SALE AWAY!

It's hard to believe its been 8 months since we switched our blog to the website, are you following us there too? You'll find it HERE

Well it's January now and time for us to make you a seasonal offering of pieces which are all brand-new, never-before-owned and sometimes even sold out from the publisher and therefore quite sought after... 

Here are just a few of the sale images but there are almost 60 to look at... You can find ALL the bargains on our SALE PAGE !

'One Man and His Dog'
by Alexander Millar

'No, I'm Spartacus'
by Craig Davison

'Who Would Have Believed It?'
by Paul Horton

  

'Hold Me Close'
by Peter Smith

'Thumpers in Jumpers'
by Peter Smith

'The Powerful Truth'
by Paul Horton (The ICON Collection)

'The Lost Snowflake'
by Paul Horton

Not By Royal Command!!

I can't believe that Good Friday is only a week away!

Good Friday, 29th March this year, might not hold much significance for many, apart from the start of Easter weekend and the thankful end to rows of easter eggs in our shops taunting those of us who foolishly gave it up for Lent! (What do you mean I was the only one?!?)

On Good Friday we are having a few drinks here at the gallery to launch our new exhibition with artist James Milroy, entitled 'Waving Royals and other paintings'.

James is travelling up from Stroud to bring the work to us and will be here for the evening from 6.30-8.30pm. We are hoping to pry from him some stories about his experiences painting during the Diamond Jubilee celebrations last summer, not every artist can say they had a Right Royal Summons!

Join Us from 6.30pm... beer, wine and soft drinks will be available along with some tasty treats (not including cucumber sandwiches!)

Spies and Peas...

Last night John and I took a drive up to Saltburn-by-Sea, not just for a merry jaunt, although it was a merry jaunt indeed! We took the scenic route over the North York Moors which were covered in snow and rather beautiful, if a little wild in places!

We arrived in Saltburn just before dark, the sky was turning orange and the waves were pounding on the shore...

We found the gallery very easily, yes I said gallery! Last night we attended the Arts Bank Gallery for the launch of Mackenzie Thorpe's Game of Life Tenth Anniversary Celebration. 

We had been invited by Debbie and Brian to meet Mackenzie Thorpe and his wife Susan at the launch event. Knowing that we are new to working with Mackenzie they thought it would be nice to invite us, how very kind!

The event started at 6:30pm and people were very prompt to arrive. Mackenzie and Susan were soon in the midst of a bubbling mass of people, excited, chatty and eager to talk.

The range of people attending was wide with old and young mixing and chatting together. The atmosphere was relaxed and enjoyable with a selection of drinks and a pie and peas supper promised!

The evening got off to a fantastic start, Mackenzie's Game of Life pieces were on display downstairs along with the remarked book which is being auctioned off (please see yesterdays blog entry for details). 

We were keen to see everything but especially the original pieces for the two new releases 'In Dads Boots' and 'Man of the Match'.

We strolled through the myriad of rooms and along the corridor's, passing excited collectors as we went. Everyone was happy to talk to each other and to us about their collections and their favourite pieces. 

We soon came to 'In Dads Boots' which was beautifully framed in a narrow black moulding. The innocence and simplicity of this piece is highlighted with the vibrant red of the ball and it holds your eye without needing further explanation.

'In Dads Boots' 

Limited Edition of 195 with 8 A/P's, 8 H/C's

'Man of the Match' once again captures the innocence, the simple figure standing there with his oversized boots, obviously inherited to fill his need to play the game. The look on his face says it all...

"Man of the Match? Me? In these boots?" 

'Man of the Match'

Limited Edition of 75 with 5 A/P's, 5 H/C's

Mingling and chatting we enjoyed the atmosphere, meandering around before being drawn back to the ground floor by the smell of pie and peas. Sure enough everyone was tucking in and there was even a polite huddle of a queue, waiting for the next batch of piping hot pies...

Being an evening focused on football it was the perfect supper! Isn't it strange how people from all walks of life can be drawn together by pie and peas just in the same way as they are by 'The Game of Life'

John and Mackenzie Thorpe... and me!

Prince Charming...

Just collected Toni Hargreaves 'Prince Charming' from the framers! Doesn't he look fantastic? Toni found this young Simmental bull at one of the big agricultural shows and doesn't he suit his name!

