as early Plains beadwork or late nineteenth century basketry are certainly examples of what would be considered extremely rare finds in the world of Native American art auctions.

When choosing from various art pieces, compare styles, read and research. This is really the only way to educate oneself about the various types of American Indian art. Then it’s time to shop around. Just like anything else, you won’t know what’s available unless you take the time to comparison shop.

During the 1900s many of the Native American art and crafts that other peoples associate with American Indians began to be commercially produced, especially by Asian nations. These Native American fakes became so widely purchased that several millions of dollars were taken from the American Indian artists in the form of cheap imitation Native American art.

Before purchasing Native American art antiques it’s a good idea to perform additional research has to the authenticity of the piece or pieces. Unless you’re highly knowledgeable on the topic and have experience spotting fakes, this type of art can be extremely hard to verify by inexperienced sight alone.

All in all, collecting American Indian art antiques is just like collecting any other antique, the definitive and primary timeframe is anything that is pre-1950s. Although a name that is well known can seriously increase the value of an object, condition, workmanship and prevalence are factors that are just as important.

Increasingly, even seasoned art dealers that deal in American Indian art find it difficult to discern authentic art antiques from imitation pieces. For this reason, it is particularly important to opt for dealing with reputable sources. In order to ensure that your perfect Native American art antique is the real deal it’s worth taking the time to locate such a well known art dealer or museum.

There are specialized art museums and dealers that offer Native American art pieces. These organizations generally are most interested in promoting Native art and cultures. The better of these institutions and organizations directly invest many of the profits gained from the sale of art pieces back into the Native American community.

When it comes to collecting Native American art antiques or any other type of art, don’t buy it unless you absolutely love it. Your best pieces are going to cost a pretty penny. If you don’t fall in love with a piece, chances are you’re not going to like it any better once it’s on your wall. So hold out for the perfect piece, you’ll be glad you did.

READ MORE

Folk Art Auctions

Folk Art Auctions - Folk art auctions feature a wide range of objects that reflect the artist’s craft traditions, and traditional social values.  Folk art is generally produced by people who have little or no academic artistic training.  Folk artists usually use established techniques and styles of a particular region or culture.

Folk art auctions include paintings, sculptures and other decorative art forms.  Some artists also consider utilitarian objects such as tools and costumes as folk art.  For the most part, the category of folk art auctions exclude works by professional artists.

It has been my experience that folk art auctions have something for just about anyone.  I found a folk art painting of a cat in a peach tree that was done by the artist Tascha.  The artist also noted on the folk art auction that they create unique ceramic tile art.

My mother purchased a blanket chest for me years ago that I listed recently in a folk art auction.  The chest was made about two hundred hears ago and is very beautiful.  The original painted decorations are still intact.

I found an interesting folk art auction for a carnival knock-down dummy in the shape of a large cat.  It was made around 1930 and is twice the size of similar items.  I researched the item on a non-auction site and found that it is worth a lot of money.

My heart is still swayed by Americana folk art auctions.  I recently fell in love with a painting I found up for auction of Elvis on a Harley in front of a large American flag.  It was spectacular!  The stretched canvas was painted with acrylics.

I especially like the Halloween themed folk art auction I found that was offered by Sister Raya New Orleans Folk Art.  The title of the painting was Little Spooky the Cat – Awaiting the Great Pumpkin.  The painting was painted in classic vintage style and used gold maple, red sapphire, blue pearl, white, pumpkin orange, sable brown, amber rust and jet black.  I would love to have this hanging on my wall all through the autumn months.

Another folk art auction that I found and was sad to bid up past my budget was a handmade set of miniature dominos.  The set was in a folk art decorated maple case.  The set dates from the mid to late 1800’s.  It was really exquisite and I’m sorry that I missed out on it.

I really liked another folk art auction that I found for a modern fraktur.  A fraktur is a specific kind of Pennsylvania German folk art.  The fraktur I found was a watercolor of a marriage record.  It was very colorful and looked like it held very special significance to its original owners.

I found a wood box from Maine in a folk art auction that really appealed to me.  It was rather small, but was painted chrome yellow and was trimmed in forest green.  The paint was crazed and worn and it was made in the late nineteenth century.  There were no visible nails and the hardware was reported as looking original.

