folk art

Some folks like to do things in a big way.  They enjoy the spotlight, and blossom with a little extra attention.  We’re sort of that way, too, so we understand.  Even when it comes to selling an antique or collectible, we think it’s always more fun to make a splash.  Why do anything the conventional way when you can make it fun? Do you remember that Super Hero Auction we had last year?  We had national news coverage for that event, plus plenty of local headlines and spots on our local news networks.  Our own John discovered he looked good in ...

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  I recently came across this rather amusing photograph of me while cleaning out a drawer of old photographs. I find it comical that at the age of three I possessed the strength to lift what appears to be a sixteen pound gander.  Upon seeing this photo, the first question that came to my mind was "Could I have ever ended up in a non-waterfowl related field?" With an avid hunter as a father and the past Chairman of National Audubon Society as my uncle and Godfather, the sporting field was a profession I couldn't refuse. Little has changed in the last forty years, I still love ...

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I recently finished a commission for a woman in my writing class. Connie is a person who is overflows with enthusiasm for people and life. She bubbles over when she is excited about a topic and she can cry in an instant at something that is sad. Well... She wanted me to create an oil painting of her sister and her sister's two daughters sitting on a bench in Laguna Beach. The mother lost her husband when the girls were just babies and has struggled to work and do her best at raising the girls alone in Taiwan. It turned out that the mother did quite well financially but in the stress ...

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The history and beauty of Charleston, South Carolina, are featured in the current exhibition at Payne Fine Arts. From paintings, including an unusual WPA-era view of the College of Charleston, to the silhouettes of Carew Rice, to a burgeoning field in Charleston collecting, that of original vintage photographs and Albertypes,  to historic engravings, the "Charleston Collection"  has something for all those who have fallen in love with the "Holy City." For our friends and collectors of Kentucky and regional art, the site has recently added artworks and prices that should prove tempting. From ...

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Definition of PERIL 1: exposure to the risk of being injured, destroyed, or lost. and this is the definition of the word "joy: a : the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires. As an artist, I have found that if I want to have a chance at success, good fortune or the prospect of possessing what I desire, I have to risk the possibility of being injured, destroyed or lost. An artist's life is not one of hiding in solitude and indulging in self expression. An artist's life demands that I must expose myself, my ...

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As a younger artist I envisoned myself in prestigious galleries, accepting awards from people "on high". I soon lost patience with that. I found that what I love most is to create exactly the kind of art that my heart desires. I've had no problem finding people who love my work and buy it, and as far as I'm concerned, that's all that matters to me. I've always had a childlike quality to what I do. I used to try to "overcome" that, but now I embrace it. I am childlike. I love to see the world through my own lens, in the way I want to see it. My worst critics in life where all in my head. They ...

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It took me many years to find a better sense of security. Not just years, but pain. Pain is a good thing. It tells you that something isn’t right. I did all sorts of things to avoid the pain, but until I stepped forward and claimed myself, I didn’t get my release. On a spiritual level it’s about “self-realization”. I love that term because it signifies that what transformation is about is the realization! The realization of who you really are. It’s not about becoming something “else”. It’s about peeling off a skin that doesn’t fit you anymore. What’s underneath has always been there. One ...

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   I grew up in an art colony by the sea and I have a fondness for the mentality of "beach people". Beach people value relaxation. I've painted Laguna Beach for years since it is my home. I've also traveled to Hawaii several times and painted Island seascapes. Now I'm enjoying the experience of the East Coast beaches. What I like about them is the subtlety of the colors there and the openness of the beaches. There's a Zen feeling on the East Coast beaches. There are fewer colors available, so these paintings are more restful. In this series I'm accentuating the delicious feeling of solitude ...

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Artists are capable of intense emotions. That's something I've had to navigate in life over and over. They say the "sensitive" in a herd of animals is the one who senses danger first and alerts the rest which is a good thing, but high sensitivity can also drive a person completely insane. What I finally learned to do after many years of suffering is, yes... be aware of my emotions because they inform me. I don't suppress emotion, but I let it serve as guidance. I'm careful to not indulge in negative thoughts for too long though, because that habbit almost destroyed my life at one time. When ...

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I have had the most success through my personal sales at art shows where the artist sells their own work. This way I have a connection to my clients that I wouldn't have through a gallery. Galleries are nice, but you can't count on them. If you are in a gallery and sell your own work as well, avoid selling your work for less than the gallery does no matter how tempting it is. 1. Have a mailing list!!! Get people who even stop and look for a few minutes to sign it. 2. Get "Constant Contact" a newsletter that goes to your clients once a month. Write your thoughts and show ...

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The last year at Copley has brought some tremendous auction results. Coming off of last summer's Sporting Sale, "Paintings were the high scorers," as noted by Boston Globe correspondent Virginia Bohlin, with exceptional results and world records set for wildlife and sporting works. Copley's inaugural Winter Sale in New York this January was what Decoy Magazine's Joe Engers "enthusiastically call[ed] a 'win-win' sale" for decoys, providing a "needed jolt of optimism" in the decoy market. Our results showed there is a very active market for the best quality items, with many new buyers ...

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SANTA FE, N.M. – December is the best month to be in Santa Fe. Snow sugars the old town and farolitos – occasionally still the paper bag and candle variety of childhood memory – climb stepped adobe walls. Pinon scents the night air. At the nearby pueblos, feast day dances bind the generations in spiritual traditions as old as time. A first stop is Coulter Brooks Art & Antiques at 924 Paseo de Peralta.  Jan Brooks and Lane Coulter  –  who is known for such well-thumbed references such as New Mexican Tinwork, 1840-1940; Navajo Saddle Blankets: Textiles to Ride in the American West and ...

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I am happy to announce my cable TV debut this weekend! In February, I travelled to Texas to recreate my gallery for the filming of a TV show called ‘Accidental Fortune.’ We shipped out five boxes of decoys and artwork from Boston and I spent three days on location in San Antonio. The episode of Accidental Fortune will air at 8 PM and 11 PM on Sunday, April 18th on TLC. Tune in to watch the thrilling tale of discovery that surrounds several A.E. Crowell decoys!

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Copley Fine Art Auctions' 660-lot Sporting Sale, including important Elmer Crowell carved birds from the Harry V. Long Collection as well as a fine selection of decoys, sporting art, folk art, and American paintings, will hit the auction block July 15-16, at the Radisson Hotel, in Plymouth, Massachusetts. New England Cable News (NECN) reported on June 30: "A big auction is coming up this month in Plymouth, for duck decoys, among other items! Some of the most prized decoys are from a Massachusetts man's collection that were carved in the early 1900's and have never before been put on the ...

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