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Artwork

Art is an expression of one's thoughts and feelings. Yet, many pieces of art also have a monetary value as well.

For this reason, you should protect your artwork and your collectibles as you would any other investment. Protecting it means having a proper insurance policy on it. This doesn't hinder the beauty aspect of your paintings, sculptures or other fine pieces of art. What it does is protect you against the unknown. Some may Mercedes Benz to argue that they cannot afford any type of insurance on their art collectibles. But these same people should actually stop and think about what they would lose if something tragic such as a fire would occur. Their beloved art would be destroyed, most likely. Plus, they would have no money to show for their lost. No, the money from an insurance policy couldn't bring back the beauty. Nothing would bring back the beauty. Yet, the money could be a small comfort and could allow the owner to try to find another piece of art to comfort them.

If you do have a painting or collectible you think it is worth a lot of money and you wish to insure it, here are a few things to do. First, get it appraised. Go to a professional appraisal. You need to Millie the Model exactly what the piece is worth in dollars and cents. Make sure you get this appraisal in writing, too. This is your proof of its worth. Now get busy and start photographing the pieces you wish to have insured. You should also photocopy any sales receipts, wills, etc to prove that you have actual ownership of the piece.

Those two things are the easiest things you can do. Of course, the hard part will begin now.

Do a budget.

Decide how much you can actually afford on insurance.

You might even want to decide on what types of insurance you want?

Do you want fire and water damage coverage? What about theft coverage? Yes, even if you live in a good neighborhood, you could very well get robbed.

Before you begin calling local insurance companies for quotes, begin with your current company that holds the policy for your home. Most homeowner's policies will have an amendment that can be added to include such assets as art. You also may get a reduction in the ball jointed dolls since you all ready have coverage with this company. If you don't like the quote your current company gives you, and then begins shopping around to other companies. You may also want each company to give you two separate quotes, one for fire and water damage alone and one that includes theft coverage.

What if you cannot afford to cover your collection or your one special piece of art for the full amount of its worth? Don't fret. Think about it like this. Wouldn't it be better to be able to insure the piece for half of its worth than to not have it insured? If something would happen, you would get some money. Plus, you can always increase the coverage if your financial situation happens to improve.

Once you decide on a policy, actually read it. You should also understand what it covers and its terms. Ask questions. If you want to know if it will cover a fire that is caused from an electrical problem. Ask. You need to know the answers to the questions that are important to you.

You also need to be able to understand the fine print. If you don't understand it, don't be afraid to ask. It is the insurance agent's duty to help you understand.

Finally, once you take out the insurance policy make sure you keep 1970's toys with the payments.

Now relax and enjoy your precious artwork, knowing you are covered if disasters strike.

Jeffrey Meier at Jam727 Enterprises at http://www.thearticlehome.com blog offers even more detailed information on a wide variety of topics.

I was asked the other day, Where do you buy gourds? And when you talk about cleaning them, what does that involve? Oh, yeah, not everyone knows about 1953 Topps baseball cards stuff. Funny how you forget that at one time, you yourself were asking the very same questions! And gee, these questions were nicely timed, as its the natural next step to talk about gourds.

You Axis and Allies either grow your own gourds; purchase them from the local farm market (usually fresh and you would have to dry them) or over the Internet from a gourd farmer. My two favorite places to purchase gourds are Mojave Gourd Farm in California and Foothill Farms in Ohio. Why two? Mojave Gourd Farm offers gourds by the box. They usually offer two types of boxes with varying amounts and shapes of gourds for a nice price. I get a whole box of characters and personalities to create with! When I need a particular type of gourd in a small quantity the place I like to get them is at Foothill Farms I just love the Internet and modern technology. Ill let you in on a little secret. I intend on growing some of my very own gourds next year. I received lots of tips when I attended the Ohio Gourd Show and am I excited to put them to the test! Oh and you bet, Ill be blogging about that.

Now the next question was "and when you talk about cleaning them, what does that involve? You know you are a true lover of gourds if cleaning them is nothing but a thing. What happens in the morphing process of a gourd from fresh to dry is it loses its water weight. This process takes about six to nine months. Come to think of it, I wouldnt mind shrinking that much in that short amount of time! During this process the water evaporates through the gourds skin and forms mold. Okay, maybe that wouldnt be a good process for a human to lose weight. Can you imagine? Oh look, Tracy, youve got a nice coating of mold on you! How much longer do have to go? When the process is complete, you have a dried gourd with a moldy residue on it. This must be cleaned off to reveal the wonderful golden color and markings underneath. Ive noticed that how easily it cleans depends upon where its been grown. This is not based on any scientific fact. This is from my own personal experience. Those desert gourds require a bit more elbow grease than the Ohio grown ones. Now my Mom, who orders gourds from the same place, has managed to get easy cleaning gourds. I think the difference The Lizard is that she has 19 more years of cleaning muscle built up than I do. I know she could beat me at thumb wrestling.

