NAIA Newsletter "Volunteer Recognition: LizAnne Jensen" PDF Fall 2009
We recently had a nice article written about West Coast Weather Vanes in the National Association of Independent Artists’ Fall 2009 newsletter. This excellent organization exists to support, publicize and educate artists who make their livings independently, primarily via Arts and Crafts Shows around the country. West Coast Weather Vanes was an active participant in this venue for the first twelve years of our existence. With the development of our website we were gradually able to transition away from art and craft shows to the internet as our primary means of reaching our customers. However, we still hold a warm spot in our hearts for these shows and the many friends we made over the years doing them. If you are a newly emerging artist or craftsperson, or even a practicing artist in need of new horizons, please check out this wonderful organization.
Sadly, the Board of Directors recently received notice that our long time volunteer LizAnne Jensen (above with her studio mascot, Solder, at her feet and two examples of her stunning weather vanes) will be retiring from her current NAIA position next spring. This article is intended as a joyous celebration of the artist and her studio with much thanks and gratitude for the incredible efforts and time LizAnne has donated over nearly the last decade of volunteering.		Genesis of an Extraordinary Volunteer LizAnne’s journey to NAIA began with a most wonderful event—LizAnne and Ken Jensen’s honeymoon. While vacationing in New England during the fall of 1988, the newlyweds were tempted to buy their first copper weather vane. They had been unable to locate something similar out in California, so the fateful decision was made to have this work of art shipped back home. This simple purchase led to a whirlwind of creativity and action which culminated in the founding of West Coast Weather Vanes. Over the next several years, the Jensens saved money for tools and equipment, researched the history and lore of these incredible folk art pieces, and started developing their own patterns. The Jensens believed that weather vanes didn’t have to be relegated to occupying the distant, lonely peak of a rooftop. They felt sure that their incredible, totally hand-crafted objects could find an equally suitable home on a deck, by a pool, or even on display within a home. Despite being an Art History major in college, LizAnne had not found a home in the arts until she and Ken embarked on their weather vane adventure. She had a solid background in business basics and management that eventually became a major contributor to their studio’s success. While Ken was eagerly learning the time honored skills of reppoussé and chasing, it was LizAnne’s drawings and patterns that started bringing their creations to life. Everything from a whale to a peacock to a completely detailed antique car could be rendered in incredible three-dimensional detail from her drawings. It is a daunting challenge for an artist to design a pattern for others to work from without being entirely versed in the creative process that is endemic to that particular medium. LizAnne knows and understands every aspect of the coppersmiths’ art. It is her passion for detail and collaboration which have brought such admirable success to West Coast Weather Vanes. To read the entire article, here's the PDF.
Good Times - Santa Cruz "Decorating the very air around you" September 24, 2009
You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows, but a weather vane might help. In the absence of a licked finger or a handful of dust, a whirling rooster fixed atop the chimney, or a spinning horse planted in the flowerbed, is a great way to stay in tune with the ever-changing winds. Plus, it will add an element of authentic American folk art to your home or garden. Weathervanes trace their origins as far back as ancient Greece and served as an early meteorological instrument. These days, while they can still be used to forecast storms or fair skies, weathervanes serve a more aesthetic purpose. Ken and LizAnne Jensen of West Coast Weather Vanes are steeped in the both the function and fashion of weather vanes. The couple lives and works in Bonny Doon, crafting custom, one-of-a-kind weather vanes in a variety of styles. They employ four weather vane makers, in addition to Ken, and have been in business for 21 years.
LizAnne loves the collaborative nature of creating weathervanes with her clientele. “Our customers come to us with great ideas, sometimes things we’d never think of ourselves,” she says. “The end result is always something new and interesting. It keeps it fresh.” Customers can either purchase complete weather vanes or commission a piece. But no matter which option you go with, you can be sure that each creation is unlike any other. Ken and LizAnne do not use any molds, preferring to hammer each brass weather vane by hand. Patterns are traced onto copper or brass sheets and cut out using metal shears. Patterns are then hammered into the metal’s surface. Three-dimensional shaping is done using rawhide hammers over leather sand pillows, anvils or wooden blocks, ensuring that no two pieces are ever the same. Each design has two halves, which, once molded, are soldered together. The design is fixed to a rod upon which it will rotate in the wind.
