What's This? What's This??

Second Post of the Day

To quote Jack Skellington, "What's this? What's this??"

I found it while out antiquing last week, and did a double take when I spied it.

A white horse that looked like it was made of plaster. The booth was too crowded for me to get close enough to get it down, so I held my phone up and snapped this photo.

I recognized that horse. I had inherited one like it from Alice, the woman who lived in the old farmhouse on Tim's property and passed away almost two years ago.

It's been sitting in a box in my office ever since because frankly, I didn't know what to do with it.

 

It has marks in it that look as though it was wrapped in a paper napkin when the exterior was soft.

I can't find any maker's marks on the piece,

and the body shows evidence that someone worked on it, maybe cleaning it up after it came out of the mold like you would with greenware. I assumed it was made of clay or plaster until I noticed the broken ear on Alice's piece.

The picture doesn't show it clearly, but the inside of the ear is hard, smooth, and shiny. There is resin underneath that outer shell.

That wasn't the only thing I inherited from Alice. Tim also passed on this donkey planter.

I am assuming it is a mid century piece, most likely from California.

I found five of these on eBay and they seem collectible to some collectors.

I was quite surprised at what the sellers were asking for it.

To me, neither piece is appealing and I was going to send the planter to Good Will and maybe throw the horse out. Now I am not so sure.

If you know anything about these pieces, please put it in the comments or send me a message. Or, if you want either piece (or both), you can have them free for shipping. (horsiemama8 at the account that begins with a G.)

Jennifer Buxton's Candy Corn Treat

First Post of the Day

No words, a few tears, and a grateful heart. If you haven't seen Jennifer Buxton's blog post this morning, go read it and you will see why I am teary.

Thank you, Jennifer. We have 19 bags of candy ready for our neighborhood's trick or treaters tonight and no doubt I'll sample more than a few, but your blog post was absolutely THE BEST Halloween treat of my day.

Happy Halloween!

 

Speaking of Dr. Seuss...

Second Post of the Day

I brought a lot of music and art into my classroom when I was teaching. My Masters degree was in using Fine Arts to teach Science and Science to teach Fine Arts.* 

An example would be making Gyotaku, a Japanese art form that originally was used to study marine life before the days of refrigeration.

In my classroom, we also looked at some children's classic literature through the lens of art. Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham? My students could spend hours examining it. Written as a bet with his publisher, there are only 50 different words, very basic, early reader words at that, in the entire story. And yet, it is the fourth highest best seller for children of all time. (genius.com)

Needless to say, when I saw this posthumously published Dr. Seuss book about art and horses, I snapped it up.

Audrey Geisel found the Horse Museum manuscript and sketches after Theodore Geisel passed away. Illustrator Andrew Joyner studied them both and then fleshed out the sketches for publication, spending hours studying Dr. Seuss' distinctive style.

Throughout the book (76 pages!) other famous Dr. Seuss characters make an appearance or are hinted at.

I used two George Stubbs' paintings when I presented at the Feast's School Days.

One of my favorite paintings, The Horse Fair by Rosa Bonheur, which hangs on the wall in my living room.

I've wondered if the dressage horse, Blue Hors Matine, was named after this painting. (If you've never seen her performance at the World Equestrian Games in Aachen, 2006, go here. Absolutely jaw dropping. I cry every time I watch her.)

See the Seuss character tweak in this illustration? And I like the subtle Caves of Lascaux nod.

At the end of the book is an extensive section with information about each painting plus a history of Dr. Seuss' life and how the manuscript was found and then brought to life.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves horses, art, or literature. There is far more in this book than I have shared here. Not only is it fun to read, it's educational, too.

Do a search on Amazon and it will pop right up. As I write, the hardcover is available for $11.76 with free Prime shipping.

* At the University of Illinois in 2004 when I explained what I wanted to study for my Masters degree, I was told that there was no such program that paired teaching Science and Fine Arts. However, the College of Curriculum & Instruction was willing to work with me, and sent me to Dr. Liora Bresler. She was on the faculty in both the College of Curriculum & Instruction and the College of Fine & Applied Arts, and she helped me craft a Masters program in what I wanted to study. I will always be grateful to the University for hearing me out and for Dr. Bresler's support.

