Entry one:
Hello reader,
May I introduce myself?
My name is Gerard Alan. This is my first ever blog post.
I have wanted to launch this blog for years now. That is because I know that there are many other people who have interests in
antiques and interiors, similar to my own. I am curious to see if other people might be interested to
read, follow and perhaps contribute to discussion of the topics I propose to
write and share ideas about.
I have a keen interest in and appreciation of antiques, the
decorative arts and beautiful objects. I
am interested in how the combination and placement of such items helps to
create an appealing, comfortable atmosphere perhaps in a single room, in a
whole house, or just on one table top. I am interested in how these spaces and the arrangements they contain can affect our sense of calm
and wellbeing. I am interested in the
sense of luxury and timelessness, and importantly, security and comfort, which thoughtfully and beautifully decorated domestic settings can provide for those who live and move
within them.
I also have a passion for collecting antiques, decorative items and beautiful objects. Some of my friends have used the word
“obsessive” to describe my collecting habits, but I find that word to be somewhat
harsh and subliminally critical. In my
mind, “obsessive” implies an all-consuming pursuit at any cost, which does not
describe my collecting behavior at all.
However, when it comes to gathering beautiful objects, I am passionate. I am also careful. I am resourceful. I am selective. I am not nervous about purchasing an item in less
than perfect shape and having it restored later, or perhaps doing the work myself. Why not?
The thought of plucking a not-completely-splendid item out of dusty obscurity
in the back room of an antiques market or even a junk shop and then, making it
utterly and completely splendid again, is very attractive to me. In these times of large-scale consumption,
throwing things away and then consuming even more, rejuvenating an old item and
making it beautiful and useful again seems such a great, Earth-friendly thing
to do.
I have learned a lot along the way.
I have been very fortunate in my professional life, in that
it afforded me the opportunity to work and live in Europe for a total of sixteen
years. When not working, travel opportunities
were just too tempting. My partner and I
spent countless happy holiday hours trawling through antique markets,
bric-a-brac shops and second-hand establishments throughout Europe. Some places we visited only once, others we
eagerly returned to more frequently.
Over the years, we developed a reasonably good eye for
interesting and unusual decorative items.
We became adept at haggling. We
scoured the famous Parisian antiques quarter.
Occasionally, we got up very early to drive into Belgium for the (fabulous)
weekly antiques market in Tongeren. On cold and overcast Winter mornings, when
the Tongeren market opened before sunrise, it was sometimes necessary to peer
at the outdoor stalls by torchlight!
We visited regional antiques and bric-a-brac centers in the
UK and across Europe. Sometimes we did
not purchase anything at all. On other
trips, our hire-car would groan under the weight of all the items we procured,
leaving barely enough sitting room for the driver and passenger. At one time, we managed to squeeze an 18th
century oak clock case into the car with literally only millimeters to
spare. It almost touched the windscreen
and the rear window at the same time! I’m
sure the police would not have approved had they seen how the clock case
obscured the driver’s vision, but fortunately, we all made it home
unscathed. In retrospect, it was definitely worth the anxiety we experienced on the day.
We always enjoyed the "hunt" immensely and sometimes, we also gathered!
Accordingly, in January 2015 when my partner and I returned
permanently to our home in Australia, we brought with us a 40 foot
high-cube shipping container literally stuffed with an eclectic mix of
treasures, large and small, collected during our years in Europe. We are gradually combining these with those items we already owned in Australia, so consequently, careful consideration of some objects and occasional culling continues to be a
necessity.
For those of you with an interest in collecting, antiques, objet d’art, or perhaps more generally in domestic interiors, this blog could possibly hold some
appeal. I hope so.
Please feel perfectly free to join us.
Please feel perfectly free to join us.
I can't wait to see your collection unfold Gerard. You have already shown us a glimpse of the splendour that awaits in this first post. As a collector I identify with your experiences at Tongeren: The times that my partner and I would get up at 4am to go off to some antique market in the freezing cold hoping to find some great long lost item. I shall follow eagerly to see what wonderfully recherché objects you managed to save from oblivion.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lord Cowell, for your encouraging remarks. You are my very first commentator! I sense from your own endlessly fascinating blog that you would definitely identify with the experiences of being a "collector". Thank you for your interest and I certainly hope that you will enjoy subsequent posts from me.
DeleteHi Gerald,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind comment on my blog! I enjoy having a fellow collector like you as a reader :-)
I have been blogging for a few years now and still enjoy it very much: the people you meet, places you visit, inspiration you get....It's special! Wishing you good luck! You will have me as one of your followers.
A happy 2016!
Madelief
Hi Madelief, Thank you for visiting and following my blog! It is a compliment for me to have a well-established blogger like you show interest in my own efforts. I hope you will enjoy seeing some more posts from me in the New Year. Corresponding with fellow collectors and sharing information and ideas will really be a lot of fun for me. Thank you again!
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