“The way we make them is probably the most handmade way of making a weather vane without going out and mining the copper yourself,” LizAnne says. LizAnne says her favorite weather vane tradition is one started during the Victorian era. During the 19th century, United States weather vane makers started sealing pennies inside their pieces. The coins would always be dated the same year a particular weather vane was completed. In fact, auctioneers will often shake weather vanes from this era when presenting them at auction to allow prospective buyers a chance to hear the rattling Indian-head penny inside. In keeping with this tradition, “we’ve collected pennies for almost every year dating back to 1900,” she says. Customers can ask to have a penny for the year a given piece was completed or put pennies in representing memorable years in their lives—a birth, a death or a wedding anniversary. One regular West Coast Weather Vane customer has commissioned 17 pieces from the company—many of which are used only one day out of the year to mark holidays and other special occasions. “They’re very personal,” LizAnne says, noting that in New England there are weather vanes that have stayed in families for six or seven generations—some predating the American Revolution. She hopes the weather vanes her company produces will be passed through many generations. West Coast Weather Vanes owes its name to the fact that at the time of the company’s founding there were very few people—if any—making weathervanes on the West Coast. In order to differentiate themselves from their more traditional counterparts in New England, Ken and LizAnne experiment with a wider variety of materials—such as glass, brass and German silver—than were traditionally used in weather vane production. “We’re a little more open to experimenting,” LizAnne says.
Preakness Weathervane - 100th Anniversary Baltimore Examiner May 2009
Article from the Examiner about the Anniversary of a weathervane.
"Copper Weather Vanes, Then and Now" Article in Copper Org March, 2009
This is the latest in a series of articles, presented by Copper in the Arts, and features information about West Coast Weather Vanes.
Skinner Americana Auction Filled With Standout Merchandise March 10, 2009
		A J. Howard weathervane in the form of an ox was made with a cast zinc head and front body, while the rest was molded copper. It came from a local collector and went to the trade for $56,288. Speaking of it after the sale, Executive Vice President Stephen Fletcher was admiring, "It had perfect color, surface and form." The ox weathervane by J. Howard had a cast zinc head and front body, while the rest was molded copper. It brought $56,288.
1 772 Colonial copper weathervane auctioned for $575,000 in February 2009
Weathervane sale in Massachusetts, in February, 2009 News Story & Video
Sotheby's to Sell Historic Weathervane in January 2009 Sale of Important Americana
Appraisers say iconic ‘Old Jake’ weather vane is potentially worth millions *By Jessica J. Burchard The Winchester Star* Read the entire article Winchester— A familiar landmark may have a new home soon. The Rouss Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company has sent its 6-foot-tall copper weather vane to Woodbury, Conn., to be appraised and restored — amid speculation that it could be sold for millions of dollars. The weather vane, which features a firefighter pointing into the wind, was removed from the top of the downtown Winchester fire hall — its perch of at least 137 years — June 10.**		“Old Uncle Jake Barnhart,” as the weather vane is known, was shipped in June to restoration expert Jeffrey S. Greene under armed guard from Sotheby’s, a New York auction house, said attorney Benjamin M. Butler of McKee and Butler PLC, who is representing the fire hall. “We are trying to ascertain what the value is,” Butler said. “It seems too valuable not to do something with it. Old Jake” could sell for as much as $3 million, Butler said A Rare and Important Molded Copper Fireman Weathervane Made for the Union Fire Hall, now Charley Rouss Fire Company, Winchester, Virginia, circa 1850, height 73 in. Photo: Courtesy Dustin Bowers. NEW YORK, NY.