Wooden Fish Carving - Floyd Edwards - "Salmon"

Rummaging through a hay wagon full of items at a farm estate auction I came across this very nice wooden fish carving. I was surprised to see it was recklessly stacked in a pile with a bunch of other random stuff. It would have been a real shame if the paint had been scratched, or the wood chipped, but luckily it all seemed to be intact.

I put it into my mental list of things I wanted to bid on. It didn't take long to get to it either as the auctioneer began clearing the hay wagon first thing. Given that this was a farm auction I knew there was a chance the interest in art pieces might be low, as everyone was distracted by the tools and hardware.

For anyone who has been to an auction you know that the auctioneer often likes to bundle undesirable items with other things to make sure that at the end of the day everything is sold. That is exactly what happened with this item. Nearby on the wagon was a "Big Mouth Billy Bass", so naturally the 'pair' of fish were lumped together to be sold. 

The bidding started, and there was very little action. The asking price dropped and dropped as the auctioneer tried to get an opening bid. It was no doubt quite because people were too embarrassed to bid on "Billy Bass". When it was all said and done both fish were mine for only $5.

As the auction assistant delivered me my fish he accidentally triggered the motion sensor on "Billy Bass". The crowd had a good laugh as Billy started into his rendition of "Take Me to the River".

To my surprise I was soon approached by another auction goer who seemed to desperately want to buy "Billy Bass" because she thought it was hilarious. We came to terms, splitting the cost of the lot between us, and we were both satisfied with our fish. 

• Floyd Edwards is a coast salish artist from the Pacific North West Coast.
• He carves in Yellow Cedar
• All his carvings are his own designs

http://www.sa-cinn.com/flyodedwards.htm

Castle Mountain Painting - Peter McKenzie

For someone who appreciates quality artwork there is nothing quite as satisfying as finding a piece of fine art when you're least expecting it. That's exactly what happened to me with this piece by Canadian artist, Peter McKenzie.

I was out early on a Saturday morning checking out the local yard sales. As I pulled up to one in my car I immediately noticed this piece propped up haphazardly under a table. I could tell it looked interesting from across the street, and definitely warranted a closer inspection.

As soon as I picked it up it was clear that this piece was an original oil-on-board, and that the artist had taken great care on the finer details of this painting. Clearly scribed in the bottom right corner was the name P. McKenzie, a name I knew anything about. The frame was dated, and not particularly clean, but that would not stop me from finding out how much it would cost to buy this painting.

When I asked the man attending the sale what he wanted for the painting he looked at me surprised. I don't think he expected to get any offers on it, and he clearly wasn't as impressed with it as I was. He said quickly with a laugh..."How 'bout 3 bucks". At this point it was a no-brainer. This painting was coming home with me. I dug into my pocked and pulled out a handful of change only to realize I had only $2.85. The man laughed and gladly accepted the counter-offer.

The title of this painting is not apparent on the piece itself, but the subject matter is clearly of Castle Mountain which is located in Banff National Park, British Columbia.

This painting is medium sized measuring 17" x 24".

So who is Peter McKenzie? This is a question I am still trying to find more answers to, but I have discover some interesting tidbits about this artist.

• He was born in 1886 in Dunnville Ontario Canada.
• He lived in Brockville, and Gananoque Ontario Canada for most of his life.
• On Oct. 22, 1959 his painting called "Lost Channel in the St. Lawrence River" was presented to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.
• He died in 1965

ref - Peter McKenzie - Artist in Canada

I am still unsure of the true value of this painting as I can't find a comparable, but one would have to assume it is more than the meagre offering of pocket change it was purchased for. It truly is an exiting moment finding quality artwork in unexpected places.

If you have any additional information on this artist or any stories of art you found please share!

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Since publishing this blog I have recieved some images of other pieces of Peter's artwork. Enjoy them below:

Cold Root Ridge

Testing out the blog....