Tchernablog

The Question vs. the Wow: Your collection or your life.

My first auction experience had nothing to do with art.  My brother-in-law asked me to sit in for him at an office equipment liquidation.  He was looking for a printer.  I found him one...a wide-carriage dot matrix unit, which should give you an idea of how long I've been going to auctions.

What I remember most was the auctioneer's introduction.  "Folks," he said, "I am not Circuit City."  And then he went on to educate us on the simple, hard, cruel truth in auction buying: 

if you're the highest bidder when the man cries, "SOLD!" it's yours...whether you like it or not.

Discovering Animation Art: A Personal Experience

It was 1998 and I had a lot of vacation time coming, so I decided to take a cruise to Alaska.  I enjoy photography, particularly nature photography, so I thought Alaska would be a true paradise.  Was it ever!  I took a helicopter tour of a glacier, a river raft tour of a game preserve, and a steam excursion into the mountains.  It was breathtaking!

The ship itself, the  Rhapsody of the Seas on the Royal Caribbean line, was pure luxury.  Shopping, casinos, live stage shows, excellent cuisine and wonderful service.  But the stage shows were at night, shopping was expensive, and I'm not much of a gambler (although I won $65 at blackjack...once).  So while we were at sea I was restless.

Then one day, they announced an art auction.

Greetings to Animation Art Lovers Everywhere!

As an avid collector of animation cels, sericels, and production drawings, I've often wanted to interact with other collectors, to share with them my passion for collecting and to learn about theirs.  I've also wanted a place where I can learn from other people's experiences with galleries, vendors, auctions, appraisals and sales.

So I've started Tchernablog.

Yep, Tchernablog.  Named for the scary guy at the center of the "Night on Bald Mountain" sequence in Disney's Fantasia.  Why?  Because Chernabog (that's his name) is one of the most sought-after Disney creations by collectors anywhere, and his name is really only known to two groups of people...art collectors and film historians.  But you knew this already, didn't you?  Of course you did, you're a collector!  And you probably already know that's him on the lefthand side of our banner...photographed from a production drawing by the legendary Bill Tytla.

Oh, you didn't know that?  But you want to learn more?  That's fine; if you're not a collector but are interested in becoming one, you're welcome here too.  Let's just make sure we keep things civil and make sure everyone has a good time.

Let's go!