- On January 24, 2009 Sotheby’s will offer in its sale of Important Americana the most important, and perhaps the earliest, weathervane to appear on the auction market in recent history, A Rare and Important Molded Copper Fireman “Old Jake” Weathervane Made for the Union Fire Hall, now Charley Rouss Fire Company, Winchester, Virginia, dating to circa 1850, which is estimated at $3/5 million. “Old Jake,” as the weathervane has long been called, is unprecedented in its quality, form, and scale – measuring over six feet high and six feet wide – and has topped the Charley Rouss Fire Company since just after the Civil War. After almost 140 years above the skyline of Winchester, Virginia, the weathervane is being sold to raise funds for new fire equipment and the potential construction of a new firehouse. Nancy Druckman, Director of Sotheby’s American Folk Art Department, said, “The weathervane ‘Old Jake’ is a magnificent example of American vernacular sculpture and three-dimensional American folk art. A swell bodied form, ‘Old Jake’ has an enormous and commanding presence and conveys a sense of urgent forward movement. Coupled with the remarkable aesthetics of the piece, ‘Old Jake’ has a wonderful and well-known history in the town of Winchester, Virginia, with marvelous archival photographs and newspaper accounts to document its history in the town. The provenance, history, and beauty of the piece combine to make ‘Old Jake’ one of the most important, evocative and appealing examples of American folk art.”
Charlton Hall Sells N.E. Ram Weathervane For $50,600
		A Nineteenth Century ram-form weathervane was discovered in a barn in South Carolina and sold for $50,600. Highlights from Charlton Hall Galleries' November 22–23 grand estates auction included a rare copper weathervane in the form of a ram, which was most likely made by Cushing & Sons, Waltham, Mass., and had a presale estimate of $3/5,000. It had been recently pulled out of a barn in South Carolina, where it has been since it was purchased in 1970 from atop a 200-year-old farmhouse in Framingham, Mass. There were ten phone lines feverishly competing for the weathervane, which sold to a private collector in New England for $50,600 — making it the top lot of the two-day sale.
Massasoit Indian copper weathervane
A bidder paid $20,700 for this Massasoit Indian copper weathervane, American, early Twentieth Century, attributed to Harris & Co., Boston, and depicting the Wampanoag Indian chief. Mounted on a modern metal stand, the vane measured 32 inches high by 22 inches wide. From Antiques & the Arts on-line, July 2008
Southern Paintings Stir Things Up At Well-Attended CRN Auction
The auction market seemed exceptionally sound at CRN Auctions April 27 sale, where a packed gallery and jammed phone lines defied conventional economic logic. The offerings were choice and desirable and the results attested to their strength. The strength of the market for good material was evident across the board. Eight phones chased a handsome copper New England codfish weathervane, but it sold to a dealer in the room for $74,625. Fresh off a Cape Cod barn, the vane had a fine verdigris color, retained some traces of gilt and had a wonderful expression. A fine A. L. Jewell copper weathervane in the form of a prancing horse sold for $10,875, and another in the form of Black Hawk, the Nineteenth Century Morgan trotter, realized $4,888. He looked like a nice enough fellow, and he eluded eight phones for the dealer in the room who paid $74,625. A copper running stag vane with a cast head and old gilding was $8,575 to a phone bidder and a 36½ -inch copper quill vane fetched $3,105. All prices quoted reflect the 15 percent buyer's premium. For information, 617-661-9582 or www.crnauctions.com.
ARCHITECTURAL INSPIRATION - October 2007
West Coast Weather Vanes has been featured in a new publication called: Architectural Inspiration Styles, Details and Sources by Richard Skinulis and Peter Christopher			This exceptional style and source guide is the first book to examine residential architecture and design elements from both creative and practical perspectives. It is also the first to include extensive North American sources for high-end, custom and hard-to-find materials and services. Boston Mills Press 8 X 8, hardcover with jacket 9781550464689 $79.95 CDN $79.95 US Subject: Art & Antiques
WASHINGTON POST - July 2007
Article in Washington Post featuring West Coast Weather Vanes: Charm From Any Direction By Terri Sapienza / Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, July 19, 2007 Long ago, weather vanes were utilitarian objects, used by farmers to forecast weather conditions. Now they are sought after for their decorative appeal and as prized collector's items. Last fall, a 62-inch antique Indian chief weather vane sold at Sotheby's for $5.84 million.
ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST- June 2006
Copper and gold leafed Red-Shouldered Hawk weathervane featured in the *June 2006 Architectural Digest's* Editors Present Designers' Sources Architectural Digest Cover, Table of Contents & Story Page Please click on the thumbnails below to view larger image.**			Architectural Digest, June 2006 You're So Vane Before Doppler radar and even before the barometer, the weathervane was the surest way to forecast a change in climate. Now the decorative finials are collected as fold art and serve a more ornamental purpose. The ones from Ken and LizAnne Jensen's West Coast Weather Vanes are free-form and repoussè copper, each handmade to order. The small Santa Cruz, California, workshop has over 500 designs, and clients range from the White House to Warner Bros.
Architectural Digest Cover	Table of Contents	Weathervane Story Page