Repost: The Halloween Candy Corn Challenge

First Post of the Day

Reposting this blog post is a Horsiemama tradition that goes back to 2018 when I first wrote it. It's my all time favorite entry that I have ever written. And while Abby is now gone, it just wouldn't feel like Halloween to not share it. Sweet girl, I hope you are getting some candy corn in heaven.

(Sorry for the formatting issues. To read this post without them, go here. )

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Jennifer Buxton of  Braymere Custom Saddlery wrote on her blog that she had discovered that some people do not like candy corn. One of her blog readers posted in response that her real horses loved the Halloween treat, and Jennifer decided to see if her horses liked it, too.

They did. And so Jennifer challenged invited those of us with access to both horses and candy corn to try a little experiment and see if our horses liked candy corn, too.

Well, I was up to the challenge, and I figured Abby would be as well. Her favorite treat is a freshly unwrapped candy cane; since both sweets have a high content of sugar, I figured that Abby would quickly snarf up those little kernels of candy corn goodness.

As usual, she came up to the paddock at a fast clip, eager to say "hello" and to see what I had brought her. I held my hand out with two candy corns in it and she lipped them up without even smelling them. (Such trust in me!)

Then she gave me a dirty look when she realized that they were something new and not what she had been expecting. That face!! I could not help but think of my favorite Dr. Seuss story, Green Eggs and Ham. So, with apologies to him:

"I'm not sure I like them, Mom-I-Am."

She chewed thoughtfully for a moment, considering if she liked the taste or not, just as the main character in the book did.

Picture retrieved from Google Images.

Then Abby's face brightened, and she eagerly put her head over the wooden bars of the paddock fence.

"Say!! I like them, Mom-I Am! I do! I do like candy corn!"

 "And I will eat them from your hand,"

 "And I will lick you where you stand!"

 "I would eat them off the ground,"

"And I sure would like another pound!"

"They are so good, so good, you see! Thank you, thank you, Best Mom-You-Be!"

Riah - I Don't Think So

As many collectors predicted, hobbyists are having a difficult time figuring out which Riahs are the black point variation and which ones are not.

Include me in that crowd of puzzled hobbyists.

The photos I posted of mine did make it seem as though I had gotten the black point version. For a refresher, here's one of those photos.

His mane and tail (the better identifier than the socks) do look very dark.

But just as the photos Breyer posts of new pieces often differ from what collectors receive, be it due to tricks of the light, the fact that the sample pieces are a bit different, and so on, my Riah did look darker than he really is in those photos I'd posted. But with the piece in hand, I could see that difference.

And so I'd written that I'd gotten the regular, more common variation. Within a few hours, I'd received a flurry of texts, emails, and comments from readers who thought I'd actually gotten the black point. Thank you all for writing; I wish he were, but here is why I think he is not.

I began by comparing Riah's color to my black point PAM.

There is a definite difference in color but (once again) it is not showing well in the photos.

This one is better - it shows how grey my Riah's mane is next to the PAM's tail.

A mane to mane comparison.

Someone said on social media that a good way to tell the difference was to compare the mane and tail's color to Riah's coat color - was it grey like the coat, or was it much darker? 

Look at how the mane's color matches the coat's color.

This photo really shows how well the two areas match - grey coat and grey mane. Those colors are so close, it's very hard to tell where the coat ends and the mane begins in this photo.

A better shot of the tail at the base of the spine also shows a matching color, grey to grey.

That is why I believe my Riah is the regular grey model and not the black point variation. Could I be wrong? Certainly. But I am sticking with non black point for now.

My advice if you want to buy a Riah second hand? Make sure you can look at it in hand before purchasing to be sure you are getting the Riah you want.

And boy howdy, I sure hope Breyer never does variations that are that close again! 

I've Never Seen This Piece Before!

Last Thursday I spotted an odd horse, one that I'd never seen before yet that was familiar - it echoed the California pottery vibe of Kay Finch, Freeman Leidy, and other mid century potteries. 

The seller had done their homework and had helpful information on its tag, information that I looked up and verified when I got home.

I'd never heard of Betty Harrington or Balky the Colt but I found them both online, including a listing on eBay for Balky.

