Wednesday, July 11, 2012

James Havard Santa Fe

 Circumstances led us to a Santa Fe day trip yesterday. An appointment with my cardiologist for a stress test 3 months after I suffered a series of 4 heart attacks over the course of 9 days. The tests went quite well and from the Doctor's point of view I should live another 30 years or so with the 3 stents he placed in me on April 15. This by the way is my round about way of writing something about this whole unexpected dilemma. Holly was with me to disseminate the rapid fire descriptions of what was and is currently going on with my heart. After 3 hours of tests we were able to take a bit of time to stop in to see the James Havard exhibit at the vast Zane-Bennett Contemporary Art Gallery at 435 South Guadalupe St. www.zanebennettgallery.com 
We spent almost an hour there as it was difficult to tear ourselves away from viewing these master works. This is a 'survey' of Havard artwork, that is to say Mr. Havard's work through the years. Most artists prefer to exhibit the most current work, and I'm certain if he was up to it there would have been mostly new work here. Yet, he too has had recent health scares and thus the Gallery is exhibiting a bit of work from different time periods. Thank you to the ZaneBennett owners and staff for doing so. As far as I'm concerned this is the exhibition of the year in Santa Fe you should be very proud and I hope that people are turning out to see it.
Southwestern Galleries and Art have the stigma of having to show and be about "landscape paintings" it's a rare treat to see real Contemporary Art and in a gallery that is all about viewing the art.
 Much of the work is presented in shadow box frames due to the layering of artifacts/items onto the surface of his base, whether it be a cardboard box or a heavy artist paper. Most of you will not have the opportunity to view this exhibit, it's only up for 2 more weeks, but there is a lovely 20. catalogue which you can purchase through Z/B. There is also a "James Havard" monogram book in 2 editions a pricey limited edition which comes w a print and the regular hardback by Hudson Hills Press 2006. Pricing of original art begins at 5,000. for masterworks such as these they may be the last bargain to be found in any Santa Fe art gallery! There are also large stretched canvas works, which I did hesitate to investigate pricing of, (the last image here is one of the large early pieces).
 Pages from books with images of masks, pre-Columbian figures or any survey of art history images may adorn the surface. There's also a wonderful 3 dimensional effect he's able to create sometimes with a spray painted shadow below a thick straight from the tube line drawn in space. The series of assemblage boxes with thick paint and artifacts is not like traditional assemblage box art at all, you'd never think of it when viewing these, we viewed them as complete paintings. He seems to stay away from kitsch as a natural instinct, even with the repetitiousness of some of the imagery using words, paintbrushes, picture postcards and even Navajo medicine bundles these never become quaint and ordinary, they are every one extraordinary.
 Although it is never touted as such, Mr. Havard is of Native American descent, of which tribe and to what percentage seems to make no difference to anyone who loves his artwork, (his bio lacks this information). This makes him more endearing to me, he's just James, like him or not. Author Jamake Highwater includes an early work in his book "Arts of the Indian Americas North Central South Leaves from the Sacred Tree" 1983 Harper & Row
 I first saw a few of Mr. Havard's paintings in the office of Ray Trotter of R.B. Ravens Gallery in Ranchos de Taos www.rbravens.com (although he does not have any of them on the website). Inquiring minds would love to know more and from speaking with Ray about this artwork I learned more. Mr. Trotter has a knack of acquiring art that he loves by people that he loves, it just seems to go hand in hand with him. A few years later we had dinner at Trattoria Nostrani www.trattorianostrani.com a wonderful Italian Restaurant in Santa Fe, there adorning the walls are a few of the paintings of James Havard, (these with a definite food theme, probably purchased in trade for a tab), worth a look and worth a reservation to visit, or choose to sit at the bar. 
When I look at this artwork I see a kindred spirit someone who loves and respects world culture, but also someone who was more than likely influenced by an exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC "Primitivism in 20th Century Art" 1985. Seek out the catalogue of the same title it's well worth owning (we do currently have a copy available at Two Graces) In the catalogue you'll find comparisons of Modern Art to the arts and crafts of world cultures, the influences of world culture on a wide range of artists.
 Often times words and writing on paintings bring to mind the artwork of Jean Michel Basquiat, when you actually explore a bit more of art history you'll find early David Hockney and Andy Warhol using writing, go back further and you'll learn about Illuminated Manuscripts. So is James doing his version of Basquiat? The answer is a definitive no, James is doing James and what he loves best and he obviously loves 'Primitivism' and how that has influenced art through the years. With the image below you may notice more of a Bill Traylor style of work, the strong Cobalt color, the primitive style of drawing as in the look of an 'Outsider Artist'. Mr. Havard's paintings are very colorful from his use of Cadmium Red, Yellow and Orange along with the Cobalts of Blue and Green. He doesn't scrimp on his art supplies whether he's using oils, acrylics or pigments and tearing pages out of art books can get very expensive as well.
 The newest work is reminiscent of figures by Romare Bearden, again this is not a bad influence the paintings are very much James Havard paintings. The one major disappointment to this exhibit is the lackluster sales, I noticed one 'red dot' on a description card signaling a sold painting, that's not a whole lot of sales for a High End Art Gallery. Z/B has a top notch sales staff, Christian Cheneau, Mark DiPrima and the ever present Nancy Boshers will always speak to you, even if you are just visiting to see the art and not make a purchase, (who knows perhaps someday you'll want to return and make a purchase when you are feeling flush, and no please don't use the old 'when I win the lottery' excuse).
Introduce yourself, tell them I sent you.
The James Havard exhibit "Staying Ahead of the Beast Paintings, Works on Paper, Archive Boxes" is on view at Zanebennett Contemporary Art in Santa Fe June 29-July 20, 2012
It would have been nice to attend the opening and finally meet Mr. Havard, but I feel fortunate and exhilarated that we were able to take a moment while in Santa Fe to see it, thus this post (normally I don't write posts about other people's galleries).
This is a collection of masterworks by a more than talented artist, a rare treat, try not to miss it, (the clock is ticking).