'Prince Charming' by Toni Hargreaves £299 Framed

Statistically Speaking...

We always used to keep you updated with our top sellers... and you seem to have missed that!

So here is a quick run down:

Top Sellers for 2012 are as follows:-
1. Peter Smith,
2. Mike Jackson
3. Alexander Millar

Congratulations to Peter Smith for being the top artist for 2012, a place he has held almost every year in our five year history! It's also nice to see Mike Jackson there too, our longest serving independent artist! No pressure Mike but can you do it again this year?

I know there are followers of the blog who would like to know who is the overall top seller in the gallery since we opened our door in December 2007, so here is that all important information:-

1. Peter Smith
2. Paul Horton
3. Bob Dylan
4. Alexander Millar

Well done Peter on maintaining the overall top seller spot... we look forward to seeing your new releases next month! We have a feeling Paul will be a strong contender again too so lets wait and see what he tempts us with for 2013!

MEET KEITH PROCTOR!!

MEET KEITH PROCTOR

15th OCTOBER 2011

Between 12PM-3PM

The Acorn Gallery are pleased to announce that Keith Proctor will be making a live appearance at the gallery on the 15th October 2011 between 12-3pm to discuss his ideas and inspirations behind his latest tour 'Making Memories'.

Leave Me Be by Keith Proctor RRP £495.00

Keith will be happy to dedicate any purchases made on the day. Drinks and nibbles will be served. As a special thank you for your attendance you will be entered into a FREE PRIZE DRAW to WIN a signed limited edition by Keith!!



Alexander Millars 'Working Man' Exhibition - A Virtual Tour

Alexander Millars fabulous 'Working Man' Exhibition hasn't finished yet but if you want a bit of a peek then click the words 'Virtual Tour' in the title above... :)

Of course it isn't a patch on seeing them for real but Alex gives a great insight into the ideas and feelings behind the collection...

Alexander Millar - The Working Man Exhibition

Alexander Millar has long been recognised for his 'Gadgies and Gals', the characters who, with their flat caps and big boots, head scarves and housecoats, have brought smiles to the faces of many...

Now Alexander Millar is to gain even more exposure as his acclaimed 'Working Man Exhibition' is due to open at the Hancock Museum (Great North Museum) in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and will run from 26th March 2011 - 8th May 2011.

Evening Song by Alexander Millar £495

This show is the latest in a line up of successful collections in Alexander Millars 10 year history as a professional artist! His work goes from strength to strength and his original paintings can be found in private collections around the world...

A collection of six prints and one sculpture has been launched to accompany the exhibition and the 'Working Man' Collection is available from The Acorn Gallery right now!

Two superb canvas prints have already arrived and you can view 'Evening Song' and 'Big River' in the gallery today!

Come and see them now...

Also available for a limited time: The opportunity to purchase a superb original oil - small enough to fit anywhere but large enough in presence to grace any collection!

Contemplation Original Oil by Alexander Millar

Ring the gallery for details 01759 307652



Top Sellers For 2010!!

January is here and we have reviewed the stats for the past 12 months. We can now reveal that the top sellers for 2010 are as follows:-

1. Keith Proctor
2. Peter Smith
3. Paul Horton

Congratulations to Keith Proctor - not bad for the new kid on the block! Top spot in his first year!! It was a close run race however with only 4 sales between 1st & 2nd place and only 2 sales between 2nd & 3rd places!

Our overall Top Sellers (since we opened in December 2007) :-

1. Peter Smith
2. Bob Dylan
3. Paul Horton

Peter Smith is still proving he has what it takes and we believe that he has lots more to follow! We are very excited about the 'Bimps' - new characters which Peter has shown us on his blog and on Facebook. We love them all, especially the dog and as soon as we know more about them then we will of course let you know!!

Not shown in the overall Top Sellers, but just biting on the heels of Paul Horton is Alexander Millar, who has a massive publicity push this year for his museum exhibition. This will be a fantastic show for Alex which will feature his famous Gadgies and Gals and rumours are afoot that he is planning a tour and a book! Watch this space for news...!

It looks like this year could be an interesting one and it will be very interesting to see if there are any changes in the overall Top Seller for 2011.

Whatever news there is you can be sure to find it here first - stay up to date by following the Acorn Gallery Blog!