The folk art auction that I missed out on that was way out of my price range was for an Andrew Clemens sand bottle.  The sand bottle was date 1887 and was covered in patriotic decorations.  It was an apothecary style bottle with a stopper and it contained at least ten different colors of sand.  The bottle ended up selling for eighty five hundred dollars.  I’m sure that it has ended up in an excellent collection of folk art.

I found an amusing folk art auction for three wooden carvings.  The name of the piece was Three Articulating Folk Art Whimseys and were all made by the same artist. The carvings were accented with sheet metal neckties.  The first carving in the folk art auction was of a cobbler, a blacksmith and a gentleman with a donkey.  The second carving was a diminutive soldier and the third was a cobbler smoking a pipe.  I think that this piece of Americana was purchased at a low price of three thousand dollars and was worth much more.

READ MORE

Christie’s in Amsterdam

Christie’s in Amsterdam - There are so many good lots up for auction this summer at Christie’s in Amsterdam.  There is a lot by Petrus Paulus Schiedges called Sailing on open water that is oil on panel.  This is supposed to sell for more than two thousand euros.

There is another lot up for auction at Christie’s that is of a busy canal near a Dutch town.  It was painted by Joseph Bles.  Joseph Bles was Dutch and he signed his painting “J Bles”.  This painting should go for about fifteen hundred euros.

Albertus Verhoesen was Dutch and he painted a lovely painting called Cattle in a Sunny Meadow.  The painting was created in 1845.  It is up for auction in Amsterdam at Christie’s this summer.  This painting will sell for more than twelve hundred euros.

Louis Smets was a 19th century Belgian.  His painting of a horse-drawn-sled on a frozen waterway is up for auction this summer at Christie’s in Amsterdam.  It is possible that this painting could fetch six thousand euros.

There is a nice painting by German Johann Erdmann Gottlieb called The Runaway Carriage that is dated 1844.  It is one of the lots up for sale at Christie’s in Amsterdam.  This is a rather large painting at 59.5 x 89 cm.  The auction house thinks that it could sell for as much as five thousand euros.

The most expensive painting up for auction at Christie’s in Amsterdam this summer is called Setting Out.  Setting Out was painted in the nineteenth century by Abraham Hulk.  The painting is oil on canvas and it is estimated to sell for up to twenty thousand euros.

All of the top five paintings at the summer auction at Christie’s in Amsterdam were painted by Dutch painters.  I think that I like the Jan Cossaar painting depicting playing in the snow after school better than I like the painting entitled Bollenveld by Anton Dircks.  They look like they will sell for similar prices.

The oil painting of a lake in a panoramic Alpine landscape by Swiss artist Jacob Joseph Zelger is very large and very beautiful.  I liked the style that he used for his creation.  Christie’s estimates that this painting will sell for five to seven thousand euros.

There were less than twenty lots that Christie’s estimates will auction for less than a thousand euros.  I found one of the most inexpensive paintings listed in the catalogue to be that of a clown with two yellow balls.  It really did not speak to me at all and I’m not surprised that it will sell for one of the smallest amounts.

I actually liked the Dutch artist Simon Maris’ oil painting of pumpkins, grapes and elderberries.  The painting is signed and may go for as little as seven hundred euros.  Simon Maris lived from 1873-1935.

Another piece of art up for auction at the Christie’s in Amsterdam is a lithograph printed in colors from 1978.  The artist is Bram van Velde and he signed his piece in pencil.  Bidding for this piece may go as high as sixteen hundred euros.  This artist was very poor as a child.  He first entered into an apprenticeship as a painter in 1907 in The Hague.

Another painting that is going to be auctioned off at Christie’s in Amsterdam this summer is a flower still life with chrysanthemums.  This oil painting was painted by Willem Elisa Roelofs.  He was from The Hague and his painting should go for about seventeen hundred euros.

READ MORE

American Indian Art Auctions

American Indian Art Auctions : Beadwork - American Indian art encompasses many types of arts and crafts, from the more traditionally and / or stereotypically Native American art such as beadwork and pottery, to modern photography, fine paintings, sculptures and the like. There are many art auctions, both online and off, that feature this form of American Indian art.