Update: Sadly I noticed on my last trip to Santa Fe that ZaneBennett Contemporary Art is now closed.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Taos Lilac Festival

All photographs Robert Cafazzo copyright 2012, 
if you would like to use any of these images please ask first, thank you.
"Lilacs against Adobe"
In May 2013 The Taos Lilac Festival will take place as an annual event you will find more information as it becomes available here: http://www.taoslilacfestival.com/ 
(They also have begun a Facebook page)

 "Lilacs with clouds"
This Spring in Taos we have seen a wonderful array of colorful flowering fruit trees, apples, apricots, and a few peaches. They even survived the early Spring snows with trees now beginning to bare little green nuggets of fruit. Over the past 2 weeks the Lilac bushes and Forsythia shrubs have been in full bloom, along with Tulips, Daffodils, & Grape Hyacinth. Now the large Bearded Iris are blooming and some early Oriental Poppies in all their glory.
Along with all the flowering wild flowers, people have been saying this is the prettiest Spring they've seen in Taos in over 12 years.
 Although there may be 1,000 types of Lilacs, in Taos we tend to see 4 of these, the classic medium colored Lilac, a paler softer Lilac, a deep intense almost purple Lilac color, and a white Lilac, which most people plant as a group with the medium colored bush.
 All over Taos you'll find Lilacs blooming at this time of year, a real treat for your eyes and nose. 
 Stop and listen you may hear buzzing bees, and chirping birds, I love the sounds of the Red Winged Blackbirds as they fly from bush to bush with their trill voices calling to one another.
 Now today being May 8, 2012, and the Lilac Festival dates being May 17-June 3, 2013 I won't make any promises for next year for these dates, I say come early, the first week of May which has been prime viewing for our spectacular flowering Lilac shrubs. 
(Please note: last year very few lilacs bloomed due to an extreme lack of moisture)
 In Ranchos de Taos & Llano Quemado there are Lilacs everywhere!
 "Soft lilac coloring at the Taos Art Museum"
 I took this shot of Lilacs in the sunshine growing over a fence nearby, the house where these are located has painted purple doors and window frames!
 "Storm over Lilacs"
 Ooooh, I wonder what Lilac Honey would bee like???
 "Bunches of Clouds and Lilacs"
 "Lilac with Horno (adobe bread oven)"
 "White Lilacs with soft color" 
Are they still Lilacs if they are white?
Bring your camera, or if you forget to, snap some pictures with your smart phone!
 A vase of Lilacs on your Dining room table or on your Bureau will add a lovely fresh fragrance of the outdoors to the room. Remember to ask first if you are picking a bouquet from a bush that is not yours.
 I took most of these photographs on a 1.2 mile walk from my home in Llano Quemado to the Ranchos Plaza, there's a lovely group of bushes here by the Church and in the backyard of our store Two Graces Plaza Gallery.
As children we would suck the sweet nectar from as many of these little flowers as we could!
Get out and enjoy the lilacs!!!

