One ballerina? That'll be $750, please.

Well, thank god for stoop sales.



A nice Alex Schloss original painting fell into my hands free of charge on my way through Park Slope last night. Darling Swan Lake corps member, teal background, tutu poised, shadows of silver and white. Just sitting there leaning against a tree. I picked it up--even though that's not my favorite ballet--and decided I'd keep it. It's worth knowing its value.



A quick call to RD netted me the following info: it was painted by local SoHo artist Sir Alex Schloss. He is also the curator for the Plaza Hotel gallery. That's nifty. Did I mention most of his ballet painings from the 70's (of which this is obviously one) fetch upwards of $2,000 or more? Apparently the person discarding it doesn't know its worth. Ha ha! Now I do!



If I could only figure out who the dancer is. Schloss went through a phase while he watched various dancers at Harkness House. Most of those dancers were from American Ballet Theater, my beloved Gelsey being a frequent subject. For a quick guess, I'd say it was Marianna Tcherkassky, Eleanor D'Antuono, or Jessica Lopez who was a soloist from 1974-1981. If it's Jessica, the price won't be too great, despite the fact that $750 is etched on the back in pencil. The person who threw this out really REALLY doesn't have any use for it. Which is sad, since most dancers eventually are discarded, too.



Well, if he's still near that fountain, maybe I'll go in and ask him exactly who it is. I can talk to anybody, so this might be fun!



Now, to conquer laundry. My days teeter-totter from the glorious to the mundane...