Last weekend, Paul and I decided to check out the Grapevine Antique Glass Show. It promised glass, dinnerware and pottery from the 1920s to the 1970s, with dealers from all over the country.
I always get excited at shows like this, because I think maybe, just maybe, I will find some examples of Heisey's Stanhope (designed by Walter Von Nessen) or Town & Country (designed by Eva Zeisel). Alas, these rare lines were no where to be seen at the Grapevine Convention Center.
Honestly, I'd be happy to find some Old Morgantown American Modern by Russel Wright. But these glass shows tend to be a showcase for the intricately patterned depression glass of the 1930s in all their green, pink, and amber glory. Whenever I see these designs -- as beautiful as some of them are -- I marvel at Wright's breakthrough simplicity. The fussiness -- even of the more boldly geometric designs -- is striking. Wright's American Modern -- organic, handblown, devoid of ornamentation -- is so far removed from these patterns, it's remarkable that it ever got produced.
Paul was hoping that Grapevine might yield some Red Wing finds, and I have to keep reminding him, "It did, honey. It did." Only, it was all The Bird (Bob White dinnerware) and Tampico. The game, "Hunt the Bird," is no longer fun. Bob White is ubiquitous to the point of omnipresent. Imagine if all that Bob White were Smart Set (same shape, different pattern). I'd be such a happier person today.
We did come across a pattern of glass -- unlike anything I collect -- that caught our eye. El Mexicano -- or LMX -- by Old Morgantown. Designed in the 1930s to resemble crude, 17th-century Mexican glass, the pattern had a striking presence at one dealer's booth. He took the time to share with us a little about the line -- that it came in four opaque colors, that LMX molds were later used to produce the translucent "Crinkle" pattern. He encouraged us to hold up these deliberately rough-hewn glasses to the light to see how the color varied. Both Paul and I were immediately drawn to the Seaweed color in this pattern.
We bought a pair of footed ice teas in Seaweed. To celebrate the 85 degree weather today, I fixed Old Fashioned cocktails in these glasses. To be frank, I'm not sure I mixed the cocktails right. I'm a little light-headed as I type this. But I'll be damned if those El Mexicano glasses weren't muy bueno.
