Another Fantastic Goodwill Find

On several occasions I have walked into thrift stores and have found items that were vintage collectibles and that I thought might have some worth to someone.  My finds include a Royal Delft Bowl, Some Replogle Globes, Moon and Stars Compotes, Asian Ivory Wall Hangings and even a vintage toy Kaleidoscope.  These have all sold for a nice profit and I am always on the lookout for the next “great find.”  Unfortunately, my luck has not been as good as the lady in North Carolina this past April.

Beth Feeback is an artist who bought two large paintings at the local Goodwill.  Her intent was not to make a profit on them, but to paint over them.  You see, large blank canvases can cost quite a bit of money to an artist.  So many artist buy used paintings on canvas and then recycle the canvas by putting their own artistic creations on them.  Usually this is a very smart move because the paintings you find at thrift stores are mostly done by amateurs or recreational painters.  However, not so in this instance.

When she got home, Ms. Feeback did what I, and just about anyone else, would have done.  She “Googled” the artist’s names and to her surprise found that one of the artists was not an amateur at all, but none other than Illy Bolotowski.  To a lot of people, including Beth, the name would have probably meant nothing if she hadn’t searched it.  But as it turns out, Illy Bolotowski was a Russian born abstract painter from New York.

The painting Beth was about to paint over was titled Vertical Diamonds and it is estimated that it will bring in some $20,000 - $30,000 at auction.  In fact, the painting will be auctioned off in September.  Not a shabby find at the Goodwill Store for Beth Feeback and a nice tidy profit of probably over $20,000. 

Georgia O’Keefe Artwork on Exhibition

Georgia O’Keefe (1887 – 1986) has been a major American artist since the 1920’s and her name has become as recognizable as other notable artists such as Rockwell, Warhol and Adams. Her claim to fame are the abstract representations of the American southwest and her paintings contain every imaginable subject from rocks and shells to flowers, architecture and landscapes. Many people agree that her vision and inspiration used in combination with masterful strokes of subtle hues is what have made her the greatest American woman artist of the century. She was married to master photographer, Alfred Stieglitz. Georgia O’Keefe’s art is something that we should all experience at some point in our life and the good thing is that you can view her artwork in many places in the United States.

The Georgia O’Keefe Museum located in Santa Fe, New Mexico is probably the best place to get the full effect of her great artwork. It is steward to over fifty percent of all her collection. The museum website also has slideshows of many of her works, which is as close as I will probably ever get to the southwest. Closer to home and an exhibition that I am sure to attend, “Georgia O’Keefe and Ansel Adams: American Affinities” will be at the Smithsonian American Art Museum from September 26 through January 4, 2009. This exhibit will also travel to the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco. In addition, “Georgia O’Keefe and the Camera: The Art of Identity” is currently on exhibit at the Portland Maine Museum of Art.

Clarice Cliff Pottery Designer

Many of you who love Art Deco will know a piece of Clarice Cliff ceramic from a mile away. The Artist was born in 1899 in Staffordshire and started in meager beginnings as a painter of pottery, as many women of that time, in that area of the world. However, that is where the similarities with other women of the time ended.

Clarice had much ambition to become a designer and in 1928 launched the Bizarre line of pottery. The pottery resembled its name, with its bold and exuberant designs, but they were stamped with her name and quickly became popular. Now collectors clamor to discover one of her works. One of her decorative platters recently sold at auction $72,000. The Designer, Clarice Cliff, passed away in 1972.

NOVA-Antiques Newsletter Archives - September 1, 2005 . . . .