In this article we’ll discuss one of the most traditional and historically relevant branches of American Indian art: beadwork. Beadwork of the Native American peoples had and has practical as well as decorative; utilitarian as well as rich symbolic meaning.

Beadwork and making of the beads themselves is a very old craft. Stone, bone and shell beads (such as turquoise and semi-precious stones) are still made the same ancient way. Little affected by modern technology, the making of beads is still carried out in nearly the exact same way as peoples did thousands of years ago.

Sea shell bead pieces are among the most popular and well known pieces of regional trade importance for thousands of years. Nearly everyone has seen American Indian art pieces, from beaded necklaces to purses, belts and such.

For the last several decades modern beadwork has been replicated in oriental factories and very cheaply imported. This makes it a competing factor against the top quality beadwork done by American Indian craftspeople. The native American crafts people have lost several millions of dollars (just over an eight year period during the 1980s) to these fake native beads and beadwork pieces.

Historically, beads were carved from turtle shell, animal horn and deer hooves. These were often used for making rattling or tinkling pieces utilized in dance. Hunters often wore necklaces put together with animal portions, such as bear claws or wolf claws. These indicated a hunter’s prowess. Bones and seeds were often steamed to soften them for stringing and /or bending into various shapes.

As an example of beadwork used for a most practical purpose, the Iroqois League (Haudenosee) used white and purple wampum chains made of fresh-water clam shells to record sacred ceremonies, treaties and songs. This practice was used both before and after the coming of European settlers.

Many types of agreements were recorded with such beadwork chains. They were highly valued and cared for by their owners. European settlers mistook this care and reverence for wampum beads as a sign that the beads held monetary significance. As such, they mistakenly assumed that the word ‘wampum’ referred to money, when in actuality these important beads were much more like very important original documents.

To string beads, Native Americans used animal sinew that is split very fine with which to attach beads to clothing, though infrequently strong plant fibers such as hide thongs or nettle were used for these purposes.

Today, the Navajos as well as some pueblo people still make the ancient bead type called the heishii. This is by far the most popular and high quantity type of beadwork that is still made today as it was in ancient times. These necklaces are also referred to as story necklaces as they can be used to tell stories, with each bead representing a character.

Beads and beadwork are a very important part of archaeological explorations of pre-European history. Beads have survived thousands of years and tell many fascinating stories about times we weren’t around to witness. This is particularly true with respect to beadwork mad of sea shells. Ancient shell beads have been found thousands of miles from seas, which indicates various trade routes and contacts among different groups of people.

Today American Indian artists even create digital beadwork designs to help them make actual beadwork pieces. In this way complex designs and pieces can be tested on the screen before the project is begun. This has certainly added to the creative process for many beadwork artists.

Beadworking weaves through native history both in ancient times as well as in today’s modern computer technology. The most important aspect of beadwork, though, is not what can be sold or gained, but personal pieces that are only given among family and friends. The true meanings behind these pieces are personal associations tied to visions, important perspectives and other things that an individual wishes to be reminded of.

READ MORE

Upcoming Trip to Sotheby’s

Upcoming Trip to Sotheby’s - I am planning a trip to an auction at Sotheby’s in June.  I have a real interest in 20th century British art and they have an art auction scheduled.  I have spent a great deal of time planning this trip.

While I was browsing the Sotheby’s online catalog, I found a signed Sickert named South Façade of St. Jacques.  I saw this painting once in London in 1971.  It has been in Canada since its purchase around that same time.

The painting is thought to be painted around 1900 after the artist had been in the town of Dieppe for two years.  He found a great deal of beauty in this medieval place.  He loved the architecture and it was the subject of a lot of his work.  Sotheby’s has several pieces of his work up for auction at this event.

I also noted in the catalog that Sotheby’s will be auctioning off a watercolor of a cat by the artist Gwen John.  She painted a lot of cats and also portraits of seated women.  She was known to paint the same picture over and over again like Monet did.

There was another lot listed in the Sotheby’s catalog that interested me.  I really am partial to Sickert and there was a painting that he completed in Venice while he was there with his wife.  There are stories of marital troubles between them and the trip to Venice is thought to have been taken to repair their marriage.

