Posted by Steve Price on June 07, 1999 at 14:31:00:
In Reply to: More questions thrown into the pot posted by Katharine Hawks on June 07, 1999 at 13:25:01:
Dear Katie,
A couple of your questions gave me food for a bit of thought. You wrote,
"I wonder, at what point, does a novice addict become a collector? I am not at that juncture yet, so I admit that I'm unsure what it will mean when I buy for specific purposes rather than exploration...I'm also interested in hearing from the more experienced folks on this board how they made the transition from basic rug junky to becoming a collector with a more refined sense of purpose, direction and taste."
I don't know that you have to have a refined sense of purpose, etc. to be a collector (alternatively, perhaps I'm not really a collector). Jean and I have no specific end in mind when we collect (accumulate?) pieces, and have an eclectic bunch of things that have in common only the fact that they appeal to us very much. Central, western and mainland southeast Asian tribal pieces rank high on our list, but we also find ourselves drawn to village rugs and even to some urban stuff. I think ours is one of the extreme forms of the neurosis.
There are, of course, collectors whose approach is much more along the lines you describe, but they are probably in the minority (at least, within the group with whom I am acquainted). Michael Wendorf's specialization in Kurdish textiles comes to mind as evidence that I know at least one person whose collector mentality is at the other end of the spectrum.
Regards,
Steve Price