Posted by Okay, I know this will sound ridiculous and even crazy to some of you, but I miss the smell that hits you in the face when you walk into thrift and antique stores–that mixture of must and disinfectant. The smell of old stuff. But mostly I just miss walking into thrift and antique stores! And estate sales. And don’t get me started on flea markets.
So the other day I found myself on eBay searching for undervalued things to buy, trying to enjoy the thrill of the hunt. And I bought a few things, but gosh, I wasn’t very shrewd. I bought more with my heart. (Have you ever done that?)
The first item was a watercolor of an iconic San Francisco scene–two cable cars passing on a hill near Chinatown. It’s by “D. Reymond” or possibly “D. Reymono” and dated 1963. Just a charming mid-century piece. I haven’t been able to find out anything about the artist or been able to find any comps but I’m going to hang onto this for a bit anyway. Hopefully at some point I’ll learn more.
The second item is a painting by Albert LeGrand. The image of a woman in red walking at sunset is a common one for him and similar paintings have sold from $24-$299.
Albert Le Grand is a contemporary French artist famous in the early 1950’s for employing a new technique of flat brush work in a diffused atmosphere giving the painting a serene and restful quality, which is embellished by his use of colors that are hazy and yet extremely definitive…His works are represented in many important collections both public and private.
RoGallery
I don’t like this carved frame with this painting and will separate the two when it arrives. Don’t get me wrong, I think the frame is fabulous in it’s own way but too distracting. For this painting I’m envisioning a simple black frame. But gosh between the cost of the painting (which I negotiated a little bit), the shipping (eek!) and the taxes, I’m thinking my profit margin could be tight. (Though one of his paintings is on 1stDibs for $1850…but that’s 1stDibs pricing. Usually in the stratosphere!)
I also bought this signed Mexican folk art wood cross. I found the colors and primitiveness of it appealing and it seems a little more unique in that it’s not covered with milagros (religious charms). I’ll likely put this on our mantel for a while.
I also bought a few books one of them being a decorating book–one of my fav genres (along with mysteries and memoirs). This one not only appealed to me personally, but I figured would help me both with staging my items for photo shoots and give me ideas on new types of items to look for.
While I do think I found some neat things, at the prices I paid I am unsure of the profit I’ll eventually make. I think the Albert Le Grand painting has the most potential. Time will tell!
Hope you are staying well in this uncertain time.
Day 39 done.
Hunting for Vintage 