A Tale of Two Veras

So because I do not have enough things to obsess about while thrifting I have decided to look for Vera Neumann scarves and linens. (I owe this new obsession to Scott at Ars Longa who has a beautiful collection and lots of information).
Today was the day I started looking, and I found one at my first stop.
The pattern caught my eye as I was pouring through the hanging scarves and then the signature. I searched for more, because where there is one there are usually others. Later I found out there had been more but they were snapped up quickly.
There was no price tag on this one and most of the other scarves were $1-$3.
I told the woman at the checkout that this scarf did'nt have a price. She looked it over very closely and said knowingly "Oh this is Vera. You know we had some over there from Paris and other places of Vera's earlier this week." I said "Oh yes? I notice this one was made in Japan," and she says, "Well you know the story of Vera Wang don't ya? We get a lot of Vera Wang scarves here, people love them. I bought two myself."

I paid her the $5 she asked for it and said nothing except "Have a great day! See you next week."

Albums by Design

It is amazing what has been done on the 12 by 12 space that is the record album cover. Photography, drawing, painting, typography, all of these and more. The cardboard album cover as we know it today and the art on it was first created in 1938 by Alex Steinweiss. Columbia Records hired him as art director when he was 23, and he came up with what we all know as the album jacket, cover, etc...
I always search for records, and typically find them for 50 cents. Sometimes I will buy a record simply because I love the art on the cover. And that is the case with these albums. They grabbed me with their simple style, use of color, and they just the pop off the album jacket.
All (four) of these records were bought at different times, in different stores and maybe even different years (see them all on my Flickr set). Recently I was trying to find the right albums to hang on the wall. Then I noticed that some of my favorites were all designed by Sam Suliman. I can find very little information about him, but seems he designed some book jackets and titles for films as well as album covers. If anyone knows more please comment.

First "Real" art find

I always look through the art bins and shelves in thrift stores hoping to find that one piece that eluded everyone's eye - the Picasso or Dali, a Saul Bass or Paul Rand. I know it is a dream and not realistic, but I always hope for cool things on my hunts and do pretty well.

I'm a sucker for vintage black velvet paintings, mostly from Mexico, and I love anything with big eyes. Not a huge fan of bird art, but I recently found two pieces that just caught my eye. They were hand signed and numbered, but not paintings or drawings. They appeared to be on silk or some sort of cloth.

A quick search of the web on the iPhone and the name M.R. Bebb showed several results for pieces being sold in galleries. Could this be my first real art find worth more than just my love? I bought them, then did the research. 

According to jrbartgallery.com "Maurice Bebb, an accomplished color etcher, had virtually no formal art training and was self-taught as a printmaker. Following his study at the University of Illinois, Bebb moved to Muskogee, Oklahoma, where he was a florist for many years. He made his first print around 1943, relying on various printmaking technical manuals and his own study of original prints for instruction. Eventually he befriended Charles Capps and Arthur Hall, both of whom gave him advice and encouragement. Most of Bebb’s images featured birds or flowers, often those he observed in Oklahoma or in Minnesota, where he spent his summers. Memberships included Prairie Print Makers and Print Makers Society of California."

So yes I have found my first real art find. M.R. Bebb aquatints are being sold for $550 - $150 in galleries. Now do I hang them on the wall or try and sell them?


Links:
jrb art gallery
moderncraft.blogspot
spencer art exhibit
boston avenue studio fine art print