I've always been a thrifter, long before Goodwill became popular among the masses. In fact, I think of Goodwill as a place for beginners to get their feet wet, a place to observe and learn from the people turning over a unique piece of glassware to look for a signature. Personally, I prefer the jaunts where little old ladies donate and shop, or the local church stores that the Goodwill shoppers don't know about.
Over the past year, I've found lots of cool spots that I try to hit at least a couple of times a month. I'm so familiar with these places, that I have a shopping routine for each of them. Usually it's something like this - furniture, framed art, glassware, shoes, purses and another glance through furniture just before leaving. Everyone has their own unique style and taste when thrifting. I am drawn to mid-century furniture, unique original art work, vintage owls in glass or metal, antique nesting dolls and old medicine bottles that I fill with ivy and put in my windows.
In the past few months I've began to notice that through my thrift store treasure hunting, I'm building quite a nice collection of art. It's not something that I initially set out to do, but there have been many pieces that I've felt drawn to. There are pieces that speak to me in one way or another and hence... my collection has evolved and this blog has begun.
The first treasure I want to share with you is something I picked up yesterday. It's one of those items that I was immediately excited to find. Looking at it, I could tell that it was a piece of art that took a long time to create and that a lot of devotion and detail went into it.
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| 23" x 29" Antique Ink on Silk Drawing, Signed by Artist |
The piece is in a semi-ornate frame made of wood, with a gold colored glaze over it. The inside of the frame has a weaved fabric, which I have found is common among antique japanese art. It's a large piece of art; with frame, it measures 2.6' across and 3' high. The actual art measures 1.91' feet across and 2.41' high. If I look closely, I can see where the picture ends and it appears to be an ink drawing on silk. I recognize the fabric from a collection of Japanese scrolls I was lucky enough to find several months ago.
On the back, there is a handwritten tag with the name of artist and the date of 13-9-78 and a set of numbers. Unfortunately I cannot make out the artist name.
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| Ineligible Artist Signature |
There are also two other labels on the back, which both say Vanguard Studios. The second one also list the catalog number 4932. After doing some research, I learned that Vanguard Studios was located in Beverly Hills California and would provide affordable oil paintings out of their gallery. I did find a phone number and contact person for them, although I don't believe they are open any longer as their is very little information about them anywhere online.
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| Vanguard Studios Labels |
Please let me know if you have any further information about this piece of art. It really is beautiful and I'd love to know more about it. Check back often as I'm going to try and post something new every few days.
Happy Hunting!
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