FACT: Live auctions are more difficult that eBay auctions

My quest after two and a half years to get something on my walls has still come up empty.  In that time, I've found two Australian artists that I'm trying to find affordable works by, but am not having much luck.  Both of the artists I'm trying to find originals (not prints) by I've come across at art auctions.  It's been an interesting experience so far.  I've attended three to date, but have come up empty each time.  After last night's auction though, I'm starting to get the hang of it and starting to see how others are getting bargains.  While not necessarily pieces that are true investment pieces because most won't be known outside of Australia, I can hopefully find some pieces to hang on my walls that represent Australian art (aboriginal and contemporary).

The one artist that seems to be a bit more available is Anthony Lister.  The problem I'm finding here is that he's starting to take off on the global scene.  Which would be good if I found out about him a year or two ago, but I'm getting to the party after the prices have started to rise.  Most of his shows seem to be in the US or in Europe which is making original works by him more difficult to find in Australia.  It doesn't seem like he's done a show in Australia in 2012, so I'm still hoping that there's a chance for that.  We'll just have to see.

The other artist that I've been searching for and want to find a piece by is Adam Cullen.  I came across him about a year ago at an auction preview and have been hooked since.  There is a chain of hotels in Melbourne who have built hotels around the works of three different Australian artists and Adam Cullen was the first project.  I stayed there back in March when I was there for a weekend for a concert.  That trip probably gave me the most hope that I might be able to find an original work by him.  I stopped by the local gallery to see if they had anything in the stockroom and was told that they were going to be having a show in July with new works.  I continued to look around in the primary and secondary markets and while I found some pieces, there weren't anything I really liked.

So fast forward to a few weeks ago, I got the email about the latest auction that had a work by Adam at a very reasonable price considering what I'd seen both currently on the market and recent sold prices.  And, I liked the work.  He's done two different subjects that I like and this was the first one that was in the right price range.  Then about a week after getting the auction catalog I got news that he had passed away.  I had been talking with a local art dealer trying to find works and knew he wasn't well, but it never came across as life threatening.  There was a huge outpouring in the local art community, even for people who didn't really like his works.  And as a result, the market for available works went out of control.

Adam Cullen - untitled (feral pig)

The expected price on the particular lot went up by 50%.  I figured I'd still go for it, but with an even smaller chance of winning.  The one lesson I learned in attending an art auction is to not drink.  If you do, sometimes you end up with something that looks like this (appropriately named "The Crash"):

Despite having top shelf booze at this event, I stayed away.  I had to wait through 250 some odd lots (including a few Anthony Lister works) until the lot I wanted.  And then the adrenaline started flowing.  There was some interest from absentee ballots so the starting bid was higher than I hoped.  I wanted everyone else to bid and drop out before I started, but no one else was bidding.  For fear that they'd drop the hammer, I jumped in only to be outbid by another absentee bid.  So I flashed my number and was again outbid.  With little room left before my time to drop out (thankful I'm sober at this point), I'm sitting alone with the current bid.  And then there's silence.  My heart is going a mile a minute while my brain is yelling at the auctioneer to drop the damn hammer already.  This would be a good price so drop the hammer already and declare me the winner.

And then, the plan unravels.  Someone on a phone throws up a bid.  I sit for a minute as the auctioneer throws the bid back to me if I want it.  And at this point I know that my eBay experience has completely failed me.  I feel like I've jumped in too soon.  I can feel everyone around staring at me, the amateur.  I sit tight for what was probably 10 seconds, but felt longer and I threw up my bid card as two others in the room did as well.  The auctioneer gave the bid to me as an active bidder previously.  Neither of the other two people seemed keen to go higher so I was feeling better, but still not confident.  Then, the phone bidder sent the dagger.  Upped me one past my max bid.  The auctioneer threw it back to me but I had to tap out.  Maybe if I went through a few bottles of champagne waiting I would have continued, but thankfully didn't.  There were a few smaller bids between the phone duo and when the hammer dropped, I was again without anything to hang on my walls.  Bummer.

I haven't given up yet, but it's not looking good.  I'm just hoping that his estate has a stock pile of works that he had been working on and hopefully they make it into some galleries at some point.  His estate is going through with a previously committed show up in Singapore, but the only piece I liked from that show is already sold. To an Australian collector no less.

