Catching up...

Wow! I can't believe it's been so long since we blogged! Did you miss us? Lol :)

We've had a busy few weeks and it's a shame we haven't found time to tell you about them... until now! Gosh, where do we start?

Following the success of the exclusive 'Icon Collection' from Paul Horton we are surprised and delighted to tell you that there is still some availability on three of the images! I know, we can't believe it either! It seems the summer holidays have got the better of you and maybe you think that the collection had sold out before you could bagsy a piece for yourself? Well although the collection has sold out from the publisher we at The Acorn still have three pieces so get in quick and secure your favourite... :)

'Love Shines Down' by Paul Horton (Icon Collection)

Hamish Blakely has seen some action these past few months too with some sales from the Muse Collection and a fabulous original piece which has now found a new home in Guernsey!

Some of you may be envious to know that Caroline Shotton's gorgeous original 'I Can See Moo' is also now sold, much to the delight of its new owner who had almost given up hope of ever owning one of Carolines originals!

In fact original art is really coming into its own and several other stunning original pieces have also found their way onto walls up and down the country, including work by Peter Smith, Kevin Day, Mike Jackson, Doreen Greenshields, Maureen Crofts and Harry Brioche.

I know some of you will be keen to learn who is topping the charts in the art world so just for you here are the TOP SELLERS for the last few months:

May: Bob Dylan, Alexander Millar, Drew Darcy (Originals by Kevin Day, Mike Jackson, Maureen Crofts)

June: Caroline Shotton, Paul Horton, Peter Smith (Originals by Mike Jackson, Peter Smith, Harry Brioche)

July: Bob Dylan, James Milroy, James Blinkhorn (Originals by Doreen Greenshields, Caroline Shotton, Hamish Blakely)

So, what is new and coming up at The Acorn?

Well the next big thing is happening this Bank Holiday Saturday when we are inviting anyone and everyone to come along dressed up as a character from Batman and Robin... we are expecting a good spattering of each and if we're lucky, perhaps even a Poison Ivy... There will be a prize for everyone who dresses up :)

Holy Dash Batman by Craig Davison

And the occasion? Well we have four brilliant new pieces from Craig Davison who loves to draw from childhood make-believe for his work... Of course if any grown-ups fancy getting dressed up too then there will be a special prize for you ;)

Are you game for a laugh? Fancy dressing up? Go on... We Dare You!

Apologies!!

Well, apologies are in order, I have been lacking in my duties to keep you fantastic collectors, fans and customers updated with the stats of our top sellers.

I hadn't realised that I had been so lazy and therefore if when you next visit us and you have the urge to chastise me then please do!!!!

Our top sellers for January are as follows:-

1. Paul Horton

2. Peter Smith

3. Paul Kenton and Sarah Graham

In January we sold a fantastic original piece by Paul Kenton - it was simply stunning and attracted alot of attention - especially as we kept it on the wall here for a few weeks until the customer was ready for it! We could have sold it four times over :-)

Anyway, back to business: Our top sellers for February are as follows:-

1. Peter Smith

2. David Bez

2. Joanne Panayi

Our top sellers for March are as follows:-

1. Peter Smith

2. Keith Proctor

3. Alexander Millar

In March we sold 5 amazing original pieces by Peter Smith, John Wilson, Mike Jackson, Nick MacKay and Bob Barker!!

Our top sellers for April are as follows:-

1. Alexander Millar

2. Peter Smith

3. Mark Edwards

In April we sold 2 stunning originals by Peter Smith and also a superb piece by Mark Edwards! Peter Smith is really on a roll - I wonder if it has anything to do with The Bimps? ! 

It is always good to see who is hot but it is good to see an independant artist in the top three along with a sculpturist too!

So, what's hot at the moment you may ask... Alexander Millars Working Man Collection - that's what! The two top sellers are 'Big River' and 'Evening Song' which are almost entirely sold out across the country! The demand for these two pieces is unprecedented and speculation about the secondary market is already spreading!

Watch this space!

March Madness!!

Spring has arrived and the weather has turned better, however March madness has set in at The Acorn Gallery!!

Diane has decided to do the Amsterdam bike trip again! It is a 250 miles round trip cycle ride from York to Amsterdam and back again raising money for Marie Curie Cancer Care which Diane successfully completed in June of last year helping to raise more than £28,000 for the charity!!

So training has started in ernest!! At least I mean for me as I have agreed to train alongside Diane to give her moral support... but so far I am the only one doing the training as I have insisted that we get out at 6am every morning and unfortunately Diane is not a morning person!

Good job I have the dogs for company however Sophie is not too keen for such an early start but Samson is eager enough for the both of them!!

We have today received our copies of the fabulous new Paul Kenton releases and they are stunning especially London Red!!

