modblog
ATOMIC BLANCHE, FOLLOW-UP - 12/26/2007. Couldn't resist skimming the RW feature in Atomic Ranch while doing some last minute Xmas shopping at Barnes & Noble a few days ago. Jeez, what a train wreck. Now, some of you might be thinking I have it in for this mag for some reason, but nothing could be further from the truth (which is, this magazine sucks). Russel's American Modern seafoam was the best-selling dinnerware pattern ever?? Someone should have told the good folks at Steubenville; they might not have discontinued that color when they did...so much for fact-checking. And how much effort does it take to spell Bette Davis' first name right? (In the AR article, it's "Betti," shudder!)
HAROLD AND MOD - 12/8/2007. Just got back from Reno, one of the Modfather's favorite gambling venues; they got their first snow of the year during our visit. If that wasn't enough to put us in a Christmasy mood, we finally found some of Russel's Harold's Club casino restaurant ware by Sterling, yeah. Since we started collecting, we've poked around Reno a couple of times in search of this pattern with no luck at all. This time, we bumped into a pricey set in one of Reno's desperate little antique malls. The owner of the dishes was present for the negotiations, and he was quick to mention that a dealer in San Francisco was anxious to get his mitts on everything (we didn't bother asking if the dealer was the horrible Naomi). Some nice pieces, but most of the plates & bowls were in really, really bad shape. So we cherry-picked the set, moved on to the next pathetic antiquing destination, and luckily found some more plates and bowls in good shape for next to nothing.
HERE COMES THE SUN - 12/1/2007. Decided to skip the "first Monday" monthly flea market over in Canton (East Texas) today. Schlepping out to Canton (about 60 miles east of Dallas) is a tiresome chore, but I usually do it anyway; turns out I made a fortuitous choice. Slept late, had a lovely wino lunch at Northpark, then hit a few local antique venues on the way home after screwing it all back in place with a decaf tall one-pump mocha at Starbucks. And there they were: a centerpiece server and deep compote bowl in the Knowles Esquire Solar pattern, wow. Nothing like rare shapes in rare patterns to take the edge off Christmas; keep that in mind when you see my prices for these 2 items.
ATOMIC BLANCHE - 11/26/2007. The new edition of Atomic Ranch magazine has a spread on RW; the idiots at AR approached the Modfather back in August about placing a big, pricy ad. Here is my reply:
-----Original Message----- From: Modfather.com [mailto:modfather@modfather.com] Sent: Tuesday, August 28, 2007 7:18 PM To: Christina Walker Cc: editor@atomic-ranch.com Subject: RE: Atomic Ranch Winter Issue to Feature Russel Wright Christina, you're just going to have to try a little harder to get any ad revenue out of the Modfather. How long is this "feature"? Who have you interviewed for this? Why isn't Russel's work featured on the cover? (This may sound like the whinings of a hardcore collector, but I must say the shot you sent is probably the very worst cover photo I've ever seen....boring, uninspired, poorly cropped.....not at all compelling.)Your media kit does not even mention your total subscription circulation.....is that normal? What about actual retail sales figures for the last 12 issues? Are they that embarrassing? I'll bet you wouldn't even send a few sample back issues so I could really gauge if this would be a good fit.Listen: When you want to get professional, let me know.-----Original Message----- From: Christina Walker [mailto:atomicranchadvertising@comcast.net] Sent: Tuesday, August 28, 2007 1:42 PM To: modfather@modfather.com Subject: Atomic Ranch Winter Issue to Feature Russel WrightJust a note to let you know that Atomic Ranch will be featuring Russel Wright in the winter 07 issue and it would be a great time to capitalize on this exposure with an advertisement in the magazine! Atomic Ranch’s big, holiday issue arrives at subscribers’ homes in late November and is on sale through February 29—yes, 2008 is a Leap Year! A sneak peek at the cover is also attached.Christina Walker Advertising Manager Atomic Ranch atomicranchadvertising@comcast.net 503.297.5605 direct 503.888.6619 cell
PROUD MARY - 11/24/07. One thing's for sure: If Russel's life ever gets the Hollywood treatment, the plummiest role will go to the lucky actress playing Mary Wright, savvy co-conspirator, aristocratic but edgy muse, presumably long-suffering wife, and young cancer victim. When I started collecting RW, I didn't understand the fervor of the NYC cognoscenti for Mary. Then in 2002, the most intriguing component of the RW retrospective at the Cooper-Hewitt was a bizarro yet mesmerizing home movie clip of Mary, who was, as I wrote in 2002, "vogueing and sashaying around their NY apartment." The exhibit's accompanying book (see my Why RW? page for details) featured a chapter entitled "Marketing Easier Living," by Robert Schonfeld; for anyone who endeavors to understand Wright's life and work, it is a must read. The tale Schonfeld spins delineates the impact of Mary's talent, intelligence, support, charm and self-sacrifice on Wright's career, and it is nothing short of astonishing. I am holding a Bauer Country Gardens creamer I found today as I write this; it is simple, elegant and quite "natural," as she intended. So Hail Mary; without her, we might not have anything to talk about on this website today.