The arrival of spring in Taos brings with it the blossoming of lilacs everywhere. Lilacs in springtime are ubiquitous in Taos, they are as iconic as the Hollyhocks of summer. Whether set against a Taos blue sky, an adobe wall, or draping over a coyote fence, lilacs are a much loved sight in Taos.

The artist Rebecca Salsbury James began a campaign in the 1940’s to plant Lilacs as a way of beautifying Taos Plaza. Rebecca had accompanied Georgia O’Keeffe for their first visit to Taos, remaining here throughout her life. Her home La Casa Feliz is located at the end of Bent Street, where you can still see her lilacs as they bloom each year.

The annual Taos Lilac Festival, scheduled for May 15-17, 2020 was cancelled due to the ongoing pandemic. One of the sponsors for this event is the Los Jardineros Garden Club of Taos, who encourage gardeners in Taos to plant more lilacs. Here is the link to their Map for Taos Lilac Garden locations: https://www.taoslilacfestival.com/map/

Lilacs have a typical blooming period of up to three weeks. Many of these brilliant bushes and hedgerows of blossoms can be found while driving the side roads of Taos. 
Here is my route suggestion of a scenic and safe drive for viewing lilacs in the Taos Historic District:
Start at the northern end of Salazar Road, head to La Loma Plaza at Valdez and Ranchitos Road, drive on to La Loma Street. Drive over to the next block onto Valverde Street, there are also some lovely lilacs in bloom on Geronimo Lane near the Hanuman Temple. On Valverde Street you’ll pass behind the Taos Library and Town Hall to reach the Taos Living Center where you can see from the road beautiful lilacs in bloom. 
From Valverde St. cross over Camino de la Placita to Lund Street, there you’ll also find Lilacs in bloom on Theodora Street, Sierra Vista Road, and Hinde Street. 
The Sierra Vista Cemetery (505 Paseo del Pueblo Norte) is awash in lilacs, park your vehicle and stroll around to see for yourself. Lilacs are commonly planted in cemeteries as they need little, to no upkeep. Lilac colored clothing was considered proper mourning attire, the flowers were worn as a sign of a lost love.
Drive north on Paseo del Pueblo Norte turning left at the stoplight onto the northern end of Camino de la Placita and keep an eye out for all the lilacs in bloom that you can see from the roadside until you arrive at the Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. Once again park and walk around to see the gardens there. Continue driving up ‘Placitas’ turn onto Ledoux Street and right not Ranchitos Road then up on over to Quesnel Street where you’ll see the Couse Meadow and more lilacs all around you.
Cross Kit Carson Road to Morada Lane up to the Mabel Dodge Luhan Home (240 Morada Lane), from the large parking area you can view hedges and rows of more lilacs in bloom. Back onto Kit Carson Road drive east, quickly turning left onto Las Cruces Lane, where you will see some of the very best gardens proudly on display. Back to Kit Carson Road heading east drive to the Thom Wheeler Studio Gallery (939 Kit Carson Rd.). From here, turn back towards Taos until you reach Burch Street turn left here, right onto Los Pandos, then right onto Montoya Street and left back onto Kit Carson Road notice more lilacs at the Couse-Sharp Historic Site (146 Kit Carson Rd.). Turn north onto Paseo del Pueblo Norte to see the lilacs at Kit Carson Park & Cemetery, the Taos Art Museum at Fechin House (227 Paseo del Pueblo Norte) and the El Pueblo Lodge (412 Paseo del Pueblo Norte). 
As lilac season begins to fade in late May, many areas are past their prime. Lilacs on Bent Street are usually worth seeing, most have now faded. This route is meant to show you lilacs in bloom right now in the Taos Historic District.