WOMAN'S DAY- August 2007

HOME STYLE - 2007

Woman's Day

Special Interest Publications

"Remodeling & Makeovers"

August, 2007

Magazine, Vol. 7, 2007

Please click on the thumbnails to view larger image.

ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Orange County Register Weathervane Article about Weathervanes

ANTIQUE CAR WEATHERVANE AT AUCTION

Blowin' in the wind...

Auctioneer Stephen Fletcher photo How much do you think the weather vane at left might be worth? It is made out of molded copper and dates back to 1910. Pick a high number, double it, then keep reading.

The Lexington Historical Society owned this weather vane for years. It used to sit upstairs at Buckman Tavern, leaning against an old bed, in the part of the house used for storage. No one paid a great deal of attention to it. I have been a part-time guide at the building for several years, and have walked by it on the way to the bathroom numberless times, usually without a second glance.

The Historical Society decided this year to “de-accession” the weathervane from it’s collection. In other words, to sell it. A very sensible decision, since it is not connected with the Society's main effort, to interpret the story of April 19,1775 through our historic houses. And the sale might generate some much need money to help fund upcoming restoration/renovation projects.

Auctioneers at the Skinner Auction House in Boston suggested that the weathervane might sell for as much as 30-50 thousand dollars.

They were wrong.

The weather vane sold at auction on November 4, 2007 for $941,000. Scuttlebut has it that the buyer was Ralph Lauren’s brother. For more info, click HERE

MAIN ANTIQUE DIGEST - January 2007

Record Hicks Tops Christie’s Americana Sale

Excepted from an article by Lita Solis-Cohen

Weathervanes continued to bring strong prices. Stephen Score paid $520,000 for a circa 1883 hollow-molded and gilt-copper grasshopper weathervane (est. $100,000/300,000).

At the sale of the collection of Alvin E. Friedman- Kien, most of it bought from the late legendary dealer Adele Earnest, a collector paid $464,000 for a copper Liberty Goddess weathervane by Cushing & White, Waltham, Massachusetts, dated 1865. The underbidder was on the phone. Yardley, Pennsylvania, dealer C.L. Prickett paid $168,000 for a rare mid-19th-century Huntress Diana weathervane.

2007 by Maine Antique Digest

MERCURY NEWS - January 2007

Mercury News - January 13, 2007

Soaring Artwork

COPPER WEATHER VANES BUILT PAINSTAKINGLY BY HAND HELP BONNY DOON COUPLE CRAFT A BUSINESS WITH GLOBAL APPEAL

By Kim Boatman

Mercury News

News article links for this story:

San Jose Mercury news Oakland Tribune Tri-Valley Herald San Mateo County Times The Argus The Daily Review The Alameda Times-Star Bay Living

West Coast Weather Vanes owner & designer.jpg

LizAnn Jensen and her husband started West Coast Weather Vanes about 20 years ago, and how have an international clientele, with an 18-month waiting list. (Pauline Lubens - MediaNews staff )

Victor polishes "Zeus," made from copper with some gold leaf. (Pauline Lubens - MediaNews staff)

BONNY DOON - Ben Begandy wields the primitive rawhide hammer with relish, yet each blow makes its mark in the yielding copper with surgical precision.

Here in this modest studio tucked deep in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the steady drumbeat of hammer shaping metal signals the continuation of an ancient art form. Here, workers turn out such artful weather vanes that it's easy to forget these sculptural beauties serve a practical purpose.

From their 2.2-acre patch of paradise on a hillside, Ken and LizAnne Jensen send soaring red-shouldered hawks, lithe angels and gape-mouthed trout around the world. Nearly 20 years after the couple started the business, West Coast Weather Vanes boasts clients as diverse as Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and the Sultan of Brunei. A polo player sits astride a galloping pony in the shop, ready for delivery to an embassy in Argentina.

``Since we don't have kids,'' LizAnne Jensen says, ``these are like our babies going out there. We're launching these into the world.''

One of their weather vanes made an appearance at the White House. And even though their handcrafted weather vanes can cost thousands of dollars, the Jensens find themselves with an 18-month backlog, thanks in part to a flurry of interest after a mention and a photo in Architectural Digest. In other words, if you ordered a weather vane now, you'd probably receive it about the time Republicans and Democrats are heading toward their '08 conventions.

Their challenge, in part, is to keep the business what it is: the Jensens, three journeymen weather vane makers and an office manager. A while back, they downsized from a bigger operation, ``raised our prices and lowered our staff,'' Ken Jensen says.

At its simplest, this set-up wouldn't look unfamiliar to a tinkerer from the Middle Ages or a metal worker from ancient times. Of course, weather vanes themselves are ancient, an attempt from the earliest ages to predict the weather by changes in wind direction.

