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FAQ's
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Frequently Asked Questions |
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We have noticed that
a lot of our e-mail revolves around the this list of frequently
asked questions.
I will not be selling any of my
wife's work
I am holding her remaining art for our sons.
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| Please send me a catalog or brochure |
So sorry but we do not
have a catalog. Each and every item in our gallery is a one of a kind
original. As such, a catalog would be out of date before it left the print
shop. We are in the process of adding more items to our site hoping to
reach the point of having a complete on line cyber catalog. We do a lot of
custom work if you don't find what you want on our site contact us
and we
will see if we can create what you are looking for. Prices for many
in stock items can be found here.
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| I've got a broken lamp. What will it cost to
paint a new shade ? |
| One of the most
FAQ's. Each one is different. These old antique lamps were all
painted one at a time and one brush stroke at a time and each artist had a
different way of holding the brush, using different paints than we have
now.
The only way we can give
a firm quote is to see the work. We need to answer these questions.
Size and style of the shade or font? How many colors and what are
they? How intricate is the artwork? Were any enamels or gold
used? How about any unusual brush work or other techniques?
If you will ship
your broken pieces and/or the base of your lamp to us we will be able to
give you an exact quote. Shipping and packing instructions can be
found here.
| Well can you at least give me a ballpark estimate? |
Most
of the replacement shades we paint will run somewhere
between $250.00 and $500.00 We have done some for less and several
for much more. Our prices include delivery back to your
home. No surprises.
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| I've got a old lamp. Can you tell me
what its worth? |
We are not appraisers.
We recommend that you take
your lamp to a high quality reputable antique shop and ask them to
either appraise your heirloom or send you to someone who can. On a positive note. While in that antique
shop look around. Find one that is close in both style and size to
yours. You will probably be pleasantly surprised at what these
old lamps are going for.
For some online information we have
included links to a couple of specialty
sites pertaining to lamps and restoration and appraisal.
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| How do you ship such fragile items ? |
| Very carefully, we
have had over 20 years of practice. We use UPS unless you
specify otherwise for all continental US and Canadian shipments.
We may use US mail or UPS for Hawaii, Alaska and other
destinations. We insure everything we ship. Here
are some shipping hints.
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| I'm afraid to ship it. Can I bring it
to you and then pick it up when completed? |
Sure you can.
A number of people do this. Some using the trip as an excuse
for a vacation here in Gatlinburg, the gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains
National Park. Please call or e-mail ahead and let us know you
are coming. We would hate for you to make the trip only to
find that we passed on the interstate going on a trip of our
own. There is a link to maps to Gatlinburg on our
contact page. You will find links to
the National Park and other things to do in Gatlinburg are located
here.
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| What is our delivery time ? How long does it
take to process an order? |
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Most orders from inventory are shipped either the same day or the
next day. We respond ASAP when we receive your order and tell
you when it will ship and when you can expect it. If you place
an order and do not hear from us within 24 hours it probably means
we are either at an art show or visiting our children.
Custom
hand done work takes time. We often have a delay of several
months. When you place your order for antique restoration or
for original work we will give you a delivery date. 98% of the time we meet or beat our scheduled date of completion.
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| What does is cost to get a hand painted sink
or some tile done? |
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As with the lamps or any other custom work there are a number of variables.
Please go to our custom order page for more
complete answers about custom painting to suit your needs.
Ballpark estimates on custom work are hard to give. Prices vary depending on several
things, such as, number of colors and fires ( trips through the kilns to make every thing
permanent and washable ) and the intricacy of the art work desired. We will gladly use your designs or colors
from your wallpaper or paint chips. Provide us with either the dimensions of
the current hole in your vanity or give us the model and style number of the new sink you
wish to install.
There
is a larger range in pricing these items: a simple drop-in may run
from $450 to $750 depending on variables while a two piece pedestal
may run much higher. It's all up to you.
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| How do you do it? |
Painting on porcelain, china and glass are all very similar ancient
techniques. Starting with a very clean piece of glass or
porcelain we use special paints made up of ground glass and
minerals. The paint is applied in layers. With
each layer fired in our kiln. This firing process
consists of slowly heating to temperatures that range from 900
degrees to temperatures as high as 2500
degrees. Depending on the item being fired and what we are trying
to accomplish. This is what makes the art work
permanent.
Each piece is fired over and over again. Real gold or
platinum as well as enamels may also be added. When
finished the art is no longer on the glass or porcelain.
It has become part of the piece.
No decals or other photo reproduction techniques are ever used
in our studio. Making each piece unique and
special. Even when doing complete sets of china its all
done one brush stroke at a time.
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| Can I really use it? |
Yes, every thing you see here is meant to
be used. Those old pieces you see in the antique
shop or museum are hundreds of years old. People
ate off of the china, and it was washed over and over again.
The old lamps had to be washed to remove soot and
dust. Remember that pretty chamber pot in
grandma's guest room. It had to be washed every
morning.
We are using the same skills and techniques. The
major difference is we have better control of our kilns
and work in better conditions.
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| Do you sign your work? |
| Yes,
every piece is a signed original. I sign
each piece some where in the art work. On
smaller items it may be just my initials ( paw)
but on larger pieces it will be my whole name.
On pieces where it will not detract I often sign
both the front and back.
One
exception is that I never sign the antique
restoration work. It is not my original
art. I also never date this type of
work. Frequently I am asked to place the clients
name, initials or wedding date in the art
work. Any of the original work done in our studio can be personalized.
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| Do you take credit cards? |
| Yes, we take MasterCard, Discover and Visa as well as your personal checks.
Some do prefer to send money orders.
Note: We do not process
your card until we have packed the item ordered and it is ready to
ship.
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Return Policy
If
for some reason you are not pleased with your purchase when it
arrives. Repack the item carefully and return it within 10
days. We will either correct the problem if possible or issue
a refund for the original purchase price. Credit card
purchasers will receive a credit to their card account within 48
hours. This policy applies to all items ordered from our stock
inventory.
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| We know we have not answered
everything. Please feel free to suggest a FAQ or contact
us about whatever you feel we missed. |
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