London Red by Paul Kenton

£699

You should really come and see it in the flesh - it is superb!!

With Mothers Day weekend upon us why not treat your Mum to some chocolate? Caroline Shottons Dairy Milk is superb and bound to raise a smile :-)

'Dairy Milk' by Caroline Shotton

£475

Or why not make a promise of cake? Peter Smith's 'I Eat Cake' is superb and really hits the spot...

I Eat Cake by Peter Smith

£399

And finally the top sellers for February are as follows:-

1. Keith Proctor
2. Caroline Shotton
3. Alexander Millar

Congratulations to Keith, what a debut to take top spot by selling more than any other artist - amazing!!

We have a growing list of customers waiting for Keith Proctor Original Oils so if you too would like to be added to the list then please feel free to contact us!!

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!

November Already!!

I cannot believe we are already into November!! Where did October go?

October was a busy month with Peter Smiths appearance and we are hoping that November will continue at the same pace :-)

Well, whats new this month? The NEW Fine Art Collector is now in the gallery!! It's packed with all the latest work and has some great articles and fabulous new accessories - perfectly in time for Christmas!!

The fantastic new Paul Horton cufflinks and keyrings have now arrived and seem to be leaving just as quick! We are also expecting delivery of the new cufflinks and gifts by the late Govinder Nazran, Simon Claridge and of course the cheeky Drew Darcy!!!

We have also taken delivery of some fantastic Lawrie Williamson original pieces including oils, watercolours and a superb pencil sketch!!

'Pregnant Bitch' by Lawrie Williamson

Original Watercolour

Washington Green have just released 8 fantastic new pieces by four of their top artists! The new release are by Caroline Shotton, Paul Kenton, Paul Horton and Peter Smith, checkout http://www.theacorngallery.co.uk/. These superb items have been released just in time for Christmas!!

Speaking of Christmas The Acorn Gallery are very proud to be hosting the very first visit by Paul Horton on the 10th December between 5-8pm to showcase his new work entitled 'Love Is Life', put the date in your diary and if you would like a complimentary brochure and invite then just ask :-)

Anyway, moving on ... I can now update you with the top sellers for October. They are as follows:-

1. Peter Smith
2. Alexander Millar
3. Paul Horton

Congratulations Peter, you stormed to first spot with ease and we can all see why as your latest releases are superb...

..... And finally, please note that the Gallery will be closed on the 21st & 22nd November as Diane is tackling her Triple Whammy Adrenaline Rush (!) which includes a 250ft zip wire, 250ft indoor parachute jump and an abseil!! This is not likely to be repeated and so I need to be there to capture this crazy moment!!

No doubt I could be pursuaded to post an entry after the event... :-)

It 'Ain't Half Hot Mum!!

It's been a hot one today as I'm sure you know but we seemed to especially feel it in the gallery as we've had a very busy day!

Today we have moved the walls and hung a superb selection of Bob Barker prints and original paintings in readiness for his PAINTING LIVE session on SATURDAY!! That's THIS SATURDAY 4th JULY 2009 between 12-3pm - champagne will be on ice so come on down :-)

Diane and I had a helper today! Our daughter Emily came along to offer a hand. She has now finished school and is awaiting her exam results and so we 'encouraged' her to come along and help get the gallery ready. I have to say she did good but she did moan!!

It really has been too hot today to be having a changeover but needs must. We have therefore swept the floor, dusted everything (you'd never believe the dust that gathers simply from having the door open!!). We've moved the walls and hung nine FANTASTIC pieces!!

The one, single drawback to all of this activity is that there has been absolutely no air circulation at all! We have had the door open, all the windows open and even a fan blowing today to try and get some air moving ... it all failed miserably but we survived!

Emily's payment for her days work was a large waffle cornet with two scoops of mint-choc-chip and caramel ice-cream from The Deli. Bargain price for a days labour I thought!

After putting Emily in a bear hug I managed to get a quick lick before I was shooed away and told by Diane to leave Emily and the ice-cream alone!! According to Emily it was fab!!!

Anyway, moving on ... I can now update you with the top sellers for June. They are as follows:-

1. Govinder Nazran
2. Toni Hargreaves
3. Mike Jackson
4. Caroline Shotton

Posthumous Congratulations go to Govinder and also well done Toni on second!!

We still have lots to do to be ready for Saturday, nibbles to organise, champagne (and ice!) and glasses to collect from Threshers ... I wonder if Bob is a messy painter - perhaps I should have a large plastic sheet on standby :-)

Diane & I look forward to seeing you all on Saturday to see Bob painting live. It's promising to be a lovely afternoon and Bob is a great chap so pop along, enjoy a glass of chilled bubbly (or fresh orange if you prefer) and do some chilling of your own :-)

An Unexpected Visitor!!

