OK Guys & Girls - What are your collecting rules now?

Everyone welcome to post - especially if you are a lurker and not posted before - all replies are fully valid and very welcome.

[no one will flame you down]

We seem to have a diverse bunch of regulars. I'm interested in what your self rules are now for collecting? Have you restricted buying because of financial circumstances, mortgage rates are up :( , or is your house full? Downsizing? Other half upset? Spare bedroom full and Auntie Doris arriving in two weeks?

What are your rules?

Well considering I’m going to Waterperrys this weekend with a limited budget I guess I should have some rules
1) Tea bowls
2) Any interesting new potters I haven’t seen before
3) Maybe one statement piece. I was hoping for a Christy Keeney piece at Compton Verney but by Sunday all the cheaper pieces had sold out and the rest were out of my price range

We repurposed my "man cave" last year and have gotten rid of 1 glass cabinet due to the new puppy... so my current "rules" are only buying items I wish to display or rare exceptions items that I feel are important additions to my main collection, but am not currently displaying. Typically this means item in - item out. Partly to keep the other half happy, but I also got fed up of having junk in boxes, so limits are needed :D

1) Anything that is seriously cheap and can make £30
2) Things that I've not seen in a very long time and are quirky and fun and unusual
3) Avoid anything large like the plague.
4) Allowed to buy things small things under £30 - they don't count

Prefer items that combine 1&2

Yes, for me anything £15 or less doesn't count. And there's no point having a wasted journey; just buy something

There are a few items on my list that I stupidly missed as I felt they were over priced now they have just disappeared. Strange how things just are not available any more

I mostly kept to my rules -
1) Tea bowls - tick: Tim Copsey, amongst others
2) Any interesting new potters I haven’t seen before - couldn't resist a little man by Anna Donovan from Belfast, NI. I had seen her work online and she was sort of on my wants list already. I'd already blown my budget but it was better to buy at the Fair than have to pay shipping costs from NI. Also got a piece by a new potter, Hannah Staniforth.
3) Maybe one statement piece - almost got an Adele Powell bottle vase but it was a bit more than my budget. Instead I got a few smaller pieces by potters who's work I've admired for some time but not bought, such as Elly Wall
But I did get a few pieces by potters I already have such as Jessica Jordan and David Wright, which weren't tea bowls

I buy the occasion piece of recently produced ceramic work by ceramicists that I like. These tend to be small, as they will all be on show and space is limited. They also are few in number, as I probably have become jaded. I rarely see anything that excites me these that I want to own and look at for any length of time.

I buy paintings/works of art in a similar manner but I have recently started collecting vinyl records again and that is more difficult to control.

studio-pots wrote:I probably have become jaded. I rarely see anything that excites me these that I want to own and look at for any length of time.

I buy paintings/works of art in a similar manner but I have recently started collecting vinyl records again and that is more difficult to control.

I have friends that collect vinyl, I do like the way you can get them on the wall and it's an instant talking point when someone visits, as if it defines you. This is what I am           . Sad that ceramics don't fire you up SP. You sound tired of London?  

https://www.google.com/search?q=vinyl+wall+display&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwii4IfQiJOAAxUXsCcCHezGAKYQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=vinyl+wall+display&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQDDIHCAAQigUQQzIFCAAQgAQyBggAEAcQHjIGCAAQBxAeMgYIABAIEB4yBggAEAgQHjIGCAAQCBAeMgYIABAIEB4yBggAEAgQHjIGCAAQCBAeUABYAGC1E2gAcAB4AIABVYgBVZIBATGYAQCqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZ8ABAQ&sclient=img&ei=8syzZKKfKZfgnsEP7I2DsAo

My active collecting of pots is mainly restricted to two potters John Ward and Ewen Henderson, i have have a few others but i think they will shortly be going to auction, i find much of the work being produced at present is rather contrived or relying on novelty value and i wouldn't want any of it even as a gift. like studio -pots i think i have become a bit jaded and the thought of going to one of the ceramic fairs seems like pure hell. I also collect some mid century art and find that more satisfying although space to hang is a problem.

Do you not like ceramic rabbit holes croker? Where you stumble across something, look in to in as it, do some research and a door opens to a world you knew nothing about? I have x20 rabbit holes I would love to have a piece from? No ? No rabbit holes?

Hi Crawford, I thought your question was ''what are you collecting rules now?'' ,i had no idea that i had to justify my reasons for my collecting.

You don't - but If I said I only collect two things; Little porcelain rabbits and little porcelain donkeys then I might expect a follow up question

I would not be surprised if someone asked 'why don't you collect little porcelain elephants?'

It's not unreasonable

I can’t resist ceramic cats and naked men  Not enough naked men at Waterperrys; I had to settle for a clothed figure by Anne Donovan

22 Crawford St. wrote: Sad that ceramics don't fire you up SP. You sound tired of London?  

I bought my first piece of studio pottery 35 years ago and for most of that time it has been a significant part of my life, having dealt in it for all of that time and more or less exclusively in it for 24 years. Therefore I think that it is understandable that I should feel jaded about most pots that I might stumble across these days - I have seen most things before and often better pieces.

However, no need to feel sad, as I do other things here in this little patch of S. E. London to fill in my time.

croker wrote:My active collecting of pots is mainly restricted to two potters John Ward and Ewen Henderson, i have have a few others but i think they will shortly be going to auction, i find much of the work being produced at present is rather contrived or relying on novelty value and i wouldn't want any of it even as a gift. like studio -pots i think i have become a bit jaded and the thought of going to one of the ceramic fairs seems like pure hell. I also collect some mid century art  and find that more satisfying although space to hang is a problem.

Although most of the ceramics that I have isn't part of my collection but stock, I have been thinking of putting it into auction over the last year or so. Only keeping the things that I enjoy having out and looking at.

We downsized. Still have a fair number of pots on show. They make excellent decoration! Have only bought two pots in 4 years. An Alan Wallwork and a Peter Hayes. The collecting bug is not really bothering me any more. Although I still keep a look out on Ebay for specific catalogues and Studio pottery posters.
I still look at charity shops. But invariably it is all mostly tat nowadays. I find myself buying a fair amount of paperbacks and hardbacks in Charity shops though. I read a lot of them and throw the others away.
I think it is the downsizing that is good for the hair short collecting soul! It makes you take another look at what you have, and what you really want to keep.

I suppose it depends on what your motives for collecting are/were. I can understand Studio being somewhat bored in his collecting now. After you did it for a living!
Equally it depends on how puritanical and specialised your collecting tastes were.