To clean the outside of your gourd you can use some different methods:

Soak the gourds in water and a bit of bleach. Gourds float so its important to lay a wet towel over the top of them. After a few hours, wash them with a copper scrubby.

Soak the gourds in plain water and continue as above.

Do not soak the gourds and immediately start scrubbing with dish soap and copper scrubby. Can you tell I get impatient?

And my personal favorite for those desert gourds (and I have to give credit where credit is due, this was suggested by Janice Maloney from Mojave Gourd Farm) spray the gourd with Dawn Power Dissolver. After about half an hour they are ready for the copper scrubby. Sometimes you have to do it twice before youre finished. There are places that offer to clean the outside of your gourds but you pay extra for that service.

Now the next step is to clean the inside, which wholly depends upon what you are creating. There are various schools of thought on this. Some folks believe that the inside must be cleaned out no matter what and others say not. I usually go with the first method, but have since learned that it wasnt necessary. Im still feeling my way on that one. There are two methods to accomplishing this fun task, dry or wet. Wet cleaning just about eliminates the dust, but I think it takes longer so I usually dont do this. When the mood strikes, I want to work on the gourd as soon as possible.

When you open up a gourd the first thing you realize is that this is what underneath all that wrapping on a mummified person must smell like. Also, if you happen to have your mouth hanging open (as I catch myself doing often) you can get the nastiest taste in it. It takes several glasses of water, candy, ice cream, or chocolate to get rid of it. Inside the gourd is a large ball that holds all the seeds along with membrane sticking to the sides of the gourd. If your really lucky, youll get a gourd where the membrane ball simply falls out and there isnt any sticking to the sides. Im warning you though; these are the really nasty dusty ones! To wet clean this, I would take out the seed ball and then fill the gourd with water and let it soak. Ive let them soak from a few hours to overnight depending on how patient I want to be about it. After theyve soaked, the membrane is very soft and can be scraped out with a sharp edged spoon or a gourd scraping tool. Be warned! Cleaning out wet membranes is a messy and goopy job.

My preferred method is the dry method. Now I started out doing this with a spoon or any sharp object I could find until I bought my scrapers. Then, the Gourd Gods smiled upon all their people and someone invented The Gourd Genie. I love this tool!

This neat device fits into your drill (or your husbands drill which suddenly has a new home in YOUR Lair. It becomes yours due to squatter's rights). This neat tool scrubs out all that membrane very quickly! I cant imagine life with out it. Well yes I can because the first one I bought broke. Thats how I found out what its made out of! Its a golf ball covered with grit (like sandpaper grit) attached to a metal shaft. How simple is that? I really missed having it and it wasnt long before I bought a replacement. It is very important to clean your gourds in a well-ventilated area and to wear a mask! I didnt listen (and still sometimes dont) and ended up with a reaction to the gourd dust. Its not fun! For me the result can be as severe as an intense ragweed allergy attack with a nice dash of bronchitis added on top. Gourd dust is nasty, nasty, nasty stuff. I highly recommend a mask. I started out with a mask from Home Depot that has the cartridges on it. Yes, I looked much like Darth Gourdess, which was most fun. Gourd.... Gourd.... come to the dark side.

I usually wear a blue disposable one for fine dust and so far so good. I clean my gourds outside whenever possible. If I cant, I have a fan in the window of my Lair set on exhaust.

There you have it, where to buy your gourds and how to give them a bath. The fascinating thing about cleaning gourds is finding out whats underneath that mold and dirt. Some of the most interesting pictures spring forth in the markings. Its like finding the hidden message or the diamond hidden under the coal.

Want more information? I encourage you to check out The American Gourd Society (of which I am a proud member). Yes there are even gourd societies out there! One of my friends thinks thats rather amusing. What I love is how people who have never heard of gourds until they meet me will suddenly see them everywhere. I didnt realize how popular gourds were until I started looking for more information. They are everywheremwhahahahahahaha. Oh, excuse me, I got a little carried away.

Have a Wonder-Filled day and enjoy the journey!

Tracy L. Swartz, PhG
The Domestic Gourdess

My work is a treasure hunt to find the mystery and beauty of the Gourd hidden beneath the layers.

Gourd art is similar to life unfolding before us, and the choices we make. I choose to transform those things that may on the surface appear awful and unlovely into something uplifting and beautiful. I equate my gourd art to the versatile nature of people, always changing, always unfolding, and always discovering something new.