Information from that listing included this:

It's time for me to say goodbye to my collection of Ceramic Arts Studio figurines and salt/pepper shakers. These highly collectable pieces were made in Madison Wisconsin from about 1940 to 1955. They are of high quality and were sold in jewelry, gift, and department stores. Sadly, the company went out of business after the post WW II influx of lower priced Japanese ceramics changed the marketplace. 

1950 Ceramic Arts Studio Balky colt figurine in brown ceramic

Betty Harrington design

Model # 293

Scarce and hard to find (many did not survive due to their spindly legs)

3.75" high and 3" long

Can be seen (in black color way) on page 108 of the book Ceramic arts studio The Legacy of Betty Harrington  (Johnson, Holthaus, and Petzold)

 So then I did a search for the book the seller mentioned and found it on Amazon. 

Ironically, I had another Ceramic Arts Studio book already on my own Amazon wish list.

I added it last year when I bought two circus ballerinas "shelf sitters" who have been found also sitting on Metlox drafters.

They were not actually made to ride these drafters, but with a little sticky wax, the blue ballerina rides pretty well!

The white ballerina is a little out of scale and too big for me to feel secure leaving her on the horse, even with sticky wax.

I left Balky behind, but if you want it for cost and shipping, contact me and I'll go back and get it if it's still there. It is in mint condition and an example, albeit an obscure one, of a model horse from the California pottery days.

A Day Trip with Lisa

Saturday morning Lisa asked me to help her look for some carnival glass for a gift for a friend. I'd already looked for her earlier this week and had found a few pieces, but she had a specific out of town shop she wanted to visit. A road trip with Lisa that gives me more time with my daughter? I was all in. 

I was also planning to look for HSOs but, unlike the place I visited Thursday, the HSOs were scarce.

I did find this sweet Hagen Renaker robin.

I debated, but left it behind in the end. I do have a collection within my collection of non horsey Hagen Renakers, but I'm not actively adding to it right now.

I wish I'd thought to put my hand in this photo to show just how big this bust is. I'd say it was at least two feet tall! There was also a white bust last time I visited this shop, but someone must have bought it.

Believe it or not, I have a comic book collection tucked away in the sewing room closet. It's all StarWars and goes back to the original movies.

I had started giving them away to the grands when Lisa's friend, James, stopped me, asking me to send him a close up photo of one of them. I did and it turned out I had at least one that was very, very valuable - it had recently sold for thousands of dollars on an auction site. Needless to say, I  intend to do some research before I give any more of them away!

Aside from some early Superman comic books, I don't buy comic books anymore. But I did enjoy seeing these horsey ones.

I was pretty sure this Susecion and Le Fire set was the original set from 2002 - 2005 and not the re-release set that came out in 2014. I already have both plus the seller wanted $94. I left it behind.

Lisa found lots and lots of carnival glass as we walked through the store. She was able to get a gift for her friend that she thought would be a nice addition to an already nice collection.

As for me, I did bring something home, too. Some Williamsburg Pottery.

Williamsburg Pottery made replicas of 18th century dishes, candlesticks, vases, pitchers, and more. Lots of it used to be sold at The Feast of the Hunters' Moon. But the pottery closed about ten years ago and it's getting hard to find it second hand.

So, when I spied this creamer on a shelf for just $6, I snapped it up. I also found a small basket that I knew was made by one of the basket makers at the Feast, but the seller wanted $35. It was probably worth that, but I already have five similar baskets of assorted sizes, so I did not buy it.

Several of the baskets from the Feast basket maker that I already have.

On the way home, Lisa did something very special for me. There is a very tiny cemetery just beside the road to the antique shop. For years I have wanted to stop and look at it, but never have. She knew that, and surprised me by pulling off the road and parking so I could get out of the car and take a look.

It was a very old family graveyard that extended back to the Revolutionary War, with the largest grave marker that of a soldier who served in the Revolutionary War and seemed to be the father, husband, and grandfather of everyone else who was buried there.

I find cemeteries, especially old, out in the middle of nowhere ones, peaceful and even sacred and holy. 

I like to wonder who the people are that are buried there, what their lives' stories are, and what brought them to Indiana when it was still a wild and remote place.

Lisa patiently waited until I finished, and then we hopped into the car and headed home. It was a fun day that ended with something very meaningful to me. Thanks, Lis!

I still have two "mystery finds" from Thursday to share with ya'll and a couple other things. 

Stay 'tooned!