To watch Ken Jensen or Ben or fellow journeymen Victor, or Thomas at work is to understand how ancient artisans created works of art with little more than primitive tools. For Jensen, it is a self-taught skill, born when he and LizAnne fell in love with the weather vanes they saw on their New England honeymoon. Ben, Victor and Thomas, all with more than a decade's experience, started as apprentices.

``Nowhere else in the world will you find the combined talent and experience,'' LizAnne Jensen says.

Weather vane maker Thomas works on large copper trout weathervane.jpg

QUITE A CATCH: Thomas works on a weather vane called "Brook Trout" in the studio at West Coast Weather Vanes. (Pauline Lubens - MediaNews staff)

The men work from paper drawings created by LizAnne Jensen, after consultation with a client. Many designs begin as custom requests; West Coast will never make more than 50 of any one design. More than 600 designs can be found on the company's Web site. A gardening angel runs $1,595 to $4,595, depending on size; a ruby-throated hummingbird ranges from $1,095 to $3,195. A weather vane might have as many as 75 pieces and take a month to construct.

The company also charges a design fee for custom work.

``We can make the metal do pretty much what we want,'' says LizAnne Jensen, pointing out the company has produced a whopping 72 different dog breeds in copper.

The weather vane makers trace the paper patterns on sheets of pliable copper, then snip out the shape with metal cutters. They use custom hammers to texture the surface -- thus the muscled body of the Zeus weather vane Victor is creating. The men tap rawhide hammers to bend and shape the metal, using anvils, oak blocks and leather sand pillows. Years of experience and practice allow them to work the metal with stunning exactitude.

The tricky part comes when two pieces are soldered together to make the hollow weather vanes; the pieces must match precisely before they can be fitted. Just before the vane is finished, the makers insert a penny for good luck -- a weather vane-making tradition. Occasionally, customers will provide pennies with meaningful dates.

Weather vanes sometimes include gold leaf or other metal touches. A glass eye might be soldered onto a creature.

``The way we make these is probably the most time-consuming way you can,'' LizAnne Jensen says.

And that craftsmanship is appreciated by clients such as Larry and Sue Graves of Ashland, Ore. The Graves first purchased a 3-foot humpback whale to grace the exterior of their Palo Alto home; when they moved, they insisted on taking the whale with them. They also own a couple of other West Coast weather vanes, a mother pup and her seal and a winged heart, that are on display inside their home.

``We'd seen lots of weather vanes but never ones that were so meticulously detailed or as beautiful,'' Larry Graves says. ``They are of the highest quality and bring a wonderful touch to our home.''

The Jensens now find knockoffs of their designs, such as a wine bottle and wine glasses, appearing in catalogs of mass-produced weather vanes. It's a form of flattery they could do without. But they're content their weather vanes will provide their own legacy. Realizing the weather vanes are likely to become highly collectible, the couple has kept careful records documenting each sale.

``Our business will outlive us,'' Ken Jensen says.

ASSOCIATED PRESS - October 2006

Fashion magnate forks over $5.8M at auction for rare antique

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

October 7, 2006

A rare molded copper Indian chief weather vane set a record for American folk art at auction Friday when it was purchased for $5.8 million by Jerry Lauren of the Polo Ralph Lauren Corp. The circa 1900 weather vane was originally in the collection of Josephine and Walter Buhl Ford II, and had adorned the roof of their white, rambling farmhouse in Grosse Pointe, Mich., outside Detroit, Sotheby's said. Josephine Ford was the granddaughter of the automobile baron Henry Ford.

The weather vane attracted spirited bidding in Sotheby's Manhattan salesroom involving seven bidders until Jerry and Susan Lauren held out with the winning bid.

"This piece is more than a weather vane; it's a beautiful work of art," Jerry Lauren, the brother of Ralph Lauren who is executive vice president of men's design at Polo Ralph Lauren, said in a statement issued by Sotheby's.

The weather vane, more than 5 feet tall and attributed to the J. L. Mott Iron Works Co., broke the record for a weather vane and also set a new high for any piece of American folk art, said Nancy Druckman, director of Sotheby's American Folk Art Department.

