Our Wedding Anniversary

Today is our 18th Wedding Anniversary!!

Diane & I have known each other for 22 years and been happily married for 18 of those. We have also worked together for 15 years.

I would just like to say that I will be Forever by your Side



that you will always be mine



and that I hope we will always and forever love each other!!



Happy Anniversary Diane, all my love, John xx

A Hot Week!!!

What can I say? It has been one hot week! So much so that very few people came in - but those who did were very appreciative and it's always good to have a chat with like-minded people!

But then again it is the summer and in this hot weather people just want to sit out in the garden, drink cold beers and have a barbecue (and really - who can blame them?)!!

Yesterday we dropped our daughter off in Selby with a massive suitcase and her clarinet and saxophone as she is spending the week away at 'Band Camp'! She will practise music for 7.5 hours per day culminating in a concert on Friday at Selby Abbey! She was so excited and we are really looking forward to the concert!

We then met up with a friend on the M62 to swap over a signed limited edition print (he owns a gallery too!!) and then we went to Hull to do some clothes shopping (as you do) and then popped in to see family for a welcome cold drink before heading back!.

Our son had been invited skateboarding after tea so we dropped him off at his coaches house where he spent 3 hours skateboarding in the back garden (massive ramp - nice one Gary!)

Diane & I ended up staying to watch the boys on the skateboard and drinking!! (Only coffee for me though - I'm teetotal!)

It was the first time I had seen our son on the skateboard ramp and I was very impressed with him and also at Gary's patience and the amount of praise and encouragement he gave everyone.

It was a lovely evening, the company was superb and the boys didn't stop all night. We eventually dragged ourselves away at about 9.30pm.

Our son was very tired but very elated that he had managed to 'Drop In' and 'Kiss the bar' (skateboard terminology) and even though he has explained what it means it is still double dutch to me but Diane is 'digging it'!

Ready for the Weekend!!

It's been a busy week and we've had alot of people through the gallery and some good sales too!!!

Yesterday was a fantastic day as we sold our first Kevin Day Original! The gentleman buyer was very taken by the piece and bought one of Kevins very limited editions too! Kevin's work is superb and is getting alot of attention at the moment! This space is definitely worth watching!

Today has been an especially busy one as our newsletter has started to land on doormats and I have had a rush of people coming into the gallery to ask about the latest releases by Paul Horton, Jeff Rowland, Mark Grieves and Peter Smith.

The prints should be here within a fortnight although if we get them sooner then we will let you know - if you would like your name adding to the 'early warning' list then email us now!

Dylan is still causing a stir and I can reveal that (surprisingly!) Dylan was our top seller for the month of June. No other artist got a look in!!

So far this month we have the following in the top four spots:-

1. Bob Dylan
2. Peter Smith
3. Kevin Day
4. Alexander Millar

I think when the new releases arrive in the gallery at the end of the month we shall see a battle between Paul & Peter for the month of August!

I look forward to August with great interest. However we still have 10 more working days left this month. Will Peter pip Bob Dylan to the top spot or will Kevin come round on the outside to cross the finishing line first?!!

Ooh this is better than the Grand National!!

Life Is Full Of Surprises!!

It is only Wednesday and we have had 3 telephone calls from three artists and a surprise visit by an artist too!!

The first call came from Angela Smyth for an update!
The second call came from Mike Jackson for a chat!

The third call came from Paul James - a truly amazing animal and landscape artist. Many of you will have seen 'Winston' and 'October Afternoon' in the gallery.

Paul has some new releases available and we have agreed to have some in the gallery! I'm sure you will agree that 'Streetwise Charlie' is a real character, look out for 'Madge' too!

Paul is hoping to pop in when he is next over from Ireland so watch this space for news and updates on this talented man! Brochures showing his latest images are available now from the gallery and are free to take away!!

The artist who called in today was Philip Stuttard! Philip was really pleased to see that we have one of his originals called 'Warlords - Too Old To Grow Up' and advised us that it was his favourite piece! He was delighted that we had managed to get hold off it!



To the lucky buyer - a dedication can be arranged!!

We have also managed to send out 166 newsletters which include the latest releases from Peter Smith, Paul Horton, Mark Grieves and Jeff Rowland. The newsletter will be landing on doormats over the next couple of days but if you are not on our mailing list and would like to be included then please let us have your details.

I wonder what else the week has in store for us?

Will we get more artists ringing up for a chat or popping in for a cuppa?

I will keep you updated!!

Poetry At The Acorn!!

The Acorn Gallery hosted its first ever poetry evening on Friday 4th July 2008 in association with Simply Books as part of Pocklington's first ever Book Festival. The poet for the evening was Michael Hildred, a local poet and artist.

The evening started off with champagne and canapes, with Sara, owner of Simply Books, greeting the invited guests and introducing them to Michael.

After 20 minutes of chatting and browsing at the artwork on display Michael began his poetry recital.

The invited audience stood spellbound whilst Michael recited his poems from memory. He was very entertaining and we had tales of a boat, of foxes and of Lil his cat, all with acompanying artwork. The evening was a great success and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves tremendously.

Diane & I would just like to say thankyou to Sara for allowing us the honour of being part of the first ever Pocklington Book Festival and we wish her every success with future events!

Just another day ... or is it?

Well what can I say... people are still ringing round to get the last few Dylan pieces - we have only 4 images left but not for long I'm sure!

The gallery seems quiet now the mania of Dylan is finished, we are back to spending quality time with our customers!

Well, it's Friday and the sunshine is giving us one more tempting glance of what we're NOT going to get this weekend! A few people have been in this morning and everyone is happy and chatty in the summer sun ... but then...

... do you ever look at someone and think 'I know you! You were in ... on the telly!' but daren't say anything in case you invade their privacy!

Well we were priviledged to have a well-known British actor in the gallery today! He spent some time in here with his wife and we're proud to say that he seemed to like several pieces!

We did recognise him but everyone is entitled to shop in peace and we never were ones to leap on celebrities and demand autographs!

Well, if he is reading this then he will know who he is - and we'd like to let him know that he is welcome back anytime!

I wonder if we will have any more famous people through the door today?