by Anne Leuck Feldhaus
Huichol Yarn Mask
by Roberto Torre
haunt me forever
Mexican Folk Art
(title unknown)
Oaxaca, Mexico
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| My | Treasures!!! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| (and the items I coveted and lost. . .) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Crystal/Blue Cateye Eyeglass Frames | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| I needed some very low-magnification reading glasses to ease the eyestrain that results from stacks of reading and hours at the computer monitor. Frames are often quite expensive (and the inexpensive ones are often unattractive). My solution, which cost about $35 on ebay, is pictured above. They are unused store stock from the 1950s. They really cheer me up when I'm working, while allowing me to work longer. Although I usually wear them only at home, the clerks at the store where I had the lenses put in loved them, and so do I! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Running Bird Motif Mola, Panama | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Molas are made as blouse panels by the Kuna indigenous women of San Blas Islands, Panama. Because of their unique beauty, molas have become quite collectible. This one was reportedly purchased in Panama around the late 60s or early 70s. In the Mola world, this design is considered "vintage," and it is completely different in design from the style used in molas being made today. The one pictured above is, hands down, my favorite mola of all those I've seen. I love the colors, the stylized tail, the bird's expression, and the sense of movement that's conveyed both by the bird's posture and by the shorter lines under his feet. It's even more beautiful up close than is shown in this photo from the auction, so I had it framed. It was an excellent bargain, and I'm sure it's worth much more than what I paid for it (but I'm not selling!!!). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| White Cat Painting by Anne Leuck Feldhaus |
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| One of most recent ebay purchases, and one of my favorites, is this 8 x 8 painting with pine frame by the Chicago-based artist Anne Leuck Feldhaus. I love the colors in this painting, the simple lines, and the cat's expression. Click on the painting to go to Anne's website where more of her work is displayed. She has a very fun style--she paints a lot of dogs, some people and city scenes, and the occasional cat. She is very talented, and from her e-mails, she also seems to be a very nice person! ebay is a great way to purchase inexpensive, original artwork and support emerging artists! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Twin Jikury" Huichol Yarn Mask |
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| This gorgeous mask was made by one of the Huichol indians, who live in an isolated region of the Sierra Madre mountains of western Mexico. The Huichol are famous for their bead- and yarnwork, both of which are made by pressing beads or yarn into a surface covered with beeswax. The designs are very intricate and beautiful, and usually reflect a number of elements of Huichol life and spirituality. I loved this mask, and I won the auction for a very decent price. Unfortunately, the seller packaged it for mailing by wrapping it in two sheets of newspaper and placing it in a large manila envelope. It arrived with the carved wood based broken into four pieces, and the yarn unraveling. Although the seller apologized and quickly refunded my money, I was very sad that such a beautiful piece of artwork was ruined. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Huichol Yarn Painting by Roberto Torre |
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| Triumph! As of 12/6/00, I am able to move this item from the "coveted but lost at auction" category into the "got it and love it" category! This one-of-a-kind Huichol yarn painting was the first Huichol item I fell in love with when it was listed on ebay 6 months ago (using the photo above, right). Despite a valiant attempt, I lost that auction to another bidder. I've seen at least a hundred other yarn paintings since I first saw this one (including a few other pieces created by the same artist, who is a Huichol shaman), but I never found anything similar, and I never liked any of the others nearly as much. Imagine my excitement and surprise when I found this very same yarn painting up for auction again today (using the photo above, left, which reveals much brighter colors)! Not only that, but the original buyer (the one I lost the auction to) sold it to me for the same price she purchased it for at auction (so she didn't even try to make a profit on it, which she definitely could have)! Maybe all of that coveting I've been doing over the past six months shook something loose in the universe? Oh joy! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| The | Losses that will haunt me forever |
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| Tin Sacred Heart Sculpture, Mexican Folk Art |
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| This was one of my early ebay losses. I was relatively new to ebay when I placed my bid on this item, watched it for a few days, and then, secure in the "knowledge" (read: foolish misbelief) that I was going to win the auction, I left it unguarded. It was the first time I was sniped, and what a painful lesson it was. In the last few seconds of the auction, some vulture-bidder swooped in and won the auction by a mere 50 cents. The seller told me that he thought he might be able to get more of these, but I have never seen another one listed. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sara Austin Painting (title unknown) |
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| All of Sara Austin's painting's have elaborate titles. Unfortunately, I do not know the title of this piece, but I remember it somehow expressed the notion that this woman had discovered that reading in bed is the secret to a happy life. Click on the photograph above to visit her web page and see more examples of her art work. I like the style of Sara's paintings, but I especially liked the composition of this one because I read in bed every night, and my kitty is always close at hand. Most of her paintings are portraits of humans, but I really like the way she paints cats--sweet-faced and kind of rumpled-looking. She has a knack for capturing the relationship between a woman and her cat that goes far beyond "cute." I watched the price of this painting climb steeply during the auction, and it sold for about $375, which is way out of my price range, unfortunately. But I still enjoy watching Sara's auctions to see what comes up. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gato Alebrije Oaxaca, Mexico |
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| This is a very unique Oaxacan wood carving of a female cat. I had e-mailed the seller about this one, and he sent me some close-up photos of the head and face so that I could see the detail. This was a very large piece--more than a foot long, and nearly as high--and the starting bid was under $20, so it was a good deal. I really liked it and was planning on placing my snipe bid. Unfortunately, a household emergency occurred (flooded kitchen due to broken pipe), and the auction ended without my being able to bid on it. I was very sad to lose this one but, of course, I'm always on the lookout for more items of similar quality. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lynda Barry fan? Come over, come over! Click below to.... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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