You can also Find us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter!

Peter Smith 2nd October 2010

OMG its the end of the month and in 24hours we will have the fantastic Peter Smith in the gallery.!!

Peter is here to promote his fantastic new tour 'It's A Stripe Thing' and we can't wait!! The wall has been hung, the originals have arrived in time and look fantastic.

The Gift is absolutely stunning and is a bargain at £2250!!

As I sit here typing this entry I am looking at the wall and thinking to myself what a fabulous collection and we have already started pre-selling!! There is no clear leader but we have three pieces tying for top spot. It's all very exciting :-)

We have ordered, from Becky Mackenzies in Pocklington, freshly made cupcakes... thinking back to 'I Eat Cake' and of course the one on the fabulous free print 'Keep Calm and Have A Cupcake'



We are so looking forward to having Peter and Jayne back with us again. Peter is on top of his game and it is an honour that he will be with us for the third year in a row.

And finally just a quick update on the top sellers for August are as follows:-

1. Paul Kenton
2. Keith Proctor
3. Alexander Millar

Diane and I will be pleased to see you on Saturday, there will be bubbles and nibbles and one or two cupcakes will be floating around.

I know Peter and Jayne will be pleased to see you and Peter will be happy to tell you the stories behind each of the pieces in the tour and remember if you purchase a print or sculpture from the tour you will be entitled to the print 'Keep Calm and Have A Cupcake' as a thank you from Peter :-)

See you on Saturday... :-)

Amsterdame 09!!

Well May has been a funny old month! The odd day has been busy but mostly its been very quiet! Have you all been on holiday?

Having some quiet time has given us chance to plan some exciting events for the summer - make sure you get your name on the database so you can find out what's happening!

I know you like to know who's hot right now and so here are the top sellers for this month:-

1. Alexander Millar
2. Paul Kenton
3. Paul Horton

Congratulations Alex, top spot for the third month in a row. Well done!!

Well June is here and Dianes 250 mile bike ride is only 5 sleeps away. Diane, Lisa, Lianne and Jayne leave on Friday 12th and return Tuesday 16th. In total there will be nearly 60 of them going and it will be a sight to see them on their way!

I will apologise in advance as the gallery will be a little late opening on the morning of the 12th as I will be there to wave them off!! On Tuesday 16th the gallery will close a little earlier than usual as I want to be there to see them cross the finishing line!!

Don't worry - I'll get photos for the blog so you can see for yourselves!

To sponsor Diane please go to http://www.justgiving.com/amsterdame09 or call in to the gallery and make a pledge on her sponsor form. It is in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care and they are trying to raise £30,000!! They are already over the £10k mark so they are well on the way!!

Don't forget the PRIZE DRAW - If you haven't bought a raffle ticket yet then you still have time as the draw is not till the 19th June. The prize is a superb signed limited edition print by Paul Kenton (this months second top seller!) All proceeds from the sale of tickets are also going to Marie Curie Cancer Care.

Well that's it for now - more entires will surely follow as I hear from Diane on her travels. Check back soon :-)

Competition

On 12th June Diane is setting off on a bike ride to Amsterdam with 53 other ladies to raise much needed funds for Marie Curie Cancer Care! They are hoping to raise £30,000!!

The Acorn Gallery are pleased to announce a competition in support of their efforts and the prize is a signed limited edition print by Paul Kenton called Early Light Amsterdam - see picture below:-



This superb print will be framed and is valued at £199.00. All proceeds from the sale of the tickets will be going to Marie Curie Cancer Care.

Raffle tickets are £1 each and are available from the gallery. Whether you want to buy 1 or 100 pop in and gets yours now and help Marie Curie reach their total of £30,000. Remember tickets are only £1 :-)

Diane will be setting off from McArthur Glen Designer Outlet in York at 9am on Friday 12th June and is due back at about 6pm on Tuesday 16th June.

The raffle will be drawn on Friday 19th June 2009 and the winner will be notified accordingly.

If you wish to sponsor Diane then you can do so on-line at www.justgiving.com/amsterdame09 Please mention her name in your message!

We will let you know how she gets on so watch this space for news...

Oh What A Month!!

What a month! January blues have not surfaced this year and it has been a cracking month for sales. Many of you are finding the on-line ordering very useful so my thanks go to Jim for all his work on getting it up and running.

