Reality, with An Abstract Twist

Bogwater Jim

Lafayette, NJ 07848

973-383-6057

Richard Kapral's paintings are like New Year's Day...everyday, all year long. Ordinary subjects are seen with a fresh eye. The colors are alive. The compositions are quirky and, no matter how many times I study them, I always find a surprise that makes the painting new, all over again.

For example, "Windowledge" (pictured) is a "view" for the viewer. The outside world lies on the other side. We must look through. The landscape sometimes seems somber. At other times...dramatic, as if a storm is moving in, while we are safe inside, looking out. In certain light, the painting is playful and all about the friendly objects inside, with peaches rolling along the bottom edge, about to fall off.

I guess Richard's paintings are like life itself...reality at the whim of perception. It's all in the way we look at things.

Christmas "Cookie"

Bogwater Jim

Lafayette, NJ

973-383-6057

It happens every year as the Holidays approach. Everyone gets into the spirit and starts decorating...hanging festive ornaments, bows and greenery. I resist. In fact, my reputation as a Humbug is well-known. But this year, an old bottle rack just wouldn't take "No" for an answer. Every spoke begged for a shiny red ornament. Then, a wirework bust that just fit the top appeared in a friend's garage. I swiped it. A few leafy branches, a handful of rhinestones, an old leather belt and a Christmas Party Girl began to emerge. Too short! Quick...several glass blocks and a dusty, old foundry pattern elevated her standing in the world.

So far, everyone that has seen her smiles.

Who said I don't like Christmas?

Lasting Impressions

Bogwater Jim

Lafayette, NJ

973-383-6057

It's no wonder we have such a crush on old wooden foundry patterns. They are strong and graphic, without pretense. Skillfully crafted years ago by incredibly talented carpenters, they were the precise form to be cast in steel. Pressed into a sand/cement mixture, then removed, they left a void to be filled with molten metal.

Stored for years in the lofts of old factories, they are now being rediscovered as genuine articles of American Art.

These patterns, once again, are leaving a lasting impression...this time on the viewer. Used as wall art, sculpture or as part of a deconstruction, they embody a hard-working, rough and ready attitude and remind us of how resourceful we can be.

Deconstruction

Bogwater Jim

Lafayette, NJ 07848

973-383-6057

My creative friend Barbara, who can envision and construct just about anything, stopped by the shop the other day. She needed a coat rack. Twenty minutes later, she was motoring away with a few odd bits and pieces...an old iron mannequin base, a wooden foundry pattern and a handful of zinc hooks.

The next day...there it was...a quirky work of art!

Constructing useful furnishings out of old stuff, repurposed, is a trend afoot that gives new life to the mundane. It's thrifty and clever and makes the viewer smile. The endeavor challenges one's ingenuity. The result is always "one-of-a-kind."

Coat Rack - Barbara Stanek 2010

Global Interest

Bogwater Jim

Lafayette, NJ

973-383-6057

World globes...As a schoolgirl, I remember my first encounter with them as a proud moment. Having such a grown-up navigational tool in our classroom could only mean one thing...we had arrived.

There were the crisp, efficient lines of longitude and latitude that always let you know exactly where you stand. And crazy-shaped continents, vast oceans and wiggly rivers that, together, promised a lifetime of exploration. And the colors...azure blue, viridian green, mountain brown, surely confirming our status in the solar system as the "prettiest" planet.

These old globes remind me of the world as it used to be. They provide an interesting, nostalgic and studious artifact to any environment. Now, when I look at them, I find the ever-shifting borders and renaming of countries fascinating. It reminds me that change is always on the horizon.

Moditional

Bogwater Jim

Lafayette, NJ

973-383-6057

In one way or another, everyone loves all things traditional. It's that comfort zone of an acceptable, well-educated, grown-up environment. But lately, we are all tired of the safe, the bland, the cautious. It just feels right to add those "out-of-sync" elements that your mother would never have approved of. It's time to abandon the concept of "design ingredients that go together".

So maybe, just to show respect for our elders, we've latched onto "Moditional"...the style that says "yes" to a carefully mis-matched marriage of crisp, mid-century, funky or industrial furnishings alongside the well-chosen traditional.

Pretty Surrounded by Rubble

Bogwater Jim

Lafayette, NJ 07848

973-383-6057

There is something about a composition set in contrast that always seems to amplify the spirit of its opposites.

"Innocence" (the title of the 19th century litho pictured) becomes even more gentle among stacks of dusty, old foundry patterns. It is shockingly out of context. The colors appear unusually subtle and the subjects completely at peace. The sweet, childlike image rises above the strong surroundings, and kindness rules the day.

