Artisans of the Valley's Blog Site

Eric & Stanley Saperstein of Artisans of the Valley will be joining Ernestine Ruben this Saturday (January 23rd) to celebrate the opening of her exhibition at Dalet Gallery of Philadelphia, PA

Museum Quality antique and collectible chess set restoration by Artisans of the Valley including an 1849 Stauton Series Jaques of London Tournament Set.

Artisans Quarterly Review Volume 2 Issue 3 by Artisans of the Valley is available as of August 31, 2009 and may be accessed with any PDF viewer by clicking on the following links or pasting them into our browser.

Part I of our “Investment Grade Blades” article introduced the concept of investing in collectible knives and discussed commissions and purchases from an established master knife maker. Jay Fisher provided our case example for this scenario.When you buy a knife from an artist like Jay – you often gain in value between your initial commission and delivery of the finished piece. This is a fantastic premise if you can afford to purchase and hold knives that are worth several thousand dollars.

Part II will continue to discuss the investment potential of knives made by up and coming or new knife makers using Stacy J. Nabinger as a case example. The whole theory here is exactly the same as speculative investing in a startup company, or dare I say “penny stocks.”

Charles Maxwell & Dan Cooney of Hardwood Clocks design and create hand made one-of-a-kind works of art that are feats of engineering and craftsmanship. These are clocks, yes clocks, made entirely of wood that function accurately and reliably; in other words they track and display the time!

Our topic today is the concept of an “investment grade blade.” Knives are by no means a neglected form of artwork, nor is their potential as an investment lost among collectors. The topic is, however, foreign to the majority of people outside the world of knife makers and collectors. You’re all aware that a painting can potentially go up in value, most of you know that a sculpture can become an investment. I’d bet that there is a good percentage of people who’s investment portfolios include items from the common art medias. My question is, have you ever seriously considered purchasing a knife within your investment portfolio?

Stearnsy Bears of Stotts City, MO creates heirloom quality hand made custom bears, artistically incorporating vintage and reclaimed materials into every project. These are truly works of art, each is unique including a history and persona.

Eric Saperstein of Artisans of the Valley puts artist and knife maker Jay Fisher’s blade “Artemis” to use for a graduation party pig roast. Eric also show’s off his custom home made pig roaster, made in classic hick style the cooker is a 270 gallon oil tank welded to an old snow mobile trailer.

Alice is a singer songwriter with a big dream and alot to say. Working on 5th CD with The Alice Project, writing songs for TV and film and embracing life every day:

“Lead Singer/writer/acoustic guitarist/piano… sometimes. Alice makes lyric and melodic driven acoustic/alternative/indie rock that will connect with lovers of Carole King, Aimee Mann, Suzanne Vega, Jill Sobule and John Lennon. Songs about faith, armchair warriors, love, botox, and regifting are neatly wrapped in masterful instrumentation. Alice is outspoken, funny…a master story teller…and extremely honest.” – Alice Leon – lead diva, rhythm guitar, keyboards. (Photography by Dan Komoda)

“To me, braiding a rug is a lot like painting a picture. The painter starts with a blank canvas and a palette of colors, and lets his heart and mind tell his hand what to do. The quality of the end product depends on the technical skills of the painter, but more importantly on the feeling that the painter is able to impart to the canvas…a feeling that comes from the inner self. The former can be taught, the latter is a gift. The same is true of braiding. There are certain technical skills that can be taught, but the quality of the end product depends on the creativity of the braider.” – Marge Yonda