It's Horsing Around Time!

That's right - the annual Christmas auctions are here and boy they did not disappoint this year. I absolutely love how they offer custom glazes on some vintage pottery like Beswick, Royal Worcester and other European makes, alongside the beautiful custom glaze work on their own releases. I always look forward to seeing what is on offer each year!

You can find them all here

I have a soft spot for Beswick and I am absolutely loving the Wooley Shetland and Shire Mare. Those are two of my favorite sculptures and the colors really pop. The Mill Reef and Quarter Horse are also absolutely stunning.

Stone Horses also has an astounding 63 (!!) OOAK models up for their holiday auctions which will run through 12/31. Many of the hobby's top artists are featured.

You can find them all here

I was a major Stone collector from the early 2000s through the mid 2010s-ish when Jackie Turner was producing some amazing FCM pieces. After she left the company I felt the quality was no longer there for the prices they were selling for (especially compared to the collection I already had) so I had stuck to pretty much only collecting Caroline Boydston best offer models.

Well I have to say the quality is absolutely BACK. I am blown away by the pieces being offered since the change in ownership. It is great to see so many hobby artists being invited to create and paint factory models - I think we are definitely looking at a new era for Stone collecting and showing. I have been very impressed with how well and how quickly hobby artists have taken to customizing on factory bodies - I always figured it was quite a special skill set with a steep learning curve to be able to melt and then sculpt with cellulose acetate. Then here are Kylee and Tiffany and others turning out works of art from day one!

I'm not too hopeful but I have my eyes on a couple of pieces in both auctions - good luck to all of us!