I'll just have to hone my live auction skills in hopes I come across another original.  Until then, I'll just have to continue with the minimalist white wall theme in my apartment.

Efficient Sightseeing in the Kimberley

I figured since I made the trip all the way out to the northern part of Western Australia to swim with the Whale Sharks, I'd take a few extra days and head even farther north to Broome to spend a few days on the beach and exploring the remote Kimberley Region.  As with just about every place I've been in Australia, there is an infinite amount to do, but most of it doesn't get much coverage in guide books.  I did a bit of research to try to find the most efficient way to see the most of the region.  I knew I was going to miss a few things, but it seemed like the best way to see it was from the air.

I booked a half day trip with Kimberley Aviation to get a the best view possible.  We flew north past Derby and were told stories about the crocs and the unfortunate and sometimes lucky stories that have made it out from those that camped in the area.  We continued north past areas where the Australian military would drop soldiers off for days at a time to teach them survival techniques.  Being able to look around and see what was out there, or not as the case may be, that's not something I'd look forward to.

We started to descend from 2,500 feet to about 1,200 to get a close of view of the Horizontal Falls.  It's a unique occurrence that happens only in this one spot.  Basically, when the tides are rising or falling, the water is forced between two small openings and from the sky, it looks like a waterfall.  It was quite the site seeing the tiny boats try to get as close as possible to the opening.  The plane was the newest in the fleet as well.  It was only a week old and loaded with all the latest in electronics.  I got a bit of a chuckle as we were descending to get a closer look at the falls to see the GPS start flashing "TERRAIN ADVISORY" as we got closer to the mountains.  There were too many hands in the way to get a picture of that, unfortunately.

After the Horizontal Falls, we turned west towards the Buccaneer Archipelago.  This is an area made up around 1,000 small islands that dot the coast.  It was quite a stunning sight with the mid-morning sun shining down.  The itself area was formed over millions of years as the water started rising up on the previous coastline.  Our pilot for the day would help point out islands that were or are still the home of aboriginal communities.

We eventually came in for a slightly bumpy landing at Cape Leveque.  It's a small camp area suited for camper vans.  It was a nice feeling knowing that we wouldn't have to drive 3 plus hours through red dirt roads to get back to Broome later.  They set up a nice breakfast for us overlooking the Indian Ocean and then we had some free time to water around.  The biggest attraction there was probably the beach.  With the amount of Iron Ore in the ground, the sand is a deep red.  But on the beach, there was a distinct line where the red dirt and sand of the road merged into the white sand beach.  The rock formations on the beach were a brilliant red.  Seeing this stretch on for miles makes you understand why Australia was able to survive most of the GFC through the mining boom.

After a quick dip we took off again and headed back along the coast for Broome.  We got more history of the area and a few humpback whales as they came up for air.  Seeing them from 4,500 feet made me appreciate their size even more when they popped up next to us in the water just a few days prior.

The one thing I would have liked to have seen but would have required a drive was on the Dampier Peninsula.  There is an aboriginal community who has built a church with much of the insides apparently made from mother of pearl.  The Kimberley Region has a deep history in pearl mining.  With jewelry shops on every corner selling the local treasure and the age old cemetery dedicated to those that died while pearling, there are deep ties to the Japanese and Chinese who were some of the first to dive for pearls.


The rest of trip was spent relaxing at the beach and at the pool.  I went to check out the town a bit, but having only 15,000 people, the downtown was pretty sparse.  Mainly backpacker hostels, jewelry shops and the typical tourist shops.  Luckily they also have a local brewery so I was able to get some decent pub curry and beers.  Though I stayed away from their mango and lychee beers.  Even on the hottest of days, those wouldn't sound too appealing to me.

The only bad thing about the weekend was having to take the red eye straight into work on Wednesday.  Well, and my decision to not get a hotel room the first night in Perth, but rather try and parlay what I would have paid for a hotel room on the blackjack tables.  It didn't come out too bad, but I certainly didn't fund the rest of the trip between when my plane landed at 11pm and the next one took off at 6am.  But on the bright side, I only have to find a casino in South Australia and I can say I've played blackjack in every Australian state.