It's A Man Thing!

Today was a good day!

It is always an uncertain time between having sent out the invitations, hanging the work and opening on the day of the event! Is the gallery clean and tidy? Have we remembered everything? Is the bubbly suitably chillled? (All the important questions!).

Well we needn't have worried! The first people came in almost as soon as we opened the door and we made a sale straight away! Jumping Jack was the first off the starting block!

A steady stream of people allowed us to spend quality time with almost everyone who came in and we are delighted to report that Jack the Lad has stolen several hearts today!

'It's A Man Thing' created quite a stir and we have had to order extra copies to fulfil demand! 'Bzzz' and 'Jumping Jack' were next in the popularity stakes! The oil on display was already sold but we've taken notes of interest from a few new people as a result of seeing it! Keith - I hope your brushes are clean and ready to go?

We had a few nicely timed lulls during the day - just enough to catch our breath and boil the kettle!

Everyone has been very impressed and we have had lovely comments. Sales have come both from those who came specifically and also from people who just popped in as they were passing! We have made sales across four counties and had visitors from all over - even a lady who had just flown in from L.A.!

Without a doubt we can say that today was a resounding success! Fifteen sales by the end of the day and that tells a story all of its own!

Today The Acorn Gallery was 'Bzzz'-ing ... 'It's A Man Thing!' ... and the man is Keith Proctor!

'I Have A Dream'

On Your Marks... Get Set...

Many months ago whilst surfing the web, we came across an artist whose work had an instant appeal... there was something about the innocence of the boy in the paintings... a charm which captured and held you... we followed the blog notes and picture posts with keen interest, finally approaching the artist to see if he would be happy for us to show some of his work... the artists name was Keith Proctor!

Tomorrow we are so proud to show you 'Jack the Lad' the first exhibition of work from Keith Proctor, published by Washington Green.

The collection comprises of three stunning canvases with four beautiful paper editions. Each image carries the figure of Jack, the completely charming young boy whose antics are sure to coax a smile from even the hardest of hearts.. he is a boy for all seasons with a charm for all ages and we hope his adventures will amuse us for years to come...

Ladies & Gentlemen... Keith Proctor with Jack the Lad!!

Excitement is building...

Well at last the images have been released from Keith Proctors debut collection 'Jack the Lad'! Follow the link in the title (above) to see his charming studies of childhood...

 Interest in this new work is building and we have had more requests than usual for original work by this artist! Original oils are very scarce and even pencil sketches are hard to get hold of but we will have one of each on the wall on the day of the exhibition! If you have an interest in these original pieces then we recommend that you let us know as soon as possible!

Also released this week are the images for the fantastic new Spring Collections by all your favoutite artists!

One piece which is long-awaited is 'I eat cake' by Peter Smith - those of you who read Peters Blog or who follow him on Facebook, will be well aware of the excitement created by this subject!

Another piece we'd like to mention is the Charity piece painted jointly by Alexander Millar and Jeff Rowland. These two are great friends and when Washington Green asked them to work together they were delighted. Jeff, who needs regular dialysis, was keen to try and use the venture as a fundraising exercise for charity and Alex happily agreed.

The image which they created is called 'Singing in the Rain' and features Alexander Millars classic gadgie with his umbrella, splashing his way happily down the road in the pouring rain!

Artist royalties from the sales of this print will be donated to the Renal Ward at Birmingham Childrens Hospital and Washington Green are delighted to match this sum which means a sizeable donation if both editions sell out!!

The print is available on paper for £375 or on canvas at £425 and looks stunning!! (For now the website image for both options shows the paper version as no canvas image has been provided but it will be updated as soon as we have stock in the gallery.) One of each will be displayed for you to admire!

  
All in all an amazing selection of new work for you to enjoy - including this stunning Paul Kenton piece entitled 'London Red'...

... and the Caroline Shotton classic 'Shit Happens' shown below... so follow the link in the title (above) and have a click around the website :-)

New Kid on the Block!

For a while now we have been watching with interest the work of an artist whose subject and style have captured our hearts!

Upon approaching said artist to ask if he would be interested in showing some pieces with us we were told that he had just signed with a publisher and so would be unable to do so.

Happily the publisher is Washington Green and so we are now delighted to introduce you to Keith Proctor!

Keiths portrayal of childhood innocence and freedom is truly uplifting and has a timeless appeal that will span generations.

We are proud to announce that we will be launching an exhibition of prints and original work entitled 'Jack the Lad'. Invitations will be going out soon so if you are interested in attending then please contact us to be added to the guest list.

Champagne will be flowing and there is certain to be a 'Bzzz' in the air!

Hello February!!

Its February and we can finally waive goodbye to the January blues!! We even had sunshine this week already!

January was a fairly quiet month but we can still let you know the top artists were:-

1. Alexander Millar/Govinder Nazran/Paul Horton
2. Peter Smith/Caroline Shotton
3. Mike Jackson

A three way tie for first spot and a two way tie for the second spot!! Congratulations to all the artists!!

We have alot to fit into February - it's going to be a busy month!! Starting with our sons birthday on Friday - he will be 14!!! (I think he sleeps in a growbag as I swear he is getting bigger every day!!)

Its is also the Spring Fair event held by Washington Green to launch the latest work by all of their top artists! This is the first chance for us to see what they have been up to since their last release in September. We'll be able to chat to them first hand and get the run down on the background ideas for their new work.

We are hoping to be good on Sunday and not spend to much but we say this at every one of these events and end up buying lots of great pieces to display in the gallery.

Diane and I are very excited to see that an artist who we have had our eye on for a while will be launched at this event! When we approached him about taking his work at The Acorn he advised us that he had just signed with a major art publishers! Fortunately for us Washington Green have snapped him up - and we think you will too!! Look out for news of a LAUNCH EXHIBITION to be held here soon!!

Of course February is the month of St. Valentine and The Acorn Gallery has prepared a few suggestions in our 'Valentine's Day' Gallery (14th February just in case you couldn't remember the date!!) AND we are offering a FREE box of chocolates when you spend £100 or more in store with one lucky customer winning a bottle of bubbly too!!

As if all of that isn't enough... we are also really pleased to be showcasing the work of new artist Phil George, a North East painter who's characters, Norman and Reggie, reflect the ups and downs of post recession Britain. We are sure you'll be enchanted with this charming new work - we think he is one to watch!

It's all going on at The Acorn! More news coming soon!