Lucy McCall, a Taos herbalist and Associate Instructor at UNM said, “People are just coming into consciousness of foraging for edible flowers, herbs, and plants. I’ve used lilacs as a febrifuge to reduce fever by steeping lilacs in warm water to make a tea. Not too hot or you’ll lose the lovely aroma. They also have astringent qualities. Lilacs used as a flower essence open up all the chakras for those who practice Kundalini.” Aromatherapy usage of lilacs also helps to ward off depression, creating an uplifting emotional and spirituality quality.

Lilac flowers may also be used to make a simple syrup to enjoy as a refreshment with sparkling water or they can be made into a vodka based beverage much like a homemade limoncello.

Here is my recipe for a delicate and not too sweet,
Lilac Shortbread Cookie

1 Stick of Unsalted Butter
1/4 Cup Powdered Confectioners Sugar
1 Cup Flour
2 Tspns Blueberry Syrup
1 Tspn Vanilla
1/4 Cup Dried Lilac Flowers

Cream the Sugar and Butter
Add the rest of the ingredients, adding the Lilacs last
Roll the dough out between sheets of Parchment Paper to 3/8 inch thick
Use a simple cookie cutter or slice into wedges
Place onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet
Bake in the oven at 325 degrees for 12-14 minutes until they begin to brown at the edges.

British artist David Hockney has said: “Do remember they can’t cancel the Spring.”
I hope this encourages you to go out for a drive, roll your windows
down and take in the scented air of Lilacs blooming in Taos. 

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Fakes and Authenticity in Southwest Collectibles, Appraisals and lessons to learn.

Our store Two Graces Plaza Gallery sells Art, Books and Curios of the Southwest, we strive to sell the best items we can Vintage Antique Collectibles of the old southwest here in Taos, New Mexico at affordable price points.
This particular post is meant to help with your shopping for antique collectibles from the Southwest and to keep you from purchasing misrepresented or fake items. To view some of the items we sell please refer to many of the other blog posts here, there are lots of pictures. Anxious to know what we have for sale in the Fred Harvey Jewelry or Pueblo Pottery categories please ask, I can always send you pictures or join us on Facebook where updates of new merchandise are more frequent. I have provided lots of posts on old kachina dolls and on the many curios we carry in this Blog.
It burned me up that a member of the US Armed Forces was recently duped by an unscrupulous 'Indian Trading Post' dealer in San Diego! Which motivated me to write the following post as our "tourist" season in the great American Southwest just begins.
 Recently someone asked me to repair a “kachina” they had purchased. My reply asked for them to send photos. The picture they sent was of a carving depicting a petroglyph version of Kokopelli. Let me say that Kokopelli is a doll that is carved out on the Hopi Mesas, but the typical style of this doll is that of a man or woman image with an upturned white ‘nose’, usually with a hump or sack on it’s back and a depiction of genitals. Your regular every day depiction of Kokopelli found specifically in rock art is not what you will find as an actual Kachina Doll carving.
Now let me tell you the doll was purchased in San Diego from an “Indian Trading Post” shop, this wouldn’t be my first place to purchase a Kachina Doll from, but so be it, the shop exists. This shop also has supplied a “Certificate of Authenticity” with the purchase. The name of the maker and a date is written in pen at the bottom and the name, address & telephone of the shop are printed at the top. There is also a bit towards the bottom that there will be a shipping & handling fee of $15. on items returned within 30 days, (often this is called a re-stocking fee).
ANYONE can go online and download a genuine looking Certificate of Authenticity but this has little to no value. Say you found the piece to not be genuine, and say your option is to return it and pay a $15 fee for this convenience, doesn’t matter to the shop one way or another, they’ll put it out on the shelf for sale again and sell it to some other customer.