I can’t wait to see the painting Thunder in the Mountains by James Dickson Innes.  His watercolors are really splendid.  The painting is thought to have been painted in 1910 in the mountains of North Wales.  Sotheby’s has such an extensive catalogue for this auction.

I’m anxiously awaiting my trip to London.  I love Sotheby’s art auctions and going out to expensive restaurants at night.  I plan to go to the Mango Tree while I’m there.  It is the best Thai food, hands down, that I’ve ever eaten.

My business partner was really taken with the Landscape Near Lyons painted by Sir Matthew Smith.  I liked this oil painting as well.  The Sotheby’s catalogue reported that the painting was done in 1922 and that there is a still life of flowers on the reverse.  My partner will be unable to make this trip and has asked me to bid on it for him.

I have a small private collection of pencil drawings.  I liked the Flower in a Glass Vase that was penned by Christopher Wood in 1925.  I think that it would display nicely with other still lifes that I have.  I think that this pencil art may well go for twelve thousand dollars.  My favorite pencil drawings have all been found at Sotheby’s auctions

I have a patron that is very interested in a lot at the Sotheby’s auction that contains Poppies by Ivon Hithchens.  She has authorized me to bid up to sixty five thousand dollars for her.  I hope that I am successful in acquiring it for her.  I know that this Sotheby’s auction will be well attended because they all are.  It is too much to hope for that no one will notice this fantastic painting.

After looking forward to this trip for so long and poring over the Sotheby’s catalogue so intently, I must say that I have my heart set on Broomswade by John Piper.  I absolutely must have this watercolor.  The person that is selling it has been the only owner.  He bought it directly from John Piper in 1966.  If I win nothing else, I will win this painting.

The only other painting that I plan to bid on at the Sotheby’s auction is one by William Turnbull.  There is a collector that I know that desperately wants this painting.  He owns several of this artist sculptures and has now started to collect his paintings.

READ MORE

Stained Glass Art Auctions

Stained Glass Art Auctions - I have found some really beautiful pieces of artistic stained glass at art auctions.  The worship committee at my church asked me to find some church window stained glass when I went to an art auction last fall.  I found an excellent piece for them that was framed and 73” X 38.5”.  The congregation loved it.

I found some wonderful stained glass at an art auction for a client that was trying to complete his new kitchen.  The three windows I won were exactly right for him.  The stained glass had a Victorian star design in shades of blue.  The borders were all beveled and the piece was hand cut and soldered.

The modern stained glass windows sometimes come sandwiched between two pieces of tempered glass to protect them for years of use.  The windows I bought at the art auction were framed in vinyl.  Each of the stained glass windows was 30” X 30”.

Stained glass art auctions always include lampshades.  I went through a period of time where I purchased every stained glass lampshade I would find at an art auction.  I am a little more discerning, now.  I found a stained glass lampshade not long ago that I purchased for my mother.  

My mother just redecorated her bedroom in green and mauve.  The stained glass lampshade that I found for her only had variations of those two colors running through it.  It was perfect for her and she really liked it when I gave it to her.

I had a call from a client last week that asked me to find a piece of stained glass to hang in a picture window.  She always had a curtain hanging over that window, so I had trouble picturing what it looked like.  I stopped by her house and chatted with her before I went to the art auction so that I could get better idea of what would delight her.

I talked with this client for awhile and found out that she used to grow roses competitively, but that since her arthritis had gotten worse, she was no longer able to garden.  She had a curtain hanging over that window so that she wouldn’t have to look into her bare backyard.  I instantly knew exactly what kind of stained glass art piece she needed.

The art auction was a lot of fun and I found a large oval stained glass piece to hang over the picture window for my client.  It was almost three feet tall and just under two feet wide.  The red roses done in stained glass were just magnificent.  She was so happy after the stained glass was delivered; she thanked me with coffee and bagels.

She hired me again to find a special piece for her bedroom window.  She liked the idea of replacing the curtains in her home with stained glass pieces of art that I could find for her at art auctions.  I looked at the way her bedroom was decorated taking special notice of the colors she used.  

I found a fantastic stained glass piece for her at the art auction of a peacock with lavender in the background.  It fit really well with her existing decorating.  She hired my son to hang this piece for her.  She was pleased with his work and has promised him future jobs that require more strength than she possesses.

