For the Birds

After a very long and busy day I was perusing eBay to see if any new Carlo paintings popped up and I came across this interesting pair. They are still available as of me writing this.

Speaking of birds, one of my Carlo of Hollywood blog readers submitted photos to me of her personal collection. She has a pair of Pink Flamingo watercolors found at a Pasadena flea market in the 80's. Thanks so much for your photos! It's so great to see "new" designs.

Arabian Nights

 Last week I came across the female of this painting on eBay and received multiple emails about what I thought a reasonable price would be for her alone. First let me say thank you for coming to me for my opinion it is unexpected and really fun to share what I know and have learned over the past 10+ years! Here are a few of my thoughts on this set.

The top set is by far my favorite than others I have seen. I like the realism of the musculature and the soft shading and contours. She has a pretty face and great hair and its pleasant to look and really catch all of the details. The bottom version is to dark and harsh. The skin looks like jerky and the faces are not what I consider to be in the traditional Carlo of Hollywood style. The top set sold at auction for $350 and the lower set for over $600.

The one currently listed on eBay is at $400 or best offer but are asking $75 for shipping which I find  high for a single painting. That being said, If you could pick it up for under $275 shipped you would be in good shape.

Keep in mind that this is meant to be a set and when the pair does come along you will most likely want that one as well. In my opinion if you desire to have the pair in the future pass on the one currently listed and hold out for what you really want. It will come along at some point and for the right price.

Panthers on the Prowl

We have been the happy owners of this set for a few years now. In our old house I had set up one of our extra bedrooms as a music room for John and wanted a Jungle theme. I thought these would be perfect! Now the panthers greet us in our hallway and can be seen from the living room and our bedroom. I love these guys!

Walk Like an Egyptian

I love this set for so many reasons. It has tons of detail, it's a rare find and has one of my favorite frame shapes. The last time this set was up for sale it was purchased for $1300.00. I would not have paid that much for this pair but somewhere between $500-$700 would be realistic. I am hoping someday to find art in a very vibrant colorway. Now that would be something to get excited about! 

Buddha and the Beast...and a Beauty

Carlo watercolor subjects of the Asian persuasion are easy to find, affordable, and usually have more detail in the background than other subjects. On this set a gold metallic paint was used for detail on the dragon and cherry blossoms, metallic paints are rare for Carlos work. Many would say the actual art of Carlo is a novelty in comparison to the frames. This pair of trapezoid frames are very well grained and detailed. Frames like these are becoming harder to find as more people paint the frames to freshen them up instead of refinishing them which can become a very lengthy process. This set was listed for $1200 and eventually the price was dropped considerably.

I would value this set from $350-$550 depending on the market

Do the Bop!

Love this super cool Rock and Roll dancer Carlo watercolor. It was available for sale a couple of years ago and the asking price was around $500. I would price this particular piece between $250-$500 depending on the market. Currently it would fall into the lower price margin but well worth top dollar. This piece to falls into the small size category for Carlo watercolors. Its a rare piece and I would love to see others like it.

Girls, Girls, Girls......

I have only seen this pair of paintings a handfull of times and each time I am truly impressed with how beautiful they are. This particular set was found on craigslist and was later seen listed on eBay. There are 2 frame variations the one shown and a diamond shape which can be seen in the last photo of this post. This set has sold in the past between $400-$875. I find it to be one of the more rare genres of Carlos work and would be happy to own a pair for the right price.



I Dream of Genies

This particular set of Genies was available for sale a few years ago. I believe they retailed for a little shy of $500.00. The Carlo watercolor market is very interesting when it comes to pricing. I have over a decade of price fluctuation under my belt and have seen a HUGE difference between what people ask and what people are willing to pay. It's hard to tell where people are gathering their value information since there has not been a guide, but some pricing is just unbelieveable. I hope that this blog will eventually help establish a fair market value. This is a cute set that fall in the the medium size category and I would be willing to pay $225-$325 for a set in excellent condition. About 4 years ago an eBay seller was offering the same style painting with the gong as a single piece. The frame had been painted over multiple times and was bright orange, flaking and needed some TLC. The actual watercolor had extensive water damage, was priced at $225 and was listed maybe 10 times with out a sale. Just like most other things condition is a huge factor in valuing this original art.

Under the Sea

It has been a while since I have seen this pair come up for sale and next time its available I would like to get my hands on them. There are a couple of things going for this set that I really love. One being that they are large, each individually measuring over 35 inches wide. The other is attention to detail at the surface of the water, little air bubbles, kelp and seaweed details that are usually overlooked in Carlo's work. Often the watercolors focus on a main subject leaving a lot of negative space.

Average pricing for this set is $250-$550 depending on condition and frame style.