Thank you, Dayne, for the beautiful photo.

Made for Walkin'

Bogwater Jim

Lafayette, NJ

973-383-6057

And that's just what we do... antique dealers, that is. We walk, and then we walk some more. These buying trips to the UK really are a marathon. Staying with antique dealer friends, Francis and Barbara, means that my alarm clock can never sleep past 4AM, when we are off and running around antique venues in the pre-dawn light. Of course, that is the "Lucky Hour" when you find the best stuff, like oil paintings that have been asleep far longer than you.

I never grow tired of the early buyer buzz. And, seriously, there is so much walking involved in the hunt that it's given new meaning to the term "Boot Sale".

Road Trip

Bogwater Jim

Lafayette, NJ

07848

973-383-6057

Have you ever had the distinct feeling that you have stepped back in time? It is a by-product of being an antique dealer.

Several weeks ago on a quick buying trip to the UK, Barbara and Sarah (English pals) and I spent an afternoon road tripping along the antique trail. Laughing off the neccessary U-turns and mis-reads of our primitive map (no GPS for us veterans) we slid into an Antiques Warehouse. This centre offered an opportunity to have tea and a sweet (several choices of delicious looking pies and cakes) set out on an antique table in someone's pitch, all apparently self-serve and on the honor system.

Along with these temptations, we enjoyed piano renditions from the 1940's, played by a member of staff...a well-coiffed woman, handsomely dressed. The entire experience was hauntingly lovely, and certainly not to be found in today's mainstream shops.

When I step back in in time some sleepless night, this memory will be 5 star.

Carpenter's Tools

Carpenter's Tools

Bogwater Jim
Lafayette, NJ 07848

973-383-6057

As simple carpenter's tools get more colorful, more clean-edged, more slick...the more I like the old ones. There are brass-hinged wooden rulers with their numbers nearly worn off and mahogany-handled squares inlaid with brass designs, along with chunky, old handsaws that seem too sweet to ever threaten a piece of wood.

Arranged in haphazard or organized fashion, these manly old everyday buddies give you a world of interest at bargain prices.

When you feature these craftsmen-made artifacts, it is easy to see that they are not ordinary at all, but individual, personal and extremely beautiful.

Gathered Chandeliers

Bogwater Jim
Lafayette, NJ 07848
973-383-6057

If you were to gather up a beautiful bouquet in your hands and tie it up with a length of rope, you would have the inspiration behind the floral chandeliers of the mid-1900's.

As flowers are soft and fragile and metal so strong and durable, the very use of the material creates an appealing contrast.

Since the painted surfaces have had 40-odd years to mellow, these chandeliers usually possess nice old patinas whether pristine or worn and chipped. They are flowery fantasies that, once lit, lend a vintage garden flavor.

Everyone Gets a Pagoda

Bogwater Jim

Lafayette, NJ 07848

973-383-6057

In the late 1800's, the English economy was booming. Working folks, who formerly just wished they could own some beautifully decorated dinnerware, suddenly found it possible. It was called "transferware." Copied from earlier, hand-painted ceramics, these prepared, stock designs were applied in scenic patterns, whether Oriental, pastoral or floral. Quantity and affordablity made transferware the rage of the day. One can imagine the kilns of the English potteries never cooling off.

I think of the young women of the period, carefully choosing their favorite color (red, blue, brown, green, mulberry and black). So many choices. Instead of lunch or a book club meeting, "girl's day out" might have meant a trip to the mercantile to add another piece to the household collection. How lovely, meeting a friend to discuss the merits of a farm scene vs. an Asian landscape.

The introduction of transferware just may represent a turning point in anthropology... the moment when homes got prettied-up for pretty's sake and shopping for everyday furnishings became a working class pastime.

I think this highly decorative creamware was a brilliant, happy, comforting addition to civilization.

As Time Rolls By

Bogwater Jim

Lafayette, NJ 07848

973-383-6057

As the years roll by, items that aren't "proper" antiques, but vintage, nostalgic and retro, interest us more and more. Out-of-date styles and low-tech materials look familiar, yet dated in a quirky way. Visual buried treasure...like checking out the old high school yearbook.

The roller skates pictured are a good example.

No velcro, nylon or graphite here. These are manly skates...heavy and hand-tied. Their bruised leather and worn wooden wheels are emblems of action. They hail from a time when "circuit" meant once around the rink. I'll wager they spent many a Saturday night laced to a guy falling for a girl, or perhaps, just falling.

