John Lawrence
Active member
Well talking about a change! The last day of November was a total wash out here In Pittsburgh with a hard cold rain for the entire day. And this morning we started December with snow on the ground and more coming throughout the day. November was a busy month for me with the Easton Show (comments to come) and then finishing the redo of our kitchen. So my decoy output took a hit somewhat. But I'm fired up to work on some new ideas and will get right to it after I finish this post.
Now for my observations of and about the Easton Waterfowl Festival. I use this show for judging where the art form is headed, what trends are developing in collector tastes and what other artists are doing to capture their interest. This is some of what I observed last month. At the Guyette and Schmidt Auction the prices were generally good and it looks like the antique decoy market is starting to rebound from the economic slump. In 2009 there were quite a few lots that went without bids and there were noticeably less this year that went un-bid upon. One fellow who was sitting right behind me bought an Elmer Crowell full sized Ruddy Turnstone for $90,000 plus fees so there was money flowing. The few pieces that I was interested in quickly went out of my price range so I didn't pick up anything at the auction. I did however pick up two new antiques for my collection, a Stanley Grant black duck from New Jersey circa 1920 and a Will Mason Goldeneye drake from Hog Island Virginia circa 1940 at the Buy, Swap and Sell in the High School Gymnasium.
I had the opportunity to talk with several people over the weekend including Bill Gibian, Keith Mueller, R.D. Wilson and Bill Kennedy (osw). I also had a real nice long talk with Gary Yoder about my article about Labrador Ducks. Keith delivered his pair of Labradors to the same collector that weekend and I had the opportunity to pick them up and get a nice close look and they are fantastic, just what you would expect from him. I also talked to a bunch of dealers and I found several consistent themes in where most people think the art decoy market is headed. The easiest way to describe this is the word "funky". Individualism is IT. The pattern book copiers is not were the market is or where it is headed. And from my many conversations with collectors over the three days I was there I can tell you paint can described in one word, oils. The fellows that did well have a very distinct and original style, took risks and were noticibly different from what photos you see on the internet from shows.
The weather was wonderful, the first time in a few years, and the crowds were strong. On Friday the first day of the show, it was very crowded for at least the first four to five hours. And steady the rest of the weekend. One thing that stood out to me was that there was a noticeable increase in the number of younger people at the show, and that folks is very exciting.
Now where does all this lead? Well for me it makes me want to take my work in even more funkier and quirky directions. Darker yet vibrant and elaborate paint schemes, more exaggerated forms and shapes. And to tell you the truth that kind of freedom is a whole lot more fun. So thats where I'm headed. Right now I'm still working on the paint for the three wood duck hens and I've cut out a pair of ringnecks that you see on my desk. I'm also working on some new Labradors and I'm planning on several miniatures.
One other avenue I'm exploring is new sources for supplies. I've been using the Dick Blick web page for a while but recently I noticed that I could get a free copy of their catalog. It's 500 plus pages of all kinds of Art supplies including , get this, 31 different brands of oil paints. And the best part is the prices, they are 50-60% of Michaels. So for Christmas do yourself a favor and go to www.dickblick.com and get yourself a copy of their catalog.
View attachment PB300033.JPG
And this is one of the new Labradors that I glued up last night. It's hollowed basswood, hollowed down to a quarter inch and very light.
View attachment PB300034.JPG
So let me the first to say Merry Christmas! and what's on your workbench this month?
Now for my observations of and about the Easton Waterfowl Festival. I use this show for judging where the art form is headed, what trends are developing in collector tastes and what other artists are doing to capture their interest. This is some of what I observed last month. At the Guyette and Schmidt Auction the prices were generally good and it looks like the antique decoy market is starting to rebound from the economic slump. In 2009 there were quite a few lots that went without bids and there were noticeably less this year that went un-bid upon. One fellow who was sitting right behind me bought an Elmer Crowell full sized Ruddy Turnstone for $90,000 plus fees so there was money flowing. The few pieces that I was interested in quickly went out of my price range so I didn't pick up anything at the auction. I did however pick up two new antiques for my collection, a Stanley Grant black duck from New Jersey circa 1920 and a Will Mason Goldeneye drake from Hog Island Virginia circa 1940 at the Buy, Swap and Sell in the High School Gymnasium.
I had the opportunity to talk with several people over the weekend including Bill Gibian, Keith Mueller, R.D. Wilson and Bill Kennedy (osw). I also had a real nice long talk with Gary Yoder about my article about Labrador Ducks. Keith delivered his pair of Labradors to the same collector that weekend and I had the opportunity to pick them up and get a nice close look and they are fantastic, just what you would expect from him. I also talked to a bunch of dealers and I found several consistent themes in where most people think the art decoy market is headed. The easiest way to describe this is the word "funky". Individualism is IT. The pattern book copiers is not were the market is or where it is headed. And from my many conversations with collectors over the three days I was there I can tell you paint can described in one word, oils. The fellows that did well have a very distinct and original style, took risks and were noticibly different from what photos you see on the internet from shows.
The weather was wonderful, the first time in a few years, and the crowds were strong. On Friday the first day of the show, it was very crowded for at least the first four to five hours. And steady the rest of the weekend. One thing that stood out to me was that there was a noticeable increase in the number of younger people at the show, and that folks is very exciting.
Now where does all this lead? Well for me it makes me want to take my work in even more funkier and quirky directions. Darker yet vibrant and elaborate paint schemes, more exaggerated forms and shapes. And to tell you the truth that kind of freedom is a whole lot more fun. So thats where I'm headed. Right now I'm still working on the paint for the three wood duck hens and I've cut out a pair of ringnecks that you see on my desk. I'm also working on some new Labradors and I'm planning on several miniatures.
One other avenue I'm exploring is new sources for supplies. I've been using the Dick Blick web page for a while but recently I noticed that I could get a free copy of their catalog. It's 500 plus pages of all kinds of Art supplies including , get this, 31 different brands of oil paints. And the best part is the prices, they are 50-60% of Michaels. So for Christmas do yourself a favor and go to www.dickblick.com and get yourself a copy of their catalog.
View attachment PB300033.JPG
And this is one of the new Labradors that I glued up last night. It's hollowed basswood, hollowed down to a quarter inch and very light.
View attachment PB300034.JPG
So let me the first to say Merry Christmas! and what's on your workbench this month?
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