Connect the Dots...la la la

During our first snow storm in January I was enticed to drive down to Cincinnati...

Enticed by the hope of all of the treasures that a Cowan's Decor Auction could bring me, I made my way through the snow and slush.
last summer I was able to snatch up these two wood block prints at one of their Discovery Auctions. The prints were unframed when I purchased them.

I framed them up and voila! Unique art for your home.

This one I titled "Chasing Waterfalls"

This one I called "Climb Every Mountain"

Both are currently listed for sale on my website.

Nothing like invoking a little bit of TLC and Richard Rodgers to name these vintage Japanese prints.

Now back to the January auction. The best thing about a Decor auction at Cowan's is that the items they are selling are not specific to one category such as fine and decorative arts or antique furnishings. They offer a wide array of antique and vintage treasures that not only would make unique additions to your home's decor but could potentially be a great looking investment.

That is where I come in. Just a Garage Sale Girly looking for something beautiful and unique for the home and hopefully for a really great price.

The pictures below are courtesy of the Cowan's online catalogue from the Jan 8th sale.

Below are the items that I had set my sights on...

I wanted this lot of sketches...They were even more charming in person

They had a bit of wear but would have been beautiful framed.

Alas it was not meant to be...for me.

Then there was this little occasional table with bright blue enamel finish. The style was a little fancier than what I usually like for my own home, but the color enticed me. I did bid on it but did not win this item. I was sticking to a strict thirty dollar rule that I have for myself.

Garage Sale Girly Rule: If you don't really need it and have nowhere to put it, you can not spend over thirty dollars on it. (Maybe I should embroider that on a sampler)

Maybe I wanted this just because I am originally from the Dayton area or maybe I wanted it because it was an absolutely awesome sketch. I knew I was in trouble when the auctioneer announced that there had been a lot of interest in this item. Yup, the starting bid was a bit too high for The Unique Bird so I had to pass on that one.

Then there was this lot of little Rookwood pottery vases. I loved the colors. I loved that they were very small and I was mentally creating a collection with them for my website. The opening bid was within my reach and I could have even gone a bit higher, but then a phone bid came in and upped the price by two hundred dollars. I guess it wasn't meant to be. Sorry Girly.

But there was this lot...Five works by Modern artists.

I didn't really pay too much attention to it because the estimated sale price was about $700 out of my price range. I did really like one or two of the pieces but thought that there was no chance.

Wow was I wrong. The auction gods smiled upon me that snowy day. I guess the folks at the auction that day weren't really modern artist kind of people so I thought...why not.
So I had bought these five pieces of art but was left scratching my head as to who the artists were and why they were all grouped together.

I needed to connect the dots...la la la

(Just like on Pee Wee's Playhouse. Yes I am so cultured)

This tranquil watercolor is by an artist named Edgar C. Reims. I was unable find out that much information on this artist other than he is from Maine, he studied at the Woodstock School of Art, he painted this in 1982 and included his phone number on the back of this painting. I think it is a lovely painting and I should ring him up and let him know.

This piece titled "Indits" is by American artist Marion Greenwood 1909-1970. Through a little bit of research I found out that this piece was a lithograph created by the artist between 1950-1960. Though this work is not really my cup of tea, I was very interested to learn that this artist left high school at the age of fifteen to study painting and print making at the Art Students League of New York, completed her education in Paris, trained in lithography in Woodstock, NY, in her twenties she painted murals in Mexico commissioned by their government, and later went on to become an art professor. These accomplishments only scratch the surface of this talented woman's achievements. I was able to find her work in many galleries across the U.S.

This pencil sketch is...well your guess is as good as mine. Let just say this abstract work of art is by artist Petra Cabot (1907 - 2006). This accomplished woman did it all. She stared out studying painting and fine art and won prizes as a teenager, designed costumes and stage sets, designed murals and was involved with a lively art scene in Woodstock, NY in the 30's and 40's. She was quoted saying," I decided to make the best looking bucket anybody ever saw," which describes her most famous design.

Yes vintage kitsch collectors, this well known designer of the 1952 Hamilton Skotch Cooler was also an accomplished artist! I was able to find one of these fab coolers for sale from another seller on etsy. You might want to pick up one of these coolers so that when I list her abstract artwork on The Unique Bird you can get that too and own two really great pieces of Ms. Cabot's designs.

I really loved this painting titled "Lemon and Glass". It is signed R.Wilson. Not to be confused with the artist Robert Wilson. But it is by a Mrs. R Wilson, AKA Carolyn Haeberlin (1914). At least I think.

I found another example of one of her paintings titled "Sewing Box" signed under the name Haeberlin and thought the style in which it was painted, and the signature, were similar to the one I have.
I really couldn't find a lot of information on this artist except that she is connected with the Woodstock Art Association.

I see you are catching on...

The last piece in this lot is this whimsical watercolor by artist John G. Ernst (1920-1995). This Brazilian born artist was an acrobatic clown and trapeze artist in the late 1930's with The Ringling Bros, Barnum & Bailey Circus. After WWII he studied art at The Art Student's League in...you guessed it, Woodstock, NY.

Since this piece was un-titled I took the liberty of calling it "A Unique Bird".

(I know... where do I come up with these things)

I have mounted this painting and re-framed it and listed it for sale on etsy. I think it looks really sharp paired with all of that milkglass.

So I connected all of the dots and figured out that the common thread between these very different artists and their artworks was The Woodstock Artists Association. It was founded in 1919, as a community of varied artists. This association played an integral role during the great depression through the federally funded Works Progress Administration to create murals, paintings and photography and in the late 40's and 50's the association drew many famous artists and curators to its fundraisers, festivals and conferences.

la la la...

I still can't be sure exactly how each one of these very different pieces of art came to be grouped together besides the Woodstock connection...but it was pretty cool to find what I could.

The more you know.

Dear PBS can I be an honorary History Detective...