I started going to auctions to fuel my love for African American art – but at a bargain. I love the old masters: Lois Mailou Jones, Jacob Lawrence, Hughie Lee-Smith. I wanted to find their works and discover other veteran artists whose works may have been hiding in an attic or basement, and forgotten.

I’m a journalist by profession: I was a newspaper reporter and editor. Now, I’m taking what I did as a journalist – peeling back the covers of people’s lives and writing about what I found – and applying it to auctions. And I’m loving it.

Visit me often to see what I come up with. I would also like to share stories and photos of what you find and your collections. Click my Contact page.

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  An insider’s guide to auctions

  10 ways not to be a jerk at auctions

  Find an auction house near you

  Find an online auction

  Find a yard sale near you

Follow them, cheer them, give them some sisterly advice or join in the challenge as they try to trim their waists over the next 6 months.

1939 Etching "Negro Tailor"

A couple times a year, I go to African American art auctions at Swann Galleries in New York. I confess that I go for the art (usually too expensive), the celeb-watching (Beyonce, civil-rights leader John Lewis) and the day-in-New York (love that city). Read more.

Tell me about your finds, whether at auction, flea markets, collectibles show or antique shop.

African American Postcards

The faces drew me to them. Big eyes. Wide smiles. Proud people despite humble circumstances. Read more.

Tell me about your collections and send along some photos.