Proctormaniacs Rule!!

Saturday 13th November 2010 was a day we had been waiting for...

For a long time we had been watching the blog of a man who painted his son, Jack. The paintings were quite charming and showed a certain understanding of small boys and their delight in the big wide world...

We asked the man if we could take some of his paintings for display in The Acorn Gallery but he explained that he had been signed by a publisher and so we couldn't take anything... the publisher was Washington Green and the man was Keith Proctor...  

In February 2010 when his work was published for the first time we were very excited and delighted to see it receive such a positive reaction! His pieces have sold consistently well since then and we were delighted to be offered one of only seven appearances he would be doing this year!

As the marketing was done the excitement was building and when the day dawned we had only to watch and wait... Keith arrived promptly with his wife, Deb, and of course Jack!

We had one of each image framed on the wall along with the three stunning originals, two of which had sold in advance of the day! The third had been reserved but became available again only to be sold to the first lady through the door that morning :-) She was delighted at her prompt attendance and good fortune - fate had a hand there we think :-)

That first sale paved the way and many more followed... print after print after print sold from off the wall (it's a good job we'd had the foresight to frame multiples of each image!).

Keith was chatting and laughing with the customers as he signed and dedicated his way through the backing boards, signing the odd invitation along the way...

The gallery went through stages of being packed to capacity and taking a breather, thankfully allowing us to catch up on wrapping and packing ready for those people who had gone off to explore Pocklington and were calling back later :-) 

It's always nice to enhoy a glass of something bubbly whilst having a look at the artwork!

 Keith was happy to pose for photographs with customers!

We believe that no piece left the gallery without a signed dedication on the back!

Jack was a complete star all day, chatting with people and signing his name on invitations... he even did a few pieces of artwork of his own, most notably this magnificent pirate ship...although they were all scereted away home with him at the end of the day - well apart from one, which he kindly left for our 'Priceless' gallery!

So, thankyou to Keith, Deb and Jack for joining us and thankyou to all of you who came along to join in with this phenomenon!!

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!!

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!