This and That: A Blog

 Finally the thrifting dry spell ended.  I found this still life on fabric (not art canvas) that was framed in Paris ( O h là là! ) on a new cart at Goodwill.  The color is a bit brighter than here. St. Vincent de Paul had these Japanese made ceramic dogs.  The pair was surprisingly sold as a set, they often label things "each."  Another new thing they'd done was to white glue them down to index cards.  At least it was white glue and I just had to soak their feet to melt it.  Still, it might damage some items. Plus, I couldn't verify the Made in Japan mark for myself.    I'm pretty sure I have another dog in a hat, a yellow hat.  It's not on the shelf, but I had all of the dogs down for Christmas and some are still packed.  There is no photo of it, but I might have gotten it long before I took photos digitally.  I also got quite a bit of ephemera that day.  Some interesting stuff. That's for next week.  

My favorite thing to thrift is artwork.  Not necessarily still lifes, but I do find those once in a while. Still Lifes ... sounds wrong, but that's the correct term for more than one still life.  It's not still lives.   What is a still life?  Art featuring inanimate everyday objects (vases, flowers, fruit, household items) with the focus on narrative rather than action.  Composition, color, and arrangement capturing a moment that showcases their beauty. I got to thinking a while back, when I got my nut still life , that I really didn't know how many still lifes I actually had.  Paintings.  Prints.  Flowers.  Fruits.  Bread.  Nuts!  So, I checked, and decided to share them here. (Most are shown without frames.)  All of them are thrifted, ranging from 25¢ to $14.99. First the paintings. When I first moved in OR I had a big bare wall behind my bed, so found this big bright painting at Goodwill for $14.99 to take up the s...

Ever heard or read the expression, " In my defense, the moon was full and I was left unsupervised "? Well, I may have gone wild at Goodwill recently, and I can't use a full moon as an excuse, it was only in its first quarter phase.  What happened? " In my defense, there was a lot of good art, and I was left unsupervised ." Good art like these antique steel engravings. Neither were properly matted or framed, which I have done.  $4.21 each. Dieppe 1834 Dieppe is a port town in Normandy, France. The fortress,  Château de Dieppe, was founded in 1188 by King Henry II of England, and destroyed seven years later by King Philip II of France.  It was rebuilt in the 4th century, and is now houses a museum .  Dunluce Castle c1840 Dunluce Castle was built in the 13th century on the edge of a basalt cliff, and is in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It was expanded by both the MacQuillan and MacDonnell clans, but after part of the kitchen collapsed in to the sea in the late...