And so to February - with new Valentines releases due out soon there will be plenty to see and plenty of reasons for you to feel inspired to purchase a fabulous and unique gift for your loved one, whether it be your wife/husband, girlfriend/boyfriend or even for yourself!!

More and more people are coming to the conclusion that money looks much better on your wall in the form of a piece of art, rather than just as numbers on your bank statement!

This is borne out by the fact that we have sold work by 15 different artists this month - so far! The lead is currently held by Alexander Millar with Govinder Nazran coming a close second. The sad death of Govinder last month has left several of you looking for a souvenir of his work.

With the new season comes the Spring Fair which is the trade show where the we get to go and see the new images due to be released over the coming months. It is a great day out and a chance for us to chat with the artists and get first hand information as to their inspiration for painting a particular piece.

The gallery will therefore be closed on Monday 2nd Feburary but we are open as usual from 9.30am on Tuesday 3rd.

I promise to update you all with the new pieces and as soon as I have the images then the website will be updated too!

Watch this space!!

On Line!!!

I am pleased to report that we now have our 'On-Line' ordering facility on the website!! It has taken longer than expected but we hope it will help you to be sure of getting the piece you want - when you see it!

This is especially useful on items which are marked as 'last one' or 'sold out from publisher' :-)

You can reserve an item using the 'Add to Basket' button and entering your details. You then have a choice of ways to pay:

1) Pay by debit/credit card over the phone (you call us or we'll ring you)
2) Send a payment through Paypal to info@theacorngallery.co.uk
3) Call into the gallery and pay in person when you collect the item.

We are delighted to announce the arrival of three STUNNING NEW IMAGES from TODD WHITE. They are from a very EXCLUSIVE COLLECTION and for this reason they cannot be shown on the website but do please ring or email us if you would like further details. We have only one copy of each image so if you are interested then act fast! These images are not widely available...

As I write this entry I have to say that the on-line facility works!!! We have already received an order and the transaction was nice and smooth with no hiccups!!!

The Christmas holidays are almost here and so we would remind you of our opening times during this festive period which are as follows:-

24th December 2008 9.30am-4pm
25th December 2008 CLOSED
26th December 2008 CLOSED
27th December 2008 9.30am-4pm
29th December 2008 9.30am-5.30pm
30th December 2008 9.30am-5.30pm
31st December 2008 9.30am-4pm
1st January 2009 CLOSED

From 2nd January 2009 we will be open as usual (9.30am-5.30pm Monday-Saturday).

Finally, Diane & I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year.

The First One!!

'What was I nervous about?' all the sleepless nights, pacing the floor and biting my finger nails all for nothing!!

Peter & Jayne arrived early and commented on how good the gallery was looking! They also needed to know where was the best place to get some breakfast!! We pointed them in the direction of some local eateries and off they went (which gave me chance to finish my sausage buttie)!!

By 11.15am Peter & Jayne were back and by 11.30am the gallery started to fill up with people and it stayed like that for the next 5 hours!

It was very busy, what a good job we had hired help in the form of our daughter Emily, who did a magnificient job in topping up glasses and taking photos!

Diane & I were busy introducing Peter to the collectors and looking after customers who had decided to buy - we even had a queue at one point!!

Peter was amazing to listen to, he has a story for every piece! His paintings are based on people he knows and the ups and downs of life. The secrets within the new 'May Contain Nuts' images are amazing and when they are revealed to you it makes you appreciate the talent that Peter has. Some extreme planning and forethought has gone into his work - much of which is only just becoming apparent with this latest tour!

Peter spent time with each collector dedicating their purchases with a fantastic sketch!

As a special thank you for those people who bought a print or an original piece on the day he gave a FREE limited edition print entitled 'Pick Me'! He titled and signed it in the presence of the buyer AND as an added bonus he did a tiny remarque! What a great thank you!!

For those people who didn't come to the gallery to meet Peter you missed out on a great day but don't dispair - availability of his latest work is still good - for the time being at least!

It's Thankyou time ...

Diane & I would like to say a big THANK YOU to all those people who came and enjoyed the day...

...and a huge THANK YOU to Peter and Jayne for giving up their day and making it a great success!

A special THANK YOU to the couple who travelled from Lancashire to be with us - we hope that your 'Notorious' new friend will be much admired!!