I was sitting in the gallery on Friday, busy updating the website when I received an unexpected visitor!! Bob Barker was in the area and couldn't resist popping in to say hello!

We spent the next two hours chatting about his new releases and his techniques. I asked Bob whether he would be happy to come along to the gallery and paint live for us - he said he would be delighted! I will approach Washington Green on Monday about getting him booked in - watch this space for more details - hopefully another champagne event for your diary...

The rest of Saturday was spent finalising the updating of the website with all the images from the ICC event - we are sooo excited about them and can't wait to take delivery!

The pieces that stand out the most (although it is VERY hard to choose!) are the new releases by Peter Smith, Alexander Millar, Caroline Shotton and Jeff Rowland - there are so many great pieces but I know you like me to name names :-)

ON the website homepage any artist whose name has NEW beside it means that they have NEW images released and you should check out their gallery - I would urge you to contact us as soon as possible if there is anything that takes your fancy as the images are strong and we are expecting some images to sell out quickly!

Whilst I write this I can now reveal the top seller for January. Our congratulations go to Alexander Millar. Well done Alex!! Yey!

1. Alexander Millar
2. Govinder Nazran/Peter Smith
3. A J Callan/Paul Kenton

One of the final pieces Govinder worked on before his death was a sculpture called 'Lean on Me'. This is a beautiful two-piece design and has been produced in stunning stainless steel! It is AMAZING!

It is sooo beautiful that they are having trouble photographing it as the curves and the steel reflect everything around - simply stunning and a VERY LOW EDITION so it is imperative if you want this piece to get in early - simply leave us a deposit to secure your sculpture!

As always the new releases will start to arrive in the gallery over the next few weeks so do pop in when you're passing to see what's new - don't be afraid to ask us - we are always happy to answer questions - or simply chat about the new work! We're equally happy to leave you in peace if you prefer :-)

We look forward to seeing you soon!

A Strange Few Days!!

Over the weekend I decided to give another coat of oil to the gallery floor and with the help of my brother in law this was achieved! And if I say so myself I think we did a good job!!

Monday came and the gallery was closed as we were due to go to Birmingham to the ICC to view the new releases by this seasons top artists, including Peter Smith, Alexander Millar, Caroline Shotton, Paul Horton and Bob Barker to name but a few.

Unfortunately we awoke Monday morning to 4 inches of snow and warnings not to travel if your journey wasn't essential! Although the trip was important we weighed up the odds and having looked at all available forecasts Diane decided that our trip to the ICC could wait until Tuesday in the hope of better weather.

Instead I decided to open the gallery and turned up to find myself sticking to the floor which hadn't dried as well as expected due to the very low temperatures!

As the schools were also closed I spent Monday with Diane and the kids! (When I was at school we were there in all weathers and all temperatures - in fact the teachers would make every effort to get there just to make us work!!)

Anyway, Tuesday arrived and surprisingly we awoke to find that the snow had pretty much gone and so off we went to Birmingham, before the weather changed its mind!

We arrived in good time to find the ICC beautifully laid out with all the new work - wow it looked stunning! Usually the place is packed out with artists and fellow gallery owners, however many had not been able to make it or had left early due to the weather! This meant that we almost had the place to ourselves!!

The new work is fantastic (but then we would say that wouldn't we?) but we are sure that when you see it for yourselves you will be impressed! Images have not yet been released for the website to be updated but I am itching to get going with it and you will know as soon as I have done it!

If you are not sure if we have your email address for updates then do please send a quick message asking us to include you - we'd rather have you twice than not at all!

Anyway, today we opened up and found the floor had dried beautifully - it looks as good as new! The smell of oil still lingers a little but it's too cold to have the door open for long to clear it so I am feeling a little light headed!!

As I say it has been a stange few days!!

April Has Sprung

Well March has ended and for the gallery it has been its best month since opening!! So a big thank you to all those customers that bought in March. We have had a mixture of sales from Limited Editions to Originals from traditional to contempary.

Since opening the Gallery our best seller was Alexander Millar, sorry Alex but you have been overtaken by Peter Smith. Well done Peter!!!

Our top 3 sellers are as follows:-

Peter Smith
Alexander Millar
Mackenzie Thorpe

However we have Paul Horton & John Waterhouse tied for 4th spot with Pele, Peter Hildick, Sarah Jane Szikora and Caroline Shotton fighting for 5th spot. It will be interesting to see if the positions change after the release of Alex's new pieces.

On a personal front I do have to wear glasses for reading so I am afraid to say my daughter has disowned me and will not even be in the same room as me when I wear them!!! Good job Diane still loves me and my son still tolerates me just!!!

I am going to make a plea at this point to all those people that stop look in the window and then walk away. I DO NOT BITE, I may look scarey but I am a very nice person honest!!!