Even if I tell you to deal with reputable dealers, that little old man in that charming old shop is going to tell you a story that you’re going to LOVE and must buy the thing he just made up a whole lot of air about. All this, with or without a ‘certificate’ of any kind.
I can’t begin to tell you how many times people want a ‘story’ to go along with the item they are purchasing. IF I don’t know a story, I don’t attempt to make one up, and I could just as easily give you what you’re after and make something up. This to me is wrong, if I don’t know more about it than what I’ve told you, then I don’t know. If you purchase something from me that I had no idea anything about it and it turned out to be worth 100 times what you paid for it, blessings to you. This has probably happened in my shop more than I would be proud to admit. It happens to everyone dealing in antiques of any sort, you can’t be an expert in everything. Specialize in what you love and learn as much as you possibly can about that field.
A local dealer came in and asked about a large display of old oil painting brushes that I had, he wanted to know if they had belonged to a significant Taos Artist, which they had not. I told him so and although they made a very beautiful picturesque display he walked away without purchasing them. Another local dealer thought about purchasing something from me for a year, one day he came in and bought the item when I wasn’t at the shop for 1/3 the price I had on it. I’ve seen it on his website repainted to look more ‘authentic’, although I can be as mad as I am, there is nothing I can do about this. So, if it looks too good to be true, be careful, and this person has a very high end shop with a large clientele. Just reporting this here can get me into more hot water than I care to think about, for the are well respected and connected dealers.
One of the local ‘pickers’ came by to show me a few kachina dolls, one of which was from a Santa Fe collection that he was suspicious of because of the way the ears were, he told me so and as I looked at it I remembered that the doll could be carved with one ear or both ears in that manner. Sure enough it’s in the best of the books on kachinas "Following the Sun and Moon: Hopi Kachina Traditions" by A.H. Secakuku 1995 as such, either way one cone shaped ear or 2. I wish I’d purchased it from him it was a beauty ca 1950’s.
Often a knowledgeable person will walk into the shop and tell me more about something I have that I didn’t know anything at all about. At times I hold onto items I don’t know about rather than make a mistake. I purchased a doll that appeared to be some sort of Mohawk Indian doll, I asked a few people about it and they came to the same conclusion, “African”.
My own experience with purchasing a Kachina, 35 years ago, was with an “Indian Trading Post” shop in Rockport, Massachusetts where I purchased a ‘genuine’ Indian Kachina. You can take a wild guess that, yup, I bought my first Navajo Pow Wow Dancer that day. A few years later I bought a “Kachina” doll on Ebay, that too far from the real thing, the carved wooden kachina turned out to be a plastic resin casting! One of the traders I know bought a wonderful fake from someone on Ebay, which I purchased from him just to have in my shop to show people how desirable a fake can be, (and let me tell you, more people wanted to buy that carving than any other I had in the shop, I finally sold it on Ebay as a fake just to get rid of it).
As I look on Ebay today of 350 listings under the search Kachina in a one day time span 38 show up that are actually Hopi carved dolls, very elaborate contemporary items, 62 are Navajo Pow Wow Dancers and 3 are completely fake, one of which I would consider calling a “Boy Scout” carving but that would be overly generous. The rest of the items that turn up in my Ebay search are prints, jewelry and stuff that for no rhyme or reason should show up for this search. I will give Ebay credit that they do have a nicely written post on how to spot a fake kachina, but as far as their “Buyer Protection” policy goes, I warn you it’s more of a BUYER BEWARE protection policy than a truly in your best interest policy. I’ve read that 98% of autographs purchased on Ebay are fakes, that’s a high percentage and a field that you should probably stay away from.
Recently a customer pointed out to me a big auction house that had just sold lots and lots of Kachina dolls. As I looked at the images there were many fakes among the lots, many misidentified and lots of stuff the auction house hedged their bets on by listing them as ‘Hopi Style’. The customer asked me why these didn’t sell for high prices. I knew a few of them had been sold on Ebay, the person that had collected these had been buying up quite a bit of stuff online. As the dolls were sold in group lots, the fakes devalued the real and made bidders skeptical of all. 
On Jewlery, there is a town in the Philippines named Zuni, where they make “Zuni” jewelry or FAKE Native American Zuni Jewelry. The stuff they export is Extremely popular in shops across the US. Much of the beaded necklaces and earrings for sale in shops across the Southwest may indeed be Made by a Native American, but more than likely the beads and fetishes were made in China or the Philippines and “Strung together” by that Native American. Whether you are purchasing from a sweet looking little girl or a beautiful Grandmother on an Indian Reservation or in Indian Land, people lie bold faced to you when you ask if they “Made” it. If the item doesn’t LOOK hand crafted don’t assume it is. If it’s a gift for your 5 year old and is inexpensive enough no worries, until they grow up and find that you got them a lovely FAKE. You wouldn’t want your legacy to be, look, Grandma handed down a fake to me!