PLASTIC (NOT SO) FANTASTIC - 11/23/07. We don't get many inquiries about Russel's plastic lines, which is good, because the Modfather has never gone out of his way to acquire examples. I think we've purchased maybe 20-30 pieces in 15 years of collecting. The Modfather will be blunt: We don't want to put fork and knife to plastic plates, or drink out of plastic cups. Lest you think the Modfather is just being snobby, understand that he feels exactly the same way about the much more highly-prized spun aluminum wares. Anyway, readers of Ann Kerr's books know that Russel's work in this medium has some historical significance. Anyone who might be able to contribute to that history, or who has RW plastic rarities available for sale, should contact Cindy Fahnestock at vivalavinl@verizon.net .
AND THEN THERE WERE TWO - 11/22/07. The Modfather's stiffest competition, all-wright.com, (see 10/15/06 post below) no longer offers items for sale on the internet, and jax-deco.com is a mere shell of its former self. Our only other serious web competitor left standing is decoramashop.com, and although Pam has some very nice and rare pieces, we think our total overall offering puts us in the top slot (we're so modest!). We're not raising our prices yet, but we're thinking about it.
MUSEUM PIECE - 10/28/06. A couple of weeks ago, the Modfather was contacted by the decorative arts curator at a major metropolitan museum. Yeah, they want the aluminum cocktail set. The deal is currently pending; seems the museum wants one of its major donors to buy it from us, and then donate it to the museum. Of course, the better half of this society power couple is in Europe right now, so there's still time to nab it before it's too late. Does the Modfather ever expect to see another Wright piece as rare and valuable as this set? No indeed, so don't say he didn't give you fair warning.
ALL-WRIGHT ALREADY - 10/15/06. What began about a year ago, continues in earnest: Carmen Brady is relieving herself of huge chunks of her esteemed collection on ebay, including some really nice Iroquois Casual items. Realized prices aren't bargain basement, but close. We're not sure where all this is headed, but we worry there may be one less web venue for vintage Russel Wright by the time the dust settles. Crocodile tears? Not really. The Modfather wishes only the best for this enthusiastic and extraordinary woman, whose early website was the inspiration for our own.
THE WAY WE WERE (FOR REAL) - 03/15/05. It pains him, but the Modfather highly recommends this article by one-time nemesis (and queeny old airbag) Sandy McLendon, writer/editor for the online mag jetsetmodern.com. In it, McLendon provides a somewhat sober reminder of what MCM meant to most people during the 1950s and 60s. No wonder we can never find what we're looking for at estate sales....
TV SHOW & TELL TRAGEDY - 02/15/05. Normally I wouldn't post forwarded video clips, but this one really got to me. I often daydream that someday I'll be the star attraction on Antiques Roadshow, but lord, please don't let it all go down like this (click to download).