Friendly paintings

Bogwater Jim
Lafayette, NJ
07848

973-383-6057

Of course, we love old china. There is the richness of the cobalt blue that ginger jars wear and the comfort of the swaggy little borders on plates that filled the cupboards of our childhood.

But oil paintings picturing these items sometimes thrill us even more. It's like seeing an old friend become famous.

Still lifes that offer that "reach-into-the-painting" sensation are a feast for the soul as well as the eye.

As realistic as these portrayals might be, there is
always a softness that canvas renders unavoidable.

Still-life artists possess the knowledge of what touches us and the skill to capture the essence of their subjects.

"Ladle and Plate", Robert Sabo/ 2007
"Ginger Jar", G. Rhodes/ English/ 1923

Container Day

Bogwater Jim
Lafayette, NJ 07848

973-383-6057

Sure...the new merchandise that arrives from the UK looks good set up in the shop. But, let's be honest. It's much more appealing when everything is strewn all over the driveway, half-wrapped and crated.

If it weren't for the elements, etc. , we'd be tempted to walk away, leaving it topsy-turvy, as is, upside down, unpriced and unpolished....the display we all find most intriguing.

Sorry folks, we have to bring it inside!

Tailor's Dummy Re-purposed

Bogwater Jim
Lafayette, NJ

973-383-6057

Tailor's Dummy Re-purposed

Lucky me.....I have the most clever friends! Francis and Barbara, English colleagues, have installed a tailor's dummy in their entryway. It wears a worn leather coat, topped with an old fisherman's jacket, loaded with pockets. This "sculpture" is quirky and has great character, but it wasn't until I examined it closely that I realized it is also the "charging station" for their mobile phones. With the wires snaked up the back, behind the lapels and aimed in different directions , everyone's phone gets its own pocket.

There was no choice...........I had to swipe the idea.

Upon my return, I quickly dressed my old mannequin in a sporty, vintage Admiral's jacket and wired it up. Everyone loves it. It adds personality to the room. I like the way it looks and I like what it hides. Best of all...........It reminds me to charge the phone!

Toy Boats

Bogwater Jim
Lafayette, NJ

983-383-6057

"There is nothing-absolutely nothing-
half so much worth doing as simply
messing around in toy boats!"

-Rat, in Wind in the Willows

Simple, yet stately, these toys of
our youth evoke memories of of
less complicated times and help
us navigate around the rough edges
of our existence. ...They are a
specialty of ours, and you're invited
to stop in anytime and mess around with them!

Small collections

Bogwater Jim
Lafayette NJ
973 -383-6057

Have you ever noticed how when similar things are grouped, whether by color or shape, the most insignificant items become important? Strength in numbers. These little, old ashtray hands are elevated to collage stature. Their friendly, open palms extend a welcoming gesture.

Arranged on an old glass cakestand, their sugary white surfaces remind me of pastries........quite a delicious thought.

One customer bought a few for little soaps in guest rooms. Another uses them to hold rings. Postage stamps and paper clips fit just fine.

Please visit us via our new weblink at the bottom of this page.

Shell boxes

Bogwater Jim
Lafayette, NJ

973 383-6057

My friend, Barbara, has an impressive collection of old
shell boxes. They draw you into her parlor. In souvenir and sailor art, the late Victorians excelled at taking ordinary items (like shells) and re-surfacing common objects (like boxes) into works of art. Color, pattern and texture create magical mosaics....stunning beauty on a small scale from, not gold or silver, but free seaside gifts found underfoot.

Once offerings for a sweetheart, these naive objects, with
their crowded, swirling surfaces,

have a lively spirit that makes them hard to resist.

They are unique treasure boxes...but the treasure is
held on the outside.

Thank you, Whitney, for the shell box photos.

Musical and Arrangement

Bogwater Jim
Lafayette, NJ

(973) 383-6057

Old brass and woodwind instruments re-purposed as lamps can give a new kick to a fairly commonplace item. We only use banged up, damaged, generic horns that would be too costly to restore for this transition. Once we dust them off, put them on a base and light the top with a lampsocket, they really glow. The old metal loves the light that spills down. They become a trophy of sorts. We've been told that they have brought lyrical interest to our customer's homes. Even the musicians amongst us, after raising an eyebrow or two, have happily installed these lamps in their music rooms.

The little green enamel French market lamps that once illuminated vegetable stalls, bakery counters and bistro tables still tickle us with their simplicity. Either grouped or hung in a line, they are an honest and "hard-working" element that transports us to a French Marketplace.