I was asked by a friend of mine to find a special piece of stained glass for his office.  I went to three art auctions before I could find something that felt right.  His taste and furnishings run the direction of more contemporary than most pieces of stained glass usually represent.  

The third art auction I attended had a contemporary piece of stained glass art that depicted a landmark in Anchorage, Alaska.  I did not know it at the time, but my friend had family in Alaska and was actually familiar with this landmark.  I purchased it because I liked the style and the coloring, but it turned out to be an even better choice because of its subject matter.

READ MORE

Finding Maritime Items at Art Auctions

Finding Maritime Items at Art Auctions - I find some really nice maritime items for my collection at art auctions.  I went to an art auction in Charleston last month and found a pair of candle powered navigation lights that were used on ships in the 19th century.  These types of candles were also used in lighthouse stairwells.

My collection also includes a maritime item that was made in 1891.  It is a chronometer and it still keeps great time.  It is very special because the broad arrow on it indicates that it was purchased by the British Navy and they are known to have only the best time pieces.  I found this piece of my collection at an art auction in New Hampshire.

I have another chronometer in my collection that I found at an art auction in Dallas.  It was sold to me in a wooden box from someone that had owned it for fifty years.  They had kept this maritime relic in a closet.  I plan to keep it on display.

I was at an art auction in Miami a couple of years ago and found a fantastic maritime item for my personal collection.  The compass that I won was over 100 years old and was made in Persia.  The compass face has all twelve signs of the zodiac engraved on it.  I thought that this was a great find.

My kids thought I was crazy when I drove to an art auction is Hartford and drove back with three hundred pounds of maritime Navy anchors.  I thought they’d look great in the yard.  I like to have art in my yard, in the beds I made around my trees.  No one wanted to help me unload them.

I found myself in a bidding war at an art auction in Mississippi over the original builder’s plate from the SS Contessa.  It is truly a unique and wonderful maritime item.  I have polished it and it gleams in the display case I bought for it.

Maritime items don’t seem to be in as much demand anymore.  A few years ago, my collection got easier to add to for some reason.  Art auctions everywhere I went started having really great things on the auction block.

The brass plaques from old ships have always been one of my favorite things to find up for sale at art auctions.  One of my favorite maritime plaques came from a ship that was used in WWII.  The ship that the plaque was on was called the Marechal Joffre and it was taken from the French in 1942.  The Maritime Commission renamed the ship USS Rochambeau.

I had a friend of mine that was going to attend an art auction in Anchorage a couple of years ago bid on a bell for me.  I had no idea how much the freight charge was going to end up being, but I wanted this maritime item in my collection.  It was magnificent.

There is going to be a really nice maritime item at an art auction I intend to attend this weekend.  Lighthouse items are of interest to me more and more lately.  I have found that there is going to be an antique brass oil lamp up for auction and I plan to win it.  The price will probably get up to fifteen hundred dollars, but I don’t care.  I need this maritime item in my collection.

READ MORE

Books about Dale Chihuly

Books about Dale Chihuly - Books about art sell well in art auctions.  I have found many publications that feature my favorite artist, Dale Chihuly.  There are books, catalogs and even magazines routinely up for auction.

Chihuly Gardens and Glass is currently for sale in several art auctions.  This book is beautifully illustrated and shows installations at the Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago.  The book has an essay by Barbara Rose addressing Dale Chihuly's place in art history.  There is another essay by the Garfield Conservatory director that provides a history of garden conservatories 

Chihuly at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew features more than one hundred photographs that captured this event.  An art auction for this book sold for fifty dollars.  The exhibit at the Royal Botanical Gardens was Dale Chihuly’s first botanical garden exhibition outside of the United States.

Chihuly Seaforms has an excellent value at an art auction.  It depicts forty four color photographs of his most ethereal series to date.  The pieces he created for this series have been called not only "reflections of skill, passion, teamwork and sheer genius" but also "tributes" to the sea.  He is truly a master.

Chihuly Form Fire was published in 1993 and it only occasionally shows up in art auctions.  The book is hardcover and 144 pages long with over 75 color reproductions of his splendid work.  There is a very informative commentary in the book about Chihuly’s career.  

