Monday, May 25, 2009

Art Find


After my last visit to my neighborhood thrift store I told you about my art find. Well this is it. I hope you like it as much as I do. A photo can never do justice to blown glass, nor does it give you an idea of the heft of the piece. When I used to live in Santa Barbara there was an art gallery across from one of our favorite restaurants. I used to drool over this kind of thing but could never afford to buy one of those pieces since they were priced in the hundreds of dollars range. I paid $8 for this beauty.

18 comments:

Life As I Know It Now said...

Very nice find. Does it have a smooth pontil on the bottom? Does it have any marks or etched stamped signatures on it?

Utah Savage said...

That would require my finding my reading glasses. But now I will start searching for them. It weighs at least 30 pounds. It is definitely not mass produced.

SaoirseDaily2 said...

Now that is a cool vase. I can envision lillies being displayed in it. Take your time on the meme, I will love seeing your answers and added question.

I am so bad, I pay a college guy to pick up the poop each Thursday.

Utah Savage said...

Bad hell, paying a college guy to pick up poop sounds very smart to me. Maybe I could find one to train the dogs and walk them as well. Then I could spend my days reading blogs and taking naps. Oh, yea, that is what I already do. Otherwise I wouldn't be picking up fifty pounds of poop at a time. Luckily Cyrus almost always poops in the same area. So it's not a search and scoop mission. But it is in the vinca, and the vinca is high this year making locating the current poop pile hard to spot or avoid stepping in. So just to be on the safe side I wade into the vinca in my Wellingtons.

Commander Zaius said...

For years my wife and I would watch home improvement shows and see them find great pieces of furniture in thrift stores that looked nearly brand new.
We have hit such stores many times and never found anything that didn't look like it hadn't been through a tornado or hurricane.

Did find a couch one time that looked okay until I lifted one of the cushions and found a dead rat. Paige Davis and the rest of the people on Trading Spaces never had to deal with dead rodents.

Utah Savage said...

Hell, Beach, if I had to deal with dead rats I wouldn't be shopping at this thrift store either. But most of the great antique furniture in my house came out of thrift stores. A few years back when I was trying to avoid bankruptcy I sold all the really big pieces. But the book cases are good craftsman pieces found painted several times on someone's driveway or lawn at a garage sale, then stripped and stained.

Fran said...

I love the vaaaaase. I am somewhat of a vase freak.
I am very picky about vases though, usually acquiring the .05 cent specials @ yard sales!
I like to buy bunches of them, then give away yard flowers in them as random acts of kindness.
Recently did that when I went to introduce myself to the new neighbors across the street... a nice batch of lilacs to say hello. Was fun.

Oh occasionally I will pay a little more for a cool/unique vase.... but my favs are the oober inexpensive ones I score.

That one is a beaut.... love the colors.

Utah Savage said...

I tried some very tall Iris in the vaaase, but it is more an art piece than a vaaase for flowers. And sadly, Lib I found no mark on the bottom, so it is probably factory made. Damn my lying eyes. Oh well, I still like it.

Fran, it is time for me to start searching for the uber cheap ones again. I have given all of mine away too. Past time to replenish the supply.

PENolan said...

I wish you were here so you could threaten to knock me on the head with that vaaaaase if I don't get these last three "report cards" written before I go to bed tonight.

Lockwood said...

I love art glass, and that is beautiful. Eight bucks? What a steal!

Sherry Pasquarello said...

that is really a good find!

susan said...

It's definitely a keeper.

I once had a crystal bowl, the only gift I ever received from a woman I knew for years. Strangely the bowl was much like her - heavily based, brittle and very fragile. I gave it away to someone who doesn't move very often.

Utah Savage said...

Well, this is very modern. It has a flat bottom no pontil, if I understand the word. It has no makers marks at all. Maybe it was mass-produced. Maybe it was cheap, but why such a heavy base? It's large, but has a very small opening at the top and it's curved and asymmetrical as if done by fingers. Oh please, ornamental colored-glass gods, let it be a one of a kind.

themom said...

Absolutely lovely find. I hope the vase gods are in your favor. the colors are just great.

Steve said...

very nice!
we used to go to a ren fest in Texas and the glass blowing exhibit was too cool for school

Non Je Ne Regrette Rien said...

that vahz is simply mahvellous.

Elizabeth said...

What a beaut! I would be over the moon to find such a thing!

Spadoman said...

Just passing through, thought I'd stop by. I read the last two posts as well. Sounds like a good enough neighborhood BBQ, and the rain and cold has me wondering about a trip out that way next week. Hope I don't get greeted with snow in the high altitudes. That's not fun on a motorcycle.

I love thrift shopping. I can't explain what thrills me, but when I see an object I like, I buy it. One year, I had this old 1955 trailer home in a Marina on Humboldt Bay in Northern California. I thrift store outfitted the entire kitchen with 1950's stuff. Great fun. You look like you have an eye for objects too. Good Find!

Peace.