网友Cathy向笔者推荐她正在处理的一套艺术瓷盘，这是由Knowles公司推出的，名字叫做The Birds of Your Garden(您后院的鸟)系列，艺术家是Kevin Daniel。估计关注北美收藏的人，都熟悉Knowles公司，笔者不再在这里详细介绍。
Kevin Daniel是一位著名的美国艺术家，早在1997年就进入了美国艺术名人堂(U.S. Art Hall of Fame)。笔者从他网络上看到了如此介绍：
When Kevin Daniel explored an interest in painting as a young man, he had no thought that his interest would develop into an award winning career and passion as an artist. Studying the works of classic artists like Rembrandt, Renoir and Monet, he became amazed by their attention to detail, panoramic scenery and use of colors. Kevin’s initial concentration in wildlife art depicted realism and nature’s beauty with the subjects in his portraits. Kevin says:
1) The Cardinal
2) The Blue Jay
“ with my love and passion for nature, I wanted to focus on the realism of wildlife art, bringing to life the subtleties of the outdoors from a natural but unique position.”
Due to popular demand and confidence in his artistic talents, Kevin kd1concentrated his work on waterfowl, earning him national awards as well as becoming a two-time Minnesota Duck Stamp winner. Kevin continues to be challenged by the variety and complexities of wildlife he finds fascinating to capture with the paintbrush as well as the camera. Kevin’s upbringing in the Minnesota outdoors continues to inspire him. According to Kevin:
3) The Baltimore Oriole
4) The Chickadee
“growing up in Minnesota, not only did I want to capture the wildlife and nature in my paintings but I also wanted to share and reflect on memories with family and friends. I have memories of fishing, camping, and even music lessons and each have an influence on how I paint.”
The cowboys and Native Americans of the West have also captured Kevin’s artistic imagination. Collectors and galleries have embraced Kevin Daniel’s artwork. His versatility as an artist has earned him national acclaim.
5) The Bluebird
6) The Robin
对于艺术，笔者是一个门外汉，不过，笔者还是十分欣赏Kevin Daniel的一句话：“With my love and passion for nature, I wanted to focus on the realism of wildlife art, bringing to life the subtleties of the outdoors from a natural but unique position.”对自然的崇尚和热爱，融于他的所有作品。
而笔者在这里要介绍的就是有Kevin Daniel提供的艺术作品，印制在标准艺术瓷盘(8.5寸)。这个系列在1985年到1987年三年内制作，总共有十张盘，它们分配时1985年生产的1) The Cardinal，2) The Blue Jay，和3) The Baltimore Oriole；1986年生产的4) The Chickadee，5) The Bluebird，6) The Robin和7) The Hummingbird；以及1987年生产的8) The Goldfinch，9) The Downy Woodpecker和10) The Cedar Waxwing。
7) The Hummingbird
8) The Goldfinch
这套磁盘所选择的鸟来自不列颠百科全书(Encyclopaedia Britannia)，自然是鸟类爱好者的不二选择，集知识性、趣味性与收藏投资为一体。至于瓷盘本身的价值，读者可以自行去搜寻和认定，笔者想发一点功夫来看看这套瓷盘原主人的心愿。
确实，在网上大家都可以看到这套瓷盘零星有卖，但绝大部分是裸盘，也就是只有瓷盘本身，且不成套。而Cathy转给我的这套瓷盘，不仅是一整套，而且每张瓷盘的原始证书和介绍都齐全。更为重要的是，除第二张瓷盘外，其他所有瓷盘的原包装都完好无缺。所有这一切绝对是收藏者最为看重的。
9) The Downy Woodpecker
10) The Cedar Waxwing
至于这套瓷盘的价值，笔者不敢自加妄议。原主人绝对是有心人，她不仅保留了绝大部分的原始购买收据，而且还详细记录了1991年这套瓷盘的市场交易价。假若您真正喜欢，到不要被这些因素所限制，给出您的心理价位，您就可能成为其新主人哦！