Chihuly has been exhibited all over the world and the accompanying catalogs sell for a lot at an art auction.  The catalogs have a value to people that cannot possibly afford to ever own an actual piece of his art.  I bought a catalog at an art auction that depicted his installations from the years 1964-1992.  I have spent a lot of time looking at the photographs and have determined that Chihuly is pure genius.

I really want to find a copy of Chihuly Jerusalem 2000 at an art auction.  The book sells new for fifty dollars.  I think that the story of this journey and exhibit is extraordinary and I want to own a copy of this book.  This book contains 117 full-color reproductions and from what I’ve seen they are all extraordinary.

I was surprised that even the book of Chihuly’s drawings has tremendous resale value at an art auction.  He is able to convey such beauty and energy with his work and these drawings actually do the same thing.  These drawings are what his ideas start out as before they are fully realized in glass.

There is one inexpensive Chihuly book that I rarely seen in art auctions.  It only contains 17 color reproductions.  It does cover the installations that had 20,000 pounds of ice.  These were called the neon-and-ice installations and they had a powerful effect on the people that viewed them.  This book is soft cover and it is better to buy it new from a website than from a previous owner at an art auction.

I’ve lost countless art auctions for the book that contains photos of his exhibit at the Marlborough Gallery in New York City.  I just never bid enough.  At some point, I will probably just have to bid more to win it from an art auction.  I know that the 51 images are dramatic, but the book is a soft cover and I just don’t think I should pay $25 for it.

My mother won a Chihuly book for me at an art auction last year.  It chronicled the installation in Japan at the Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art in 1990.  I loved each and every one of the 54 images contained in this book.  I have been asked several times to loan it to friends, but I have refused.  This is one book that I refuse to lose.

In 1986, Chihuly was only the fourth American to get a solo exhibition at the Louvre in Paris.  There was a soft cover book published with 33 photos in it that chronicles the exhibit.  Also in the book is an introduction written by the chief curator and director of the Centre du Verre.  This is the next book I hope to own and I’ve been watching art auctions hoping to see it pop up.

READ MORE

Art Poster Auctions

Art Poster Auctions - Art poster auctions are very popular.  Owning great pieces of art has gotten easier.  A properly framed art poster can be as nice as owning an original painting and it is far less expensive.

I have found many different art styles in art poster auctions.  The most expensive art poster in the abstract style sold recently on eBay was a 1959 Picasso entitled Les Menines.  The poster sold for $560.00.

There was an original and authentic art poster auction recently in the art deco style that caught my eye.  The poster was from 1961 and was for Breakfast at Tiffany.  The poster sold for over three thousand dollars.

World’s Fair art poster auctions seem to do very well.  I saw an auction for the 1939 New York World’s Fair that sold for more than fifteen hundred dollars.  There was another art poster auction for the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair that went for just under fifteen hundred dollars.

In the Asian art poster auction market, there seems to be some really odd things.  I found a poster that depicted McDonald’s hamburgers invading Japan.  The poster got fourteen bids from six different people and it closed at four hundred fifty five dollars.

In the category of Impressionist art poster auctions, I found one for the 2006 Jazz Festival in New Orleans that sold for over four hundred dollars.  It was done by a Cajun artist named James Michalopulos and featured Fats Domino.  The colors in the poster were brilliant.

I found that the category of Modern art posters seems to get the most auction listings.  There is one art poster that keeps being re-listed because it just doesn’t sell.  The poster is from the Elvis movie Love Me Tender.  Apparently the owner of this poster has determined that it is worth one thousand dollars and will not take less than that.  He hasn’t sold it yet, but I wish him luck.

There were another Modern art poster auctions that really did well as far as I could tell.  They were Greyhound travel posters.  There were a couple of art poster auctions that sold recently.  They were both created in the 1950’s and both of the posters sold for around three hundred dollars each.

After researching so many art poster auctions, I have come to the conclusion that my parents and grandparents should have collected every piece of advertising they ever came across.  They would be worth a small fortune by now! 

The Sante Fe Railroad as a subject is prominently sold in art poster auctions.  These must be highly collectable because they generate a lot of bids.  If the art poster auction is for an old original poster of the Sante Fe Railroad, it will fetch upwards of four hundred dollars.