Nowadays legitimate makers of fine Silver jewelry can hardly afford the silver, so they are using copper more and more, same fine craftsmanship and more affordable, although turquoise on copper may not look quite as lovely as it does on silver. Years ago a few very accomplished makers of Concha belts turned to using Nickel silver, not sterling they couldn’t afford it, the craftsmanship is some of the best out there, but the material is not the best. Silver tarnishes, don’t clean it, let it age with a nice patina over the years. Silver when rubbed hard and vigorously with your finger will leave a black mark on your finger, nickel silver will not leave any residue behind at all. A woman I know here came into the shop all happy at her fine Concha Belt and how valuable she assumed it to be. I was the only one bold enough to tell her the truth, nickel silver and not nearly as valuable as a sterling silver belt would be. She was so mad at me she didn’t speak to me for a year and actually bad mouthed me to friends. Taos is a small community and word gets back to you here. Should I have lied to her, ethics say no, I told her the truth no matter how much it hurt her feelings and no matter how badly she lashed out at me. At the time she was desperate for money and that was all she could think about, now she has sold her house for an inflated Taos price and is once again happy with the world and even with me.
The people that set up in front of the Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe are vetted and must be selling legitimate crafts otherwise they are not allowed to sell there. They are one of the best sources for real contemporary Native American Jewelry.
On Pottery I will tell you if you are considering making a purchase listen to the way the pot sounds when you tap or ping it with the back of your finger. There should be a ring, like when you tap a crystal wine glass, or at least a nice sound, not a dull thud. Some places wrap pottery in plastic wrap to ‘protect’ them from dirt, don’t buy it unless the dealer is willing to unwrap it and tap it for you. The best book to read up on what to look for when it comes to Pueblo Pottery is “Southwestern Pottery Anasazi to Zuni” by Hayes & Blom 1996. There are specific reasons one pot can be more valuable than another, age, maker, pueblo, style, sound and on and on. Learn about it and collect what appeals to you. If you are looking for a quick fix of ‘southwest’ style and choose to purchase pottery from Mexico of the Mata Ortiz type you are on your own as far as I’m concerned. A couple from Colorado came by last weekend asking if I would appraise their Mata Ortiz collection for insurance purposes, even a local dealer that specializes in the stuff wouldn’t appraise it for them, it has Little value! This type of pottery has appreciated in value very, VERY little, with very few auction houses even willing to resell it. It may look quite nice on your bookshelf, so let’s keep it at that, as far as investment goes, you will never get your money back on it, (unless all southwestern pueblo pottery disintegrates overnight).
I purchased a very large Acoma pot years ago from a friend’s storage unit, her dad had passed away and he was a Santa Fe Flea Market dealer. When I first came to the Southwest I would see dealers tossing dirt onto the items they had on display at the Santa Fe Flea Market, aging them! The pot had a chip on the rim, but it was so oversized that I had to have it. I took it to 2 different dealers I knew here, they both smiled when they saw it. They both told me that years ago there was a guy in Mora, New Mexico making these pots that looked like the real thing, but they were being FAKED and sold to every dealer in Santa Fe as the genuine rare pots that they appeared to be. It was the chip that was the dead give away, they could tell from the clay and how it had been fired this was not a legitimate pot. This was my first lesson in fake pottery, one of the dealers told me that the lesson I had just learned was worth every penny I paid for the pot. I did sell the pot for exactly what I’d purchased it for to a local couple (as a fake, complete with story) to put on display on the roof top of their Bed and Breakfast where it would make a great display.
When the economy collapsed a few years ago the New York Times published an article about some of the best places to invest your money with vintage collectible Native Americana being one of the best investments and with pueblo pottery at the top of the list. Why because it can break and therefore pieces that are not broken have become rare and more desirable, they just appreciate in value, plain and simple. Right now we have a few pieces of pottery that are very good investments, my prices are at least half of what other dealers would be selling them at.
