Is it just me...

or does this piece of art pottery STRONGLY resemble Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors?

I mean, that's why I bought it in the first place, mainly to see if it would turn to me and say, "Feed me, Valerie!" and I would then be tasked to find human sacrifices for my unholy pottery master. I also figured "what the hey" based on the mark on the bottom of the vase, U.S.A. 106. Now I have been told (by someone who is by no means an authority) that some McCoy pottery is marked with just USA and no mention of the McCoy name. I could almost buy that in this case as the item is that minty green they seemed to favor so much and they seemed to be fans of that strangely organic fluted vase type thing. However 48 pages of images from my Google search later I have not found any proof that McCoy ever marked anything with just a U.S.A. (nor did they seem to leave the bottoms unglazed as this piece is) nor can I find a comparable shape. If anyone has ever seen a piece similar to this I would love it if you could tell me more about it. My free time is so limited that I am unable to go to the public library and look at their books on pottery. (if only the public library was open at 11pm!) But I am sure that somewhere in the annals of history someone recorded a vase as odd as this one. Even if someone is familiar with the mark or can confirm/deny with assurance the whole McCoy marked with only a USA that would be great. It would put me one step closer to identifying this beauty. I am normally not too concerned with the collectibility of my purchases, but if Antiques Roadshow has taught me anything it's that art pottery can surprise you and I would love it if like my Van Briggle I have again purchased s very collectible piece on the cheapy-cheap! Two in one year would be great!

I apologize that the mark is not more prominent in this picture. My "photography studio" consists of me taking pieces outside into the direct sunlight because my camera is pitiful. Unfortunately in this instance it all but washed out the contrast in the markings.

And I mentioned Google, when I search "McCoy art pottery" in quotation marks, why then do you give me Hull, Rosewood and Van Briggle? I thought the quotes were supposed to eliminate similar, but not EXACT matches! Harrumph, I'll let it go because you have been super useful in the past, but you're on warning buddy!

UPDATE: Thanks to the ladies at Gathering Spriggs /Gathering Vintage who at this weekends vintage & artisan market had a similar piece that sparked a conversation with these learned ladies. It is most likely Shawnee pottery as they marked their pieces the same way and are partial to these stylized organic shapes and do not generally glaze the bottoms of their pieces. Thanks ladies, mystery now mostly solved!

Antiques Roadshow here I come!

I am addicted to Antiques Roadshow on PBS, I can't get enough of it. I am not as concerned with monetary values (although that is a fun aspect) and more intrigued by the unusual items that people bring in and their history. (I especially like it when know-it-all people get shut down by the appraiser when they tell them that their "provenance" is pure B.S.!) You always see those people who find something in the trash or buy something at a yard sale for 25¢ and it's worth thousands of dollars, well that yahoo may soon be me! I bought the planter/bowl/random art pottery below for a whopping 5¢ at an estate sale. I just liked the coloring and its "art nouveau-ness", turns out when I got it home there was a mark on the bottom. It was back to back "A"s in a box and a cursive signature that I couldn't make out. After some arduous poking around on the internet I discovered that it was a Van Briggle! (probably made in the 30's judging from the signature)

Here's a bit of the history from the Van Briggle Pottery website:

Artus Van Briggle, an American artist of Dutch descent, was established as a world class painter in Europe. Having been trained at the finest academies there, and with paintings accepted by the Paris Salon, he received the highest honors for a painter in his day. Yet his artistic passions would ultimate lead him away from his brush, canvas, and easel toward another artistic pursuit that would ultimately define his genius. Though Artus was a brilliant painter, his artistic passions were most eloquently expressed in the forms and colors of one of history’s oldest arts – pottery. From his years as a celebrated artist at the famed Rookwood Pottery in Ohio he knew first-hand the extraordinary range of expression an artist could achieve with the potter’s materials. His pursuit was the creation of exquisite satin matte glazes, like those he’d seen on ancient Chinese masterworks, in a palette of glorious colors, never achieved by any artist in modern times. The materials this brilliant artist would use for his greatest artistic pursuit would be minerals from the earth - clays, feldspars, oxides, - and the glowing orange flames of a fiery kiln. When transformed by the creative mind and the skilled hand these materials become the essence of both humanity and nature blended in unity. Clay and glaze are indeed extravagant media, offering the artist a lifetime of challenges and rewards. Artus, however, didn’t have a lifetime – tragically, he had contracted tuberculosis and, though a relatively young man, his future was uncertain. Artus had achieved some success in discovering a formula for these beautiful matte glazes prior to his arrival in Colorado but he continued his work there, seeking a standard of perfection not yet achieved. Pottery is a melding of art and science, and during the time when he conducted his experiments Artus knew success could not come without the patience of a scientist and the passion found in all great artists. He pursued his vision with tireless effort, though the effects of failing health often interrupted his progress. No specific date is recorded, but one day in the spring of 1901 he reached into the kiln, with the anticipation known well by countless potters throughout the ages, and finally held in his hands the perfect, rich, matte-glazed pottery he had sought for so long - the first pieces created in centuries, the first ever on this side of the world. Against the odds of failing health and a pursuit which no western artist had ever achieved, he succeeded; his passion was realized - a lost art was now reborn. The world would once again see and touch of the soft marble-like glazes first known by ancient Chinese masters half a world and so many generations away.

Read the rest on the Van Briggle Pottery history page.

I have yet to pinpoint the value of my particular piece, I have found the color and pattern (which I believe is called "spade leaf", the color is Ming Turquoise, priced in the $2000-$2500 range) and some pieces with another pattern of the same size & shape (for about $150-$250) but nothing that matches mine exactly. Right now I am unable to pinpoint if it is the glaze/pattern that is desirable or the kinds of pieces that I have seen it on that make up the bulk of the value. Either way a pretty good return on a nickel!

Behold my stellar find!