GODDESS LIBERTY WEATHERVANE -January 2006

A gilt molded copper painted & sheet iron Goddess Liberty weathervane,
mid 19th century

Price Realized: $1,080,000
January 2006, New York
World auction record for a Goddess Liberty weathervane

FORTUNE - December 2005

Copper Web Winged Dragon featured in weathervane article in Fortune Magazine Small Business Edition

Weathervane, Dragon, web-winged

FORTUNE - Small Business

MY FAVORITE ...
Weathervane
From the Dec. 2005 Issue of FSB
By Carlye Adler

When Stephen Mascilo and Trevor Pinker, owners of the Oxford Guesthouse, an inn in Provincetown, Mass., wanted the perfect finishing touch for their cottage home, they called West Coast Weather Vanes. Founded 17 years ago in Santa Cruz, Calif., by LizAnne and Ken Jensen, the company specializes in high-end weathervanes, all custom designed and built by hand.

The Jensens once created a moon-and-stars pattern for the Dollywood theme park. They made a gargoyle for The X-Files and spent four months designing 39 personalized soft-coated wheaten terriers for a breed-appreciation club. Most weathervanes are mass-produced overseas from molds, but the Jensens shape their copper, brass, or nickel-silver pieces using hammers made from rolled rawhide. A basic silhouette costs about $400, while elaborate shapes (such as the four-foot 1957 Mercedes SL300 one customer requested) range up to $15,000.

Mascilo and Pinker wanted a heraldic lion for the gabled roof of their cottage. They followed the tradition of putting pennies inside their weathervane from significant years in their lives, including the inn’s opening 11 years earlier. The engraving: “Start with a dream and make it happen.”

NORMAN ROCKWELL MUSEUM - 2005

Weathervane Exhibit at Norman Rockwell Museum. Dish Running Away with the Spoon weather vane

Windblown: Contemporary American Weathervanes exhibit at the Norman Rockwell Museum

Exhibition Dates: July 16 - Oct 30, 2005

Norman Rockwell Museum

9 Glendale Road

Stockbridge MA 01262

West Coast Weather Vanes was juried into a museum show showcasing the work of contemporary American weathervane makers. We choose one of our more whimsical pieces to include in the show.

For the past couple of years we have been working on a series of copper weathervanes that depict famous characters from world literature. Children's literature, in particular, lends itself to exploring the whimsical and playful side of this art form.

The Dish Running Away with the Spoon combines naivety, playfulness and a fondness for childhood that I suspect Norman Rockwell would have liked as well.

Here is a link to a nice article regarding this show: Weathervane Show Review

EARLY AMERICAN HOMES- 2001

he craftsmen at West Coast Weather Vanes were recognized as among the top 200 craft practitioners working in the United States today by Early American Homes magazine, a national publication on early American traditions, period style, architecture, antiques and history. We are listed in the magazine's Directory of Traditional American Crafts ®, which appears in the August 2001 issue. Now in its 15^th year, the Directory has become a source for collectors searching out fine handcrafted objects that honor traditional American art forms.

Expert judges in museum quality antiques and fine, high-end reproductions selected craftspeople for quality of workmanship and fidelity to period design and construction techniques.

West Coast Weather Vanes has been making copper and brass weather vanes for the past twelve years and is one of only two making them west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. They have over 375 different designs, with each weather vane individually crafted without the use of molds . These weather vanes are sold to enthusiasts all over the world.

Copper weather vanes have been hand formed since the first century BC where the earliest documented weather vane - a huge copper figure of the Greek sea god, Triton - was mounted atop the Tower of Winds in Athens, Greece. A symbol of prestige and power, weather vanes have mirrored the political history of Western Europe ever since. Weather vanes were brought to America with the earliest colonists.

In the 1970's, people discovered these by now neglected art forms and started to collect them as classic examples of American Folk Art. People suddenly realized that the old copper vane that had been sitting on top of their barn for the past century could be worth $60,000, $80,000 or even several hundred thousand dollars.

Many were then taken down off the structures on which they had so proudly stood for so many years and moved inside to be displayed as examples of American folk art. When they looked around for someone to make a replacement vane to keep the historic feel of their home, they discovered only one or two holdovers were still making them. However, with the increased interest and demand, a new generation of vane makers got started in the 70's.

Artists at West Coast Weather Vanes honored as among the top 200 craft practitioners currently working in the United States today

Chanticleer Rooster

Rooster Weathervane

Traditional Banner

ANTIQUE WEATHERVANE AUCTIONS- 2003

Weathervane of a Polo Player on a Horse

Above is a photograph of a Polo Horse & Rider Vane by West Coast Weather Vanes

Recent Antique Weather Vane Auctions

At the 2003 Winter Antiques Show in New York, there was a notable trend towards top dollar sales for American folk art sales. One of the most spectacular sales was a Jonathan Howard signed horse weather vane which sold during opening night festivities for $285.000. This is the second highest price paid for an old copper weather vane.