By 4.30pm we had chance to chat with Peter. He revealed that The Acorn Gallery is "The First One" to sell an original oil on his new tour!! What an honour!! Yippee!!!

Thank you Peter & Jayne, everyone we have spoken to today has asked us to pass on their thanks for such a great day! They have all said the same, that you are a great couple and it was a pleasure to meet you both!

Roll on 2009 when we will be asking you back for yet more stories and the latest installments on your wonderful impossimals!!

Wow! Dylan - What A Rush!!!

Friday 13th June - Diane & I spent the evening moving the gallery around and hanging the Bob Dylan signed limited edition prints with help from our kids who, after being fed some very nice fish and chips from the Railway Street Chippie, we got stuck in with great gusto! They helped to unwrap the framed pieces and wrap up the pieces that we had taken down to accommodate the Dylan work. By 8.30pm we were finished!

Saturday 14th June - Diane & I arrived at the gallery early and shut ourselves in with the shutters down! We still had bits and pieces to finish off in readiness for the launch time of 10am. At bang on 10am we put the shutter up hoping to see a crowd but the street seemed no busier than usual - but the minute we opened the door the gallery filled up - I don't know where they came from! People had obviously been waiting to get in and grab their piece of Dylan artwork.

By 10.30am we were well and truly underway and the sales were coming thick and fast. People were loving his work and we had fans old and young coming in to have a look!

Before we knew it it was 4pm and the gallery had gone quiet for the first time so we took the chance to put the kettle on and try to grab a sandwich but before the kettle had boiled or we had taken a bite of the sandwich we were starting to fill up again!

By 6pm we had managed to close the door and sat back and just hugged each other! Our decison to be in on the Dylan launch - after only 6 months in business - had paid off! Sales for the day were phenomenal!

We had sold to France and Holland and even had someone trying to gazump a portfolio from under a customers nose such was the demand!

Monday 16th June - We got to the gallery to find answerphone messages from people over in the USA wanting us to ring them ASAP as they wanted to buy! One guy even said he didn't mind which pieces we had he just wanted one!

Due to our misinterpretation of time zones we rang a lady back only to find that it was only 5am with her! Nevertheless she was delighted to be in time to buy and promptly chose a superb selection of prints which will be winging their way over to her very shortly! (Thankyou Linda - for your business!)

We even had a message from BBC Look North who wanted to come along and do an interview - unfortunately they didn't have a VT man and had to put it off but are still hoping to come down later in the week (I'll keep you posted!)

So, now we have only a few Dylan pieces left and we think that even they will be soon gone! We have left only nine individual graphics and one portfolio! Anyone wanting to be a part of this journey needs to get on board fast!

Diane & I would just like to say a massive 'THANKYOU!' to all those people who bought and those who came along for a look and a chat! Many people were happy to simply buy a book or a brochure and I'm sure that even these will become very collectable! More books are on order and brochures are still available to buy!

To sum it up Dylan has been one hell of a rush and we haven't stopped grinning from ear to ear!

We can't wait for the next installment of Dylan mania!!!

Lambing It Large!!!

This week has been busy, we have had 75 people through the door and our latest marketing campaign has started to work!!

We have had 10,000 leaflets published promoting the Acorn Gallery on one side and Pocklington on the reverse. After brow beating the kids into helping deliver them we got our first customer in on Saturday! Well I suppose I should give the kids some pocket money for their efforts!!

We also had a very nice family in from Norfolk this week (hello to Rob, Michelle & the boys) who after much discussion and thought bought 6 pieces from me to which I say a big THANKYOU. I hope you enjoy them and I hope to see you all again next year!!!

Today Diane & I and the kids went to visit our friends who have a small holding consisting of cows, chickens and baby lambs. Diane and my daughter throughly enjoyed themselves holding and feeding the lambs and Diane was in her element taking 90 photo's! My daughter has suddenly re-owned me with a "daddy if you love me..." she only wanted me to bring two home!! I have to point out that we do not own two baby lambs so I am dis-owned again, it's not easy being a parent!!

We finished our day off with a very nice lunch at The Tanglewood on the A64 which is between Malton and York. Whilst I sit here typing this the snow is begining to fall and the house is in silence except for Sampson (the dog) snoring!!