Folk Art & Fancies

Last, but not least, here is a small selection of folk art spotted at the Old Summit Country Antique Show. The naive bird above is either a pencil or watercolor illustration, I couldn't tell, but either way, it was quite charming.  Below are some whimsical pieces crafted from walnut shells ~ a wonderful start for a collection.

Antique dealer and friend, Phil Hoover, created these wonderful sculptural assemblages from found items ~ the base of which are ladder frames.  These pieces are pieced together with amazing craftsmanship and would make a great statement in a room.  I especially love the drill bit detail on the smaller piece.

Walnut 2012 ~ Part 4

{tempting offering from West End Architectural Salvage}

If you've been following along for the last several posts, it is easy to see why the Walnut Antique Show is one of my favorites ~ there really is something for everyone. There is also a wide variety of dealers who display their wares in many different ways ~ from lovely vignettes like the one above, to items hastily scattered on a table top. You never really know where a treasure might turn up.

{vintage intercom/radio type system}

{beautifully designed speaker housing}

{antique cast iron book press ~ would love one of these!}

{painted cast iron squirrel doorstop}

{step used on a train that would be great in my kitchen!}

{unique baby swing that converts to a child's rocker ~ complete with dangerous pinchy springs!}

{wonderful folk art box made from matchsticks}

{lovely scales face}

{unique & beautifully designed clock face}

As I never leave an antique show without a few photos of graphics I like, Walnut is no exception ~ those below are some of my favorites. I especially love some of the most likely unintentional humorous names of products ~ one can tell they didn't use focus groups or worried about insulting anyone.

{wonder if this is what inspired Simon & Garfunkel?}

{Naturally, all bachelors are he men!}

{conveying all product info on a beautifully decorative label}

{Particular people DO care that their snaps are dependable}

Fabulous & Functional

One of the most difficult challenges (for me) I have been facing as I move forward with working on my art work for Surtex, is that I have had to cut out (or at least seriously cut back!) my weekend antique & vintage shopping sprees! Not only do I feel like I don't have the time, but I need to be very conservative with my funds these days as well!

Never fear though, I have a houseload of stuff I haven't shared with you yet ~ probably enough to get me through as least a year or ten! So, do keep checking back as I will be posting about my vintage finds as usual ~ plus, there are a couple of shows coming up that I just know I will not be able to resist! I will let myself go to them if I have enough art finished to warrant taking a break! Sacrifices must be made!

As I mentioned, I have loads of photos from shows or trips out and about that I have not shared yet, so these images are from a trip to the River Market Antique Mall ~ I love this little country grained painted tin container and perpetual calendar! I remember seeing a similar one up at the Enchanted Frog a while back ~ perhaps it is the same one? I could kick myself for not getting it ! it is one of those items I regret not buying.

While it is a little dinged up, I still love the colors and the design of the piece. It reminded me of this painted tin item I had seen and posted about here. The piece below is from the collection at the American Folk Art Museum in NY.

If only . . .

. . . I had wall space and $1275! Isn't this a beautiful piece of folk art? It can be yours here ~ free shipping!

Old Summit Antique Show ~ Fall 2011 ~ Part 1

{bottle cap folk art}

Last Saturday I attended the fall Old Summit Antique show ~ as it has been a rather busy week, I haven't been able to post until now. I spent practically the entire day at the show, admiring the antiques, catching up with friends and purchasing a few treasures ~ it's no wonder that I have little time left on the weekends to clean my house and find a place other than the dining room table for my newly purchased treasures! As I took quite a few photos, I decided to post in a couple of installments ~ Part 1 is devoted to folk art.

{memory bottles}

These memory bottles were quite charming ~ kind of a 3D scrapbook if you will.

{tramp art pieces}

{folk art box made from repurposed magazine pages}

{hand made knife caddy}

{Hair work}

Unfortunately, not the best photo, but here is an example of hair work probably made in the early 1900's. The hair work is most likely from the early 1900's, the framing seemed to be done at a more recent time as the back of the frame was covered in wood grain contact paper. Also, the decoration on front appears to be a relatively new cotton roping detailed with masking tape and a pearl head pin.

Tune in tomorrow for Part 2!

Inspiration ~ Tramp Art

Happened upon some lovely pieces of tramp art over at Candler Arts. Every now and then I see tramp art at various antique shows or stores, but it isn't something I run into very often ~ and it is usually on the expensive side.

Long ago I bought a made in Thailand large wood cabinet for my dining room with the thought of making it unique by adding my own version of tramp art decoration ~ needless to say, the project is not complete ~ or even started! I did finish a practice piece ~ a small tramp art star shaped ornament. No picture to share, but I did gain even greater respect and admiration for the folk artists that created this type of work. I wish I could hire a tramp to come and finish off my cabinet!

{beautifully decorated sewing box ~ love this!}

I don't know if this last piece would actually be considered tramp art, although it does look like some of the details are similar to some tramp art techniques I have seen. The description states that it is a handmade squirrel coffin from Shamokin, PA ~ wondering if the man that made it had a pet squirrel?

All images from Candler Arts
Candler Arts blog here.

American Folk Art Museum ~ Part 1

When in NYC, a visit to the American Folk Art Museum should definitely be on your list! This was my first visit to this museum ~ while it isn't huge, it is several floors and the exhibits covered many different art forms carefully curated and beautifully displayed. While eating lunch in the small cafe at the museum, we heard that it will be closing at its current location as the Museum of Modern Art has purchased the building. Hopefully the Folk Art Museum will be able to reopen somewhere else ~ in the meantime, if you get the chance, stop in ~ you won't be disappointed! View more of the museum's collection here.

{loved this stylish man!}

Here is a small selection of the variety of figures the museum has in its collection: carved wood, sculpted clay, mosaics of glass, and metal are some of the materials used.

{what an imposing group of relatives}

{this weather vane was huge!}

Below is a small selection of some of the objects on display ~ these were some of my favorites:

{a hand made and illustrated pillow}

{amazing crown of thorns tramp art building}

{fabulous display of tin objects: top hat, glasses, candelabra, bonnet, & fan}

{brightly colored brushwork on this tole ware pot}

{lovely stencil design and color on metal piece}

{grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!}

{cute little painted dog ~ I love the expression on his face!}

I took many photos on this visit, so I thought I would post them in installments ~ Part 2 coming soon!