As an auction a year or so ago held at Skinners Auction House in Bolton Massachusetts the Brenda and Ken Fritz collection of American Folk Art was offered for sale. Over the past 30 years, they assemble their collection, buying their pieces at antiques shows and from most of the top-echelon dealers. Their collection consisted of a core of about 100 lots, plus several groups of fabrics and reference material.

The top-priced object in the their collection was a molded copper polo player weather vane with wonderful patina. It went to collector Jerry Lauren, an executive in brother Ralph's fashion empire, at $189,500.

That represents the fifth-highest weathervane auction price ever recorded. The top three record holders were a J. Howard & Co. horse and rider, bought by dealer Stephen Score $770,000 at Sotheby's on January 27, 1990, $222,500 for a Cushing & White fire engine and $203,500 spent at Skinner's on March 21, 1987 for a locomotive, bought by dealers Margoire and David Schorsch.

X-FILES WEATHERVANE DEBUT - 2000

Gargoyle on the X-Files Television Program!!

If you had tuned in to the X-Files television program on Sunday, November 19, 2000 you would have seen one of our Gargoyle weather vanes. The episode was called "Patience" and was the fourth installment of the season..

The show opened with lightening flashing against a pitch black sky, illuminating a Gargoyle weather vane perched broodingly above a rickety old farm house. The wind started to blow and slowly turned the Gargoyle. It's translucent red glass eye began to glow as it moved to face the driveway. At just that moment a car slowly pulls up and a dark figure emerges.

You'll have to catch the episode in reruns to see what happens after that!

West Coast Weather Vane Team

Team effort by Thomas, Ben & Victor

In order to meet an extremely tight deadline, we had to use a creative approach. Normally, one of our weather vanes is made from start to finish by an individual craftsperson. However, it would have been impossible to finish it in time had only one person worked on it. These senior journeymen came in and worked evenings and an entire weekend to get the Gargoyle done in time for shooting.

GIORGIO PERFUME - 2000

Exclusive new design celebrates the illustrious career of famous perfume designer

Working with a well known Los Angeles designer, West Coast Weather Vanes created this one-of-a kind weather vane to grace a beautiful new structure in Southern California.

The manes and tails of both horses have been gilded along with details on the central design element. As the copper and brass darken, the gold should contrast beautifully with the gold leaf finish.

Weathervane design for Giorgio Perfume Designer

DOLLYWOOD - 2000

Weathervane for Dollywood

Dollywood Weather Vane

In 2000, Dolly Parton's Smoky Mountain Theme park opened the world's largest interactive Tree house located in the Dreamland Forest area of Dollywood. Containing over 60 rooms suspended in a tree it provides hundreds of interactive games to appeal to children of all ages.

We were asked to create one of our Moon & Stars weather vanes to crown the top of this wonderful new structure. We've been told that night lights have been installed on the tower to highlight the weather vane at night!

http://www.dollywood.com

MILWAUKEE SYMPHONY - 2000

Swan Court - Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra League Show House

We were pleased to have one of our Swan weather vanes featured prominently as part of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra League's premier fundraising event, The Swan Court mansion tour.

Swan Weathervane

WHITEHOUSE WEATHERVANE - 1999

Ken and LizAnne Jensen go to Washington, DC to accept honor at the White House

Weathervane in the Whitehouse

Our big news of 1999 was the invitation we received to make a small weather vane for the end of the millennium Christmas tree at the White House.

This came about after we were selected as one of the top two hundred traditional craftspeople working in the United States today. Unbeknownst to us, the White House went through that list and invited fifty craftspeople to make a piece for this year's holiday festivities.

We were invited to make a piece no larger that one foot in size and which weighed no more than one pound (a challenge when one works in metal!). It also had to represent something of historic significance to our country.

After much debate in our studio we decided to do a scroll of the Declaration of Independence.

Ken went to the library and made copies of the actual writing on the document, which we blew up and used, for the lettering on the scroll. We did the lettering in gold leaf and added an old fashioned writing quill beneath the document with a small drop of gold "ink" suspended from the tip. Even though the vane was made by Jeff, an extremely talented weather vane maker in our studio, we stamped the initials of all the vane makers on the back to represent every one currently working here whose also made important contributions to our business. After all, we never would have been asked to make the piece if all those who've contributed ideas, techniques and the skill of their hands and minds had not been working here.

