I’ve just got back from the Collectors’ Club of Great Britain Fair, run by Collect It!, the magazine I have written a monthly column for over the past six years. It was great to see so many keen collectors braving the freezing rain and winds to visit. Many of them stopped by the Miller’s stand […]
Even though the Fat Lava exhibition catalogue has sold out, I’m delighted to announce that the official Fat Lava documentary DVD is now available. With sweeping views of the original and first exhibition, fascinating interviews with the owner of the collection, Dr Graham Cooley, dealers including Petra and Patrick Folkersma of Outernational, and I, this […]
Browsing around my favourite junk shop in Notting Hill at the weekend, I chanced upon these rather sweet 1950s style salt and pepper shakers. With a speckly grey background and a handpainted design of stylised, angular fish I thought they were typical of the 1950s. Turning them over, I saw the bases were nicely inscribed […]
I’ve just been sent this picture from a dear friend who spotted it in, weirdly, Woman’s Weekly. Seeing it instantly brought back floods of happy memories of working at Bonhams on Lot’s Road in Chelsea – my first proper job after university. It also made me giggle a bit, as my first boss Alexander Crum […]
It’s taken a while for Fat Lava to start to move out of the realms of haus greuel to object of desire in Germany, but it seems the dawn has broken at last! An exhibition of Scheurich ceramics from the 1950s, 60s & 70s opened at the town museum of Miltenburg on the 10th October […]
A note about days, before I continue my Buenos Aires collecting blog. Plan your visit well! The main day for browsing and buying is Sunday. On Mondays, and often Saturdays, many of not all stores, malls and arcades are closed. You’ll notice that my last blog entry was on Tuesday – plenty of time to […]
The undoubted heart of BA’s antiques scene is the historic San Telmo district, the first district of this mega-city to be settled and built. Divided into a grid, head towards Defensa, starting at the crossing with Av. Belgrano, only minutes walk from the famous Plaza de Mayo. You’ll soon be confronted with an unparalleled array […]
Our flight back from Cusco to Lima has been ‘delayed’. Apparently, the airline sent a smaller plane than was expected, so it was either a seat on the wing or a later flight. I opted for the latter! This means I am writing this entry sitting on a balcony in a fabulous eaterie in Cusco […]
I hadn’t really relished the thought of spending a few days in Cusco. After the chaotic – but honest – hustle and bustle of the developing city of Lima, I wasn’t particularly looking forward to a city described in all the guides as ‘touristy’. How wrong they were, as it proved to be one of […]
Back in July, I mentioned that Alpine walks 1,950 metres up would help prepare me for my Summer holiday. Well it did, even though the Inca Trail, at over 12,000 feet above sea level, was quite a different story. To be honest, I’m amazed I did it, as I do rather like my creature comforts. […]
You can’t have any more. They’re all gone! My very first publication, produced in association with the Graham Cooley Collection, has completely sold out. I’ve even sold the ‘seconds’ due to a rash of desperate requests over the past few weeks. The reason for this? Fat Lava has gone volcanic! It has appeared in all […]
A nice new discovery this one. I wrote some time ago that it’s often easy to ignore things right on your doorstep. I had heard about this thriving antiques and collectables market, run by Sherman & Waterman every Thursday close to Liverpool Street railway station, but I had never actually made the effort to get […]