My goal is to publish new posts twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. However, if you don’t see a new post on Thursday, it’s because I was too busy, so please look for a new one the following Monday.

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Hello from Norway. We’re here in the middle of winter chasing the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights). Hopefully we’ll get lucky and see it. I’ll let you know.

In the meantime, we visited the city of Ålesund (pronounced Oh leh sund), which I had never even heard of before visiting. A fire consumed much of the city in 1904, so many buildings were rebuilt in Norway’s version of the Art Nouveau style.

Quintessential Art Nouveau draws it’s influence from nature and is usually asymmetric. Norwegian Art Nouveau is more like the transitional period in the 1910s between the Art Nouveau and Art Deco movements. The themes from nature are more stylized than realistic and the decoration is mostly symmetric (two characteristics of Art Deco).

We visited the original Art Nouveau pharmacy, which is now the Art Nouveau Center of Ålesund. It’s a small museum now with a limited selection of items, including four low quality Gallé vases and one nice blue decorated Tiffany Favrile vase, but it was still interesting.

It’s a charming, clean city with friendly people. I’m glad we visited, even for a brief while. Art Nouveau buildings were a nice surprise.

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When we return, we’ll prepare for our next show, the Charleston Antique Show in Charleston, SC, March 17-19, 2017. I have no idea what to expect since I’ve never exhibited there, but I figure it’s worth a shot. I have low expectations and am hoping for a nice surprise.

I’ve been listing on my website many of the new items I’ve recently purchased and I’ll be listing more in the near future. Please check my site as often as you can.

Click here to check my website for the latest items and to look around. I will update it as often as time permits. We’re still very much in business between shows, so please don’t hesitate to email or call. I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.