I found an art poster auction that was listed by the artist himself.  He made a black ink drawing for the Pearl Jam concert in Rome in 1996.  This original drawing was what the poster was made from.

Pop art poster auctions cover a lot of different topics.  One of my favorites was a 7-up soda advertisement from 1970 that featured The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine.  The item did not sell, but it was fun to look at.

In the style of Realism, art poster auctions abound.  I found one that was an advertisement for United Airlines and depicted the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.  This poster sold for over one hundred fifty dollars.

The most interesting art poster auctions I found were for rock concerts.  I liked the one listed for at 1956 Rolling Stones concert and there was another one for a Grateful Dead concert in Hawaii.  They sold for a combined total of over seven thousand dollars.  The interest in these art poster auctions was overwhelming.

Advertising seems to be a big theme in the art poster auctions that I looked at.  I found advertisements for just about everything.  I liked the poster for Russian beer that was created in the late 1920’s.  It would look fantastic framed in my neighborhood bar.  The buyer of this particular poster bought it for $475.00.

Concert posters are fun to look through.  Art poster auctions feature a lot of posters for concerts.  I found one that was made by Jim Pollock for a Phish concert in 2000 in Hartford.  I liked it, but I am not a fan of Phish and the three hundred dollars that it went for seemed a little pricey to me.

READ MORE

Art Glass Paperweights

Art Glass Paperweights - I have a shop that sells art glass.  My favorite art glass is paperweights.  I have a lot of fun attending art auctions and buying art glass.  I try to pay attention to what my friends and clients like and dislike.

I usually give people art glass paperweights that I find at art auctions for milestone birthdays and anniversaries.  My grandmother turned eighty last October and I found a wonderful art glass paperweight for her.

The art glass paperweight that I found for my grandmother was made by Baccarat.  I was extremely lucky that this was one of the last things auctioned.  A lot of people had already left the art auction when this item went on the block.  My grandmother appreciated the pansy design because the pansy is her favorite flower.

My cousin loves frogs.  She has managed to decorate her home tastefully with her favorite item.  I have been on the lookout for an art glass paperweight for her for years.  I finally found one at an art auction I was at last year.  The art glass paperweight featured a frog sitting on a lily pad and the frog was surrounded by blue water.  It was really pretty and my cousin started using it on her desk immediately.

My aunt collects art glass paperweights.  I have been asked by her on numerous occasions to find pretty art glass paperweights for her while I’m attending art auctions.  Of all of the pieces I’ve won for her over the years, one memory sticks out in my memory more than any other.

By far the prettiest art glass paperweight I’ve ever won at an art auction has to be one that features a blue and gold Macaw.  Rick Ayotte was the artist that created it and it was even featured in a book of his work.  He has created many lovely art glass paperweights.

I have an art glass paperweight in my shop that just won’t sell.  It has been in the store the longest and I think I may have it priced too high.  I won the paperweight at an art auction several years ago for one thousand dollars.  The paperweight was created by Paul Stankard and it should have easily sold for twice what I paid for it.

I have no trouble at all selling art glass paperweights that were made by Rick Ayotte.  His work seems to draw the most interest.  I try to win any auction I find for art glass paperweights he made.  I won one not long ago that was pink roses.  They looked so delicate and sweet.  I know that this art glass paperweight will sell quickly.

There have been some inquiries at my shop for art glass paperweights by Richard Marquis.  I haven’t found any in any of the art auctions I’ve attended recently.  I looked at some of the pieces he’s made and I’m not especially impressed.

I will keep looking for the art glass paperweights at the art auctions I attend, but I will not be going way out of my way to track them down.  I will just remember that Marquis is an artist that some of my clients are really interested in.  I’m sure that I will find an art auction with one of his pieces in it at some point.

There were some inquiries about nautical themed art glass paperweights a couple of years ago and I found a fantastic artist that made them.  I buy every art glass paperweight I can find that was made by Rick Satava.  My favorite has to be the coral orange jellyfish that I found at an art auction an hour from my home.  It was really pretty.

The coral orange jellyfish art glass paperweight was just the first Rick Satava piece that I’ve found at various art auctions.  I’ve also found jellyfish in ruby and blue.  They are beautiful by themselves or when they are put onto a black light stand that has been built especially for them.

READ MORE