Vintage glass candle ornaments imported from Turkey by John Derian. At $80 each, the price is comprable to similar ones I’ve seen at the Grand Bazaar and the streets lining the bazaar district. But while you can bargain with shopkeepers in gorgeously lit shops in Istanbul, this price is fixed. Yet still, you can surround yourself with these sumptuosly votive globes without having to hassle on a price or drink endless cups of black or apple tea. Unless you like that sort of thing, which I do when my Turkish is passable.
I can’t mention John Derian without remarking on his beautiful Decoupage. Perhaps most people’s first experimentation with Decoupage included some sort of small discarded cigar box with glued on victorian greeting cards or, if I can admit this, hormonally induced clippings from teen magazines glued to a tabletop… either way, John Derian transforms the medium into singular moments of museum-worthy imagery that at times remind me, like this Libra/Scorpio zodiac tray, of Jane Hammond, whose work can be seen at Lemberg Gallery in Ferndale, MI.
John Derian, above
Jane Hammond, From the Goose to the Girl, iris print, relief work, handcoloring