Sunday, October 25, 2009

By Leslie Linsley Special to The Citizen

Anyone who owns a computer in Key West must at one time or another have interfaced with Thomas Livingston, Key West's computer guru.

If you've wondered where he's been for the last six months you might like to know that he defected to that other island up north, and for six months he's been tending to Nantucket computer glitches.

However, last Sunday we had a whopping nor'easter, and on Monday morning in exercise class he announced that he'd had enough. And so by now, Livingston and his partner, George Korn, should have arrived in Key West where they will reside for most of the winter in George's house on Elizabeth Street.

What does this have to do with home décor, you might be wondering? Korn used to own an antique/folk art shop on Nantucket and is very much involved with all sorts of fundraising events here that have to do with home, such as the antiques show that he also started in Key West. In this regard, most of our mutual friends are in the home decor business and so Livingston, more of a nuts and bolts kind of guy, was immersed in social activities that revolve around "home style" conversations and artistic endeavors.

One of Korn's passions is collecting early Tony Sarg memorabilia. Sarg was a Nantucket artist and marionette creator, and his whimsical prints are sought after collectibles.

The pair spent a lot of time framing these prints that were then sold at our local auctions. Which brings up the subject of what people collect and why.

How does something obscure become a collectible, sometimes for a short period of time, others more lasting? When we begin to collect something how do we determine if it will become valuable or evaluate how valuable it is?

Collections of any sort usually begin rather innocently. Something attracts us and before we know it we have collected a pair and then a half dozen and then realize it has become an obsession. Some people collect items for the very reason that they do have monetary value and are increasing in value.

However, most people buy things to display in their homes just because they are attracted to them. This is especially true of anything we hang on the walls such as art, photographs, prints and other framed objects.

Often a piece of artwork is purchased because it's the right size and color to fit over the sofa. Other times we fall in love with a painting, for example, and find a place to hang it.

I am addicted to the "Antiques Roadshow," convinced that if I watch long enough something I own will appear and I will find that a $5 yard sale find is worth the mortgage on my house. Things that I would surely dismiss as having absolutely no value always turn out to be the most valuable item in the segment.

But most of the "stuff" we find at yard sales and better venues call out to us on an emotional level rather than a concerted evaluation of its worth. So for the vast majority of us, collecting things is a hit or miss activity in the "pearls among swine" venue.

Over the years Korn and his former partner put together an impressive collection of art, sculpture, art books and unusual folk artifacts. But now that collection is slowly diminishing as he is beginning to downsize, which brings up another issue in regard to collecting: How long does a collection hold our interest? At what point do we stop amassing and begin decreasing our possessions?

It's a known fact that Americans love to shop. We have a passion for the hunt. This economy has really put a crimp in our lives and taken the fun out of things. So maybe it's the perfect time to begin a collection of things that we can find within our "price comfort zone" with the hopes that at some point, when things turn around, we will be standing in line waiting for those experts at the "Antiques Roadshow" to validate our purchases and tell us how smart we were.

Maybe that little $5 vase found on White Street will turn out to be made by Tiffany & Co. Ah, wishful thinking.

For now I am content to tear pages from catalogs and magazines of the "some day" purchases I intend to make. Who knows, by the time I can afford them I probably will be over wanting them and glad I don't have the burden of unburdening.

Maybe this is the perfect antidote to a desire to shop. Clip it, paste it, look at it, discard it. If only life were that easy.

Right now I covet a steel-gray, leather sofa that Jennifer Furniture is advertising. Looking at the magazine page simply does not satisfy my desire to lounge around on it reading the Sunday Times during a nor'easter. But the cost of delivering such an item to Nantucket for double the cost of the sofa most certainly puts things in perspective.

Leslie Linsley has written more than 50 books on crafts, decorating and home style. She resides on Nantucket with her husband, photographer Jon Aron, and has a store on the island that specializes in her one-of-a-kind creations. Her latest book is "Key West: A Tropical Lifestyle" (Monacelli Press), with photos by Terry Pommett.