Mix It Up with Primitives

Mix it Up --with primitives. Some of you have asked that we find good American primitive antiques for the show, as part of the diversity of styles---Pilgrim century to Mid-Century Modern. (Pilgrim Century is hard to find, but we have had it!)

Welcome aboard to Horsefeathers Antiques of KS and Good Finds (Alison Beckham) of TX and Fluff of KS and Jo Rader of TX. Glenn Lewis from Iowa will be back. Also Steve Farr, Janet Romine, Ann Williams, Cabin on the Hill, A Wilder Place in Time, Andrew's Antiques and more. All of these exhibitors offer versatile American survivors: primitives.

  

I define a primitive in this way: something that was most likely made by the original user, most likely in the place where it was originally used. Bench-made furniture with joinery and nails, baskets, some tools, woven coverlets and quilts, trunks, benches, small tool boxes and much more. Great tables.

 

An item made commercially, even in 1776, is not really a primitive. Nor necessarily is something that is chipped up, shabby, and possibly chic. If it is home-made, it's a primitive and that is true for antiques from all over the world. There are primitive Chinese antiques. 

Many of these primitives show great craftsmanship --or in many cases, craftswomanship.

Also, by their nature, most primitives are functional, especially for storage. Use them to organize and de-clutter your home. What's exciting about primitives is that they mix well with other styles, such as modern, French, industrial, western. The primitive is secure enough not to scream. It plays well with other primitives, but also with completely different styles. 

 

Sometimes you need a solid, quiet piece to give authenticity to a trendier space. Look for a primitive. (Andy Warhol would. In fact, many of the great modernist artists collected American primitives. You can often see the clean lines of modernism in the hand-wrought.)

One of my favorite buys at the Fort Worth Show a few years ago was from Jo Rader, who buys primitives from TX, OK and beyond. Jo brings lots of small primitives -- little cupboards, stools, boxes. But that year she had a huge wooden trophy case with sliding glass doors from a Texas panhandle school--early old glass. It was painted institutional gray and appeared to have been made in the school woodshop. Once it held team trophies, but I wisked it off to re-sell at the Marburger Farm Antique Show in Round Top. That school-made storage case was fresh, functional, serene and I'm sure it's a trophy for whoever has it now.  

Farm tables, cupboards (boards for cups), textiles, furniture painted and unpainted (oh, that original paint!). Look for them and mix them with your look. All at the Fort Worth Show of Antiques & Art, which will soon be here!

 

Thurs, Fri, Sat March 3,4,5, 2016
Buy Tickets Now and Receive an Advance Copy of the Show Program and Map. 
www.fortworthshow.com

www.fortworthshow.eventbrite.com