Furniture has been faked for years and is one of the worst culprits in the marketplace as you will see very well documented on shows like Antiques Roadshow. Lots and lots of fine country furniture have been faked for over 200 years, and if you don’t know your stuff then be cautious not to overspend. A local shop has a lovely hand made chest, which looks very much like chests you would see in Museum collections of southwestern furniture. Then I looked at it more closely. The wood has a copper or brass patina on it, why in the world would WOOD have a green patina on it unless it was in contact with copper or brass! Then too, no dove tail joinery the thing had been cobbled together with old boards, but not old nails just some regular rusty nails that could have been re-used from some other wooden item. Worm holes and age can be faked, people beat things with heavy chains and use sandpaper to ad age, even use old boards from older furniture to be remade into something else entirely. Take a close look is that consistent wear and tear or is that added on for your deception?
Sometimes you purchase something for the look and style of the piece, if the price is right and you’ve got to have it then go ahead and make the purchase. If you are buying something to hand down and that will appreciate in value please be careful what you buy.
Lastly a word on appraisals, for insurance purposes go to someone who specializes in what you need appraised, ask for a written statement that is notarized and PAY FOR THE APPRAISAL. As for appraisals to stroke your ego and prove how smart you are that you got a great deal, DON’T even come a knocking. There’s nothing worse than someone who wants me to work for them for FREE. And yes, I consider it work, my knowledge, HONESTY and my time is a valuable commodity. Be prepared to be told the truth about your item, again have you ever watched Antiques Roadshow, there are winners and losers out there. When that little old guy pulled up with a bolo tie he bought 50 years ago here in Taos, I didn’t have the heart to tell him that it probably wasn’t worth what he had paid for it. Recently a book was published specifically about Bolo ties, usually values go up because demand goes up when a book is published on a particular collectible, in this case even the book has devalued and today can already be found in remainder bins. There’s just little to no interest in these beautiful pieces made for gentlemen of the southwest. A woman turned up with a brass pitcher, from India, not Native American, she thought she had a valuable piece in her possession. Have you ever watched Pawn Stars on the history Channel or American Pickers, we are in it to resell it, not buy it for full blown retail. Pay for the appraisal, at least 5% to 10% of the appraised value. What you really want is a Low figure and a High figure, a range or Ballpark figure. Some dealers will inflate values just to get a higher payment for the appraisal, offer the item to them, if they are unwilling to pay at least 1/3 of the stated appraisal then you shouldn’t be dealing with them at all because they are not a legitimate expert in this field. Some people go from one dealer to another looking for what they want to be told in the first place and dismissing the one person that was actually honest with them! How do you know an honest appraisal from one that just doesn’t want to hurt your feelings, offer to pay for their knowledge. If you choose to sell it online (Ebay) be prepared to make 1/3 the value. With all the fees involved you will be getting more like ¼ the value. A legit dealer would more than want a great piece to resell in their shop! When I can’t afford something that I would want to have in my shop I will offer to put it on consignment, then we both, seller and consignor can have a worthwhile experience. I am always looking for GREAT vintage Kachinas, Pottery, Jewelry and Tramp Art to resell in my shop.
As I’ve said here even I’ve been taken, and have slowly but surely learned many lessons the hard way. I remain optimistic and trusting, and am willing and able to share my hard earned knowledge with my customers. If you made a purchase on the side of the road, at a Flea Market, at a Yard Sale or even in a shop and it seemed too good to be true, it probably is. The problem is if you spent too much on it, and received a discount, then you’ll have no recourse to return it. Over the years we have been in business 9 years here in Taos, and I am proud to say we have had fewer than 5 returns, I think the actual number may be 1, and not for reasons of legitimacy. A legitimate store or auction house will stand by what they are selling. We do not take returns, there are far too many people buying things to resell. They turn up looking for deals and discounts or something I may not know enough about, then once they were not able to 'flip' it quickly they suddenly want to return the item. Once it's in someone else's hands for resale it is their item to sell. 
Do as much research about an item that you possibly can. No one will ever be an expert of everything they offer to sell, everyone makes mistakes. Most items don't come with signatures or provenance or any history whatsoever. It is up to you whether or not to purchase an item or not. If you are purchasing something to resell, I wish you all the best in flipping it for more than you paid for it. Sometimes you lose money, sometimes you make money and sometimes you break even. 
This post is meant to be of some help and not to frighten you away from purchasing collectibles of any sort.
Both photographs on this post are by the photographer Brian Snyder to see more of his work please view his images at http://www.briansnyder.com/#a=0&at=0&mi=1&pt=0&pi=1&s=0&p=-1
These are two of my favorite photographs!