Because the sculpture piece we made is not really a weather vane until you add the directionals (North, South, East & West pieces), we took the liberty of sending along a base in case they wanted to display it after the holidays as a true weather vane.

For us, this was a pretty exciting honor so Ken and I decided we would pack our bags and head to Washington DC in December to actually see the White House in all its festive glory and our ornament in it as our Millennium gift to ourselves. We received our official invitation for the artist's reception on December 17th and off we went.

Detail of our ornament mounted for display at the White House

There were 23 trees set up at the White House, all beautifully decorated with over 1000 handcrafted ornaments. In addition to the craftspeople invited to make a piece, the Doll Makers Association of America contributed handmade historic dolls and the Tinsmith's Society made tin snowflakes, drums, etc. for the trees. The White House was so lovely, there were fires crackling in the fireplaces, 3 choirs singing holiday songs and incredible decorations on mantels, suspended from wreathes in windows, etc.

Detail of White House Weather Vane Ornament

Ornament on solo display in the White House Blue Room

As we walked from room to room, we kept looking for our piece. Someone told us that most of the craft pieces were in the Blue Room which is the one with the curved windows directly below the Oval Office. When we finally got to that room, we looked every where on the tree and didn't see our piece. "Oh, great", we thought, "We came all this way and it isn't even displayed." Just then the crowd of artists parted (there had to be at least 300 of us) and there, beautifully situated on the lower shelf of an antique table, was our weather vane! They actually had it set up as a weather vane rather than just using the ornament itself. Aside from the tree in the middle of the room, there was only this table and one on the opposite side of the room. A woman from Pennsylvania who had made an incredible small folk art painted wooden chest had her piece displayed there.

We were so excited. They had decorated around it and it looked really nice. We took some pictures and talked to a number of the artists and then just floated out of the White House. It really ended up being a memorable occasion and something we'll never forget.

WOLF TRAP PERFORMING ARTS - 1999

While we were in the Washington area, we also drove out to the Wolf Trap Performing Arts Center where we have one of our weather vanes displayed.

It's not often we get to see our vanes in person once they have been installed so it was a real treat to see our Wolf weather vane displayed at such a beautiful location.

MAINE ANTIQUE DIGEST - 2005

Second Highest Price Ever Paid for a Copper Weathervane!

According to a recent article in the Maine Antique Digest a 19” full-bodied copper weathervane of the Goddess of Liberty sold at a three-day auction in August 2005 in Manchester, New Hampshire for $424,000, the second-highest auction price ever recorded for a weathervane!

Prior to the sale, the estimate was that it would sell for $80,000-$120,000. Created by J.W. Fiske, it was designed to sit a top a flag pole, was painted red, white and blue and originally sold for $25 in 1875.

For additional information, here is a link to an article describing the sale: Goddess of Liberty weathervane sale.

ALL DESIGNS ARE COPYRIGHTED BY WEST COAST WEATHER VANES AND MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED IN ANY WAY WITHOUT EXPRESS PERMISSION FROM WEST COAST WEATHER VANES.

Additional Weather Vane Designs:

West Coast Weather Vanes currently offers over 700 custom handcrafted copper and brass weathervanes.

Click on any of the links below to see designs in other categories.

Aquatic Weathervanes | Banner Weathervanes | Bird Weathervanes

Domestic Animal Weathervanes | Human Weathervanes | Mythological Weathervanes

Transportation Weathervanes | Unusual Weathervanes | Wild Animal Weathervanes

Contact Info:

West Coast Weather Vanes:

Call Us: 800.762.8736

Phone: (831) 425-5505 Fax (831) 425-5514

Email: info@westcoastweathervanes.com

377 Westdale Drive Santa Cruz, CA 95060

ALL DESIGNS ARE COPYRIGHTED BY WEST COAST WEATHER VANES AND MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED IN ANY WAY WITHOUT EXPRESS PERMISSION FROM WEST COAST WEATHER VANES.

Cancellation Policy: A 10% cancellation fee will be applied to the cost of the weather vane including any optional costs if the order is cancelled prior to the date production begins. This 10% fee will be deducted from the deposit already received and then a refund check will be sent back to you. After production on your weather vane has begun, no refund will be available

Prices subject to change without notification. For most up-to-date and accurate pricing, always check the website or contact us at: (831 425-5505