LiveAuctionTalk.com: by Rosemary O’Connor McKittrick Photo courtesy of Swann Auction Galleries. In an era when it wasn’t possible for a woman to earn a living as a painter legendary artist Georgia O’Keeffe decided to be an artist. In 1918 collectors also had mixed feelings about modern art and women were not taken seriously as artists. It was okay for them to teach art but not be an artist. Georgia had a different point of view. She excelled at painting detailed and tenderly colored flowers, so detailed they almost looked like photographs. She was a role model for other female artists giving t ..read more

LiveAuctionTalk.com Photo courtesy of Santa Fe Art Auction. The artist Gustave Baumann was committed to living simply, quietly and close to nature. That’s what brought him to New Mexico in 1918 from Chicago. He was charmed by the people and the southwest landscape and realized New Mexico was the place he wanted to call home. The color woodcut prints he created closely reflected the spirit and atmosphere of his new homeland. He wrote that creating color woodcut requires “sharp tools, a complete disregard for time and considerable patience in waiting.” Gustave also understood woodblock prints of ..read more

LiveAuctionTalk.com Photo courtesy of Freeman’s. With their roots buried in the earth and their limbs puncturing the sky, woodworker George Nakashima believed trees have been the silent witnesses to most of our civilization throughout time. What secrets might they reveal given a voice? It was beneath a fig tree that Buddha was said to have had his awakening. It was to Jonah that God supposedly sent a tree to provide shade and teach compassion. Nakashima’s words and life reflect a man who lived among trees, wood and the tools for working with wood. He could hear what the trees were saying. “Whe ..read more

LiveAuctionTalk.com Photo courtesy of Hunt Auctions. Basketball great Bill Russell stood on the sidelines teary-eyed in February 2009, pausing before he spoke. It was All-Star Night and NBA commissioner David Stern just announced that Russell would be honored with a long overdue award. “I’m only interested in what’s real. I’m not interested in bullshit. Red felt the same way. So, that’s what we talked about: what was real to us.” — Bill Russell “Who better to name this (MVP) prestigious award for than one of the greatest players of all time and the ultimate champion...This award will hencefort ..read more

LiveAuctionTalk.com Photo courtesy of Potter & Potter. Locks, chains and handcuffs were rarely a match for Harry Houdini. The magician was probably most famous for his death-defying escapes and nothing seemed to stop the man. His confident swagger and piercing gray-blue eyes convinced audiences magic was happening right before their eyes. “I knew, as everyone knows, that the easiest way to attract a crowd is to let it be known that at a given time and a given place someone is going to attempt something that in the event of failure will mean sudden death.” — Henry Houdini Straightjackets, s ..read more

LiveAuctionTalk.com Photo courtesy of Sotheby’s. When George Lucas started to work on his Star Wars script in the early 1970s, he realized it was going to take more than one movie to tell his tale. His plan was to reach back into history and use mythology to help say what he wanted to say. His intention was to highlight the epic struggles between good and evil, heroes’ verses villains and life in alternative universes. “Do, or do not. There is no try.” — Yoda “I sort of immersed myself in the principles that I was trying to put into the script,” he said. Do, or do not. There is no try. Lucas c ..read more

LiveAuctionTalk.com Photo courtesy of Christie’s. The world literally came to light when electricity arrived in the late-19th century. New types of lamps came along too. These lamps were different than the no-frills, oil lamp chimneys of old. Electricity birthed the possibility of shimmering leaded glass shades, new shapes, overlays, and creative designs. “Color is to the eye what music is to the ear. I have always striven to fix beauty in wood, stone, glass or pottery, in oil or watercolor by using whatever seemed fittest for the expression of beauty, that has been my creed.” — Louis Comfort ..read more

LiveAuctionTalk.com: by Rosemary McKittrick Photo courtesy of Julien’s Auctions. Michael Jordan’s mistakes on the basketball court never defined him. He played with sprained ankles, feet injuries, and plenty of sore muscles. He had an uncanny ability to put aside his worries, fears and distractions and focus on the moment and the job at hand. “All I know is that I never wanted to be average…I couldn’t have imagined everything that has happened. But dreams are like that. That’s what makes the journey so interesting.” — Michael Jordan His ability to play full out even in pain was inspiring. He p ..read more

LiveAuctionTalk.com: by Rosemary McKittrick Photo courtesy of Christie’s. Louis Comfort Tiffany was born into money and knew early on he had the career path of his choice. He thought he would be a painter. His father Charles Lewis Tiffany was well-known jeweler and founder of the Tiffany & Co. stores and provided a calling card into high society for his son. As a student at boarding school in New Jersey young Tiffany studied art and showed extraordinary promise. “I am going to take lessons in oil colors just as soon as I get a paint box,” he said. The next year Tiffany won a school award i ..read more

LiveAuctionTalk.com: by Rosemary McKittrick “I was a bum when I was a kid,” Babe Ruth said. When the baseball great was eight-years-old he was already a delinquent. That’s when his father dropped him off at the gates of St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys in Baltimore and his life changed forever. There were 800 boys at St. Mary’s and he was one of the youngest. “I have just one superstition. Whenever I hit a home run I make certain I touch all four bases.” — Babe Ruth At St. Mary’s Babe was expected to do his homework and follow the rules like the other kids in the orphanage. What made the ..read more