Friday, April 6, 2012

San Francisco de Asis Church, Ranchos de Taos, Part 3 (front)

This vintage photograph has been reversed, the bell is actually on the other side!
 A tiny village four miles south of Taos on State Highway 68 (between mile markers 41 & 42), Ranchos de Taos is home to the San Francisco de Asis Church (or the Ranchos Church) a National Historic Landmark. The church has been an inspiration for many great artists who’ve left us with a palpable sense of the people places and events of the past and present. Its heavy buttresses have been portrayed in all media since the early 20th Century, most famously by Georgia O’Keeffe, Ansel Adams, and Paul Strand. The ever changing light has made capturing the back of this structure a challenge to artists/photographers for over a century. The Plaza was here before the church was built; in the mid-1700s it was the most populated community in the vicinity. Most of the buildings in the old plaza contain parts of the original structure, some of these buildings are over 300 years old. This historic plaza was built on top of an abandoned Native American Village. The front of the Church faces away from the road revealing it’s famous backside to travelers as they arrive to Taos. This is not meant to confuse visitors it merely faces the original road in to Taos a branch of the Old Santa Fe Trail.

There are a few gravesites in the patio around the front of the Church
 Inside the parish office resides “The Shadow of the Cross” or “the Mystery Painting” by Henry Ault. A small fee is charged and you will also be shown a short video about the Church. These can be viewed Mon.-Fri. 9AM-4PM.

 Each spring the Church is re-plastered with a mixture of mud and straw by the local parishioners.  Once again work will begin this June with locals and visitors joining in for the “enjarre”, or re-mud.

 San Francisco de Asis Church visiting hours 9-4 Mon.-Sat. 575-751-0518      

 Sunday Mass Service 7AM Spanish, 9AM & 11:30AM Weekdays 6:45AM Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri                                                                                        

ca. 1940's with livestock corrals, during WW2 animals were kept in the safety of the Church Plaza



a rather awkward view capturing back buttresses and front steeple


First Light of a brand new day



Polaroid of Vigas

2012 updated Vigas


Even today this Church is an active and vital center for the community of Taos, note the horse & buggy!


 Before the pine trees
 The majestic Sphinx like front
 absolute front
 From across the parking area, Two Graces Plaza Gallery is located in the building to the right
 Priest and parishioner greet each other
at one point in the early 20's the Church fell into disrepair
 colorized linen postcard
 Kodachrome
 updated vehicle
 The extreme sunset
 Vintage linen postcard
 Vintage linen postcard, same view, different visitors
Young couple ca 1950's

Before he was the old guy he is today, your guide Robert Cafazzo
Once again here are a group of images of the great San Francisco de Asis Church in Ranchos de Taos. This grouping is of the front and without the very large pine trees blocking the view which have grown very, very tall.
I've been gathering these images for the past 25 years, many are vintage postcards, some are from State and National Archives and some are photographs I've taken myself.
If you choose to re-post any of these images please give me credit and a donation to the Church would be an admirable way to pay your respect.
Thank you very much