Finally, a Nice Art Score

It’s safe to say I am an art lover. I have over 25 paintings, woodcuts, lithograph and giclee prints scattered throughout our house. They inspire me. And I love selling artwork too. But it’s been slim pickings lately at any of my usual thrifting haunts. The few I have been interested in over the past months were huge and beyond my scope to store, pack and ship! Still I am always on the lookout for original paintings and numbered lithographs.

The other day I was waiting for the thrift store doors to open with the usual gaggle of resellers including my nemesis. He’s the one that sometimes gets insider information about good donations. It’s really annoying. Well the other day he was cruising the metal aisle so I decided to head to a different area–the art wall–before he got there. And bingo, I spotted this numbered print (12/300) by Lucius DuBose in his bird series. This one is an ibis with lovely connections to Egypt. It is just charming and it ticks two boxes–bird lovers and Egyptology fans. Bonus, it’s professionally framed and double matted.

Lucius DuBose died in 2022, but lived to the ripe age of 90. At a young age he discovered a love of birds and became one of the youngest members of his local Audubon society. His life story is an interesting read.

Lucius Dubose

I feel honored to have found one of his prints. And here’s the surprising bit about this particular piece, I can find none for sale or that have sold, so I’m guessing of the 300 printed and sold most of them stayed put with their original owners!

Here are the recent eBay solds of his work found on Worthpoint.

I’ve listed my rare DuBose ibis print for $180.

Art I’ve Sold

Some of you may be wondering if art sells and it does, but not quickly, at least for me. In general the art I had listed in my Chairish store sold quicker than on Etsy, but for the time being I have closed my Chairish store. (The 30% commission is a bit off putting.)

Here is a selection of my solds over the years. All are modest sourced from a wide variety of places. I look for pieces that are appealing, show some skill and are signed. I do research everything and try to find out as much as I can.

Bought at antique mall for $45, sold for $125.

Bought from an eBay seller for $25, sold for $125 in 2021.

Bought at a Habitat for Humanity Restore for $30, sold for $275 in 2017. (Before this McCaine painting sold, I had several unpleasant, condescending messages from a man who wanted to buy it for $100 and wouldn’t accept my no. He eventually wanting to know how much I had paid for it–which of course was none of his business and irrelevant to its value.)

Bought for $7 at a Silicon Valley Goodwill, sold for $90.

Bought at my neighborhood Goodwill for $13, sold for $140 in 2016.

Bought at an estate sale for $15, sold for $75 in 2018.

Bought off Craigslist for $20, sold for $65 in 2018.

Bought at my neighborhood Goodwill for $4, sold for $225 on Chairish in 2019.

We always hope to score that piece that turns out to be an original Jackson Pollock or Andy Warhol, but that can cause mayhem too. You probably know the story about Terri Horton who bought a huge splatter thrift store painting for $5 that someone later told her was possibly an original Pollock. That started a wild ride of trying to get it authenticated with Terri appearing on various TV shows and a documentary being made. Unfortunately the art world couldn’t agree if it was authentic or not. She kept the painting for decades in a secure, climate-controlled location (that’s gotta be pricy!) and rejected an offer of $9 million (she was holding out for $50 million). She has since died with the painting unsold. There’s a lesson there.

In many respects dealing with humble art pieces is easier and less stressful and makes then accessible to the average person! I’m okay with never finding that once-in-a-lifetime score.

Wishing you an art-filled life.

Karen