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| An original oil painting by Paul McCormack, currently up for bid on eBay. |
I used to worry that I was addicted to eBay.
Every morning, a bushel full of emails greeted me, filled with details of all the results from the dozens of searches I had saved on the eBay site, and I sat there and dutifully went through each of them. It's not that I bought a lot - I was just fascinated by the different items that people posted for sale. And over time, I had gathered some interesting items for my studio, including a hot plate for making mediums, a double boiler, amber bottles, vintage hats, costumes, rare books, quail eggs (hollow), and a bowl-backed mandolin. I think it was the day I found myself shopping for human skulls - and yes, there are human skulls for sale on eBay (and they are even priced better than their professionally cast, plastic counterparts) - that I decided to rein in my shopping. (Where were they getting these skulls anyway, and if I bought one, would my demand be fostering someone's grave-robbing side business? The prices were good though . . .)
The one area of eBay I still do monitor from time to time, though, is original art. Unfortunately, most of the time that I peruse through those auctions, it can be very painful; there is much chaff to sort through to find the wheat. But it's still worth the search.
A few years ago, I picked up the little sketch shown below. I have no idea who drew it, and I can only hope that it is actually from the 19th century. The seller was located in France, and was selling several images that looked like they were all cut from an old sketchbook. It is small (approximately 6 X 3 inches), and was inexpensive; I think I paid $15 for it, which was worth it to me to feel like I owned a piece of history.
The painting below the sketch, "Morning at Superstition," I did not buy. It was not for a lack of trying, however. The artist, Mick McGinty, was putting up one or two landscapes a week for a while, and I bid on a lot of them. I was just never the last bid. Unfortunately, McGinty stopped listing works about two years ago, otherwise, maybe I would have won one by now.
Currently, I'm watching two auctions of original paintings: one, a still life by Paul McCormack, and the other, a still life by Clinton Hobart. I wouldn't mind owning either of them, but I have kids now, so I cannot afford to win either auction. But I do like to see what's on the auction block, and I enjoy cheering on the bidders.
And that brings me back to where this all started: I'm worried I might be addicted to eBay.
Mick McGinty's artwork can be seen at his website, and on his blog, Twice a Week.
The eBay listing for Paul McCormack's still life is 281113035939.
Clinton Hobart's listing is 230986118843.
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| unknown 19th c. French artist |
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| "Morning at Superstition" by Mick McGinty |
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| "Coconut & Mango" by Clinton Hobart, currently on eBay. |