Hopi Pottery - Paris Pottery Blog

Hopi pottery figure. Woman grinding corn. Early 20th century

     I often wonder why with the little free time I have that I choose to spend it scanning isle after isle of used junk. I am obsessed. It’s my favorite hobby to the point that my husband would sooner believe I am having an affair than spending so much time at thrift stores and estate sales. Am I hard up for cheap goods? No. Do I love florescent lighting and wasting my time? No. Do my friends wonder why I would rather “run errands” than meet them for lunch? Yes. Do I love treasure hunting? Yes! It is an embarrassing hobby like playing the lottery. The chances you find an amazing piece of art or history is so tenuous but there is a chance. And while I never (rarely) find something I could take to the bank, I do, more often than not find something interesting.  A treasure lost amongst the rubbish that I can dust off and save from obscurity.
     Now, I am not a hoarder. In fact I only personally keep things I absolutely love and will display in my home. I do not like clutter and junk. I’ve been to enough estate sales to see firsthand what happens when you hold onto things and it’s not good. I sometimes sell the things I find on eBay but this is also rarely worth my time. What I like most about doing this is the discovery. Not knowing about a piece but being curious enough to research its origins and find its history, to me it’s a beautiful thing.
      My latest find was a Native American hand formed open fired figure of a woman grinding corn and preparing fish. Who made this? When was it made? Which tribe made it? Why was it made? I love finding the answers to these things and sometimes I’m good at it. I’ve done entire family trees for distant friends because I love digging into the past and finding answers.
     I am reinvesting in this blog to share what I find to anyone is interested in taking a journey with me into the history of our civilization through art and pottery. I also think It is important to in share the monetary value of items and what they are really worth.  Not Sotheby’s auction worth,  everyday Let-go, eBay or Etsy values. I try to find a little time every week to treasure hunt. Here on this blog I will show my findings, what I find out about them, how much I paid, how much they are worth, and how much I can actually sell them for. I primarily focus on pottery because I love it and it makes me happy.