Recent History and Todays Tomorrows...

Here at The Acorn we like to let you know who's hot and it's come to our attention that we've slipped a little in our reporting! Something to do with having Keith Proctor here last weekend I shouldn't wonder :)

Right then... top sellers for the last two months... Well its hard to ignore the presence of Bob Dylan along with top three constant companions Peter Smith and Alexander Millar... no surprises there you might say but it is nice to see Sarah-Jane Szikora creeping in there too with a couple of old favourites tickling the fancy of a very impressed admirer :)

Hamish Blakely has made a triumphant statement this month too with the sale of three superb original pieces to an offshore collector...

We have also seen fantastic interest in the watercolour work of Mike Jackson (also known for his Quirky Houses) with several originals being sold in recent weeks!

Maureen Crofts is also getting alot of interest for her carefully detailed pencil work.

St Pauls Original Graphite by Maureen Crofts

So, what's hot at the moment you may ask... well Mike Jackson and Hamish Blakely for sure with Keith Proctor also taking an easy romp through the line-up! Since Keith's appearance here on the 15th October we have seen a noted increase in sales of his gorgeous prints of Jack the Lad!

Love Heart by Keith Proctor

And that's it from the newsroom here at Acorn Radio...

Tune in next time for your catch-up on recent history and your insight into todays tomorrows...

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!!



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!

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!!

Keith & Jack Proctor Artist Appearance

We are sooo excited!!

As you know we are looking forward to welcoming Keith Proctor on Saturday 13th November between 12-3pm... but now we are delighted to announce that Keith will be bringing a very special person wth him...

JACK will be coming too :-)

Since Keith was launched in February 2010 he has taken the art world by storm and we are very lucky to secure an appearance as he will only be doing 7 appearances this year!!

The prints of these charming childhood scenes are totally engaging and the market for original oils is very keen! In fact the three pieces we have for this event sold in less than 12 hours!!

So come along and meet Keith and Jack in person! Come and chat about his inspirations and ask Jack what he thinks about being famous!!

Keith Proctor has consistently been in the top three for each month since he was launched here at the Acorn and shows no signs of slowing :-)

It was a forgone conclusion that Peter Smith would take top spot for September and October though as we always have a fabulous time when he is here and we are hoping for the same with Keith.

So, mark the date in your diary and come along and remember Keith, and maybe even Jack, will be signing anything bought on the day!

If you can't make it then ring and reserve your piece and we can have it dedicated in your absence!

We look forward to seeing you then!

Shop Local ...

Shop Local is a phrase which has been banded about for years, probably without a proper understanding of what it actually means!

The local economy depends on local support for the businesses who choose to set up in the area. Passing trade and the tourist pounds obviously make a valuable contribution but the lifeblood of a local business is the local people.

Now, as dramatic as that sounds, it can actually be used for illustration purposes: Money can be seen as the lifeblood of the community, flowing between the businesses, keeping them all pumping and supporting each other... keeping the Community alive!

Once money is spent outside the local economy then it never makes its way back, it seeps away like blood from a wound, slowing the pulse and potentially leading to the death of the local economy.

Now this black picture seems very dramatic but it is the chain of thought that goes through the minds of local businesses everywhere.

We look to support local economy whether it is here in Pocklington or away on Holiday in Scotland. We know that our choices will have a direct effect on the local community and it makes us feel good to know that we are doing all we can to support them.

Business in Pocklington has been tough this year however we are looking onwards and upwards to the Autumn Fair in early September where we will see all the latest work by your favourite artists!

We know you like to know everything as soon as we do so we'll be sure to get a newsletter out promptly telling you everything you need to know :-)

It won't be long before Peter Smith makes a welcome return to The Acorn Gallery! This will be Peters third visit here and although we will be sending out invitations nearer the time, we'd be delighted if you would pencil us in for Saturday 2nd October from 12-3pm :-)

We've not got around to telling you about the top sellers for the last two months so we've combined them together to show you the Top Summer Sellers:

1st Place ... Storeyteller Paul Horton
2nd Place ... Impossimalist Peter Smith
3rd Place ... The delicious Sarah Graham

So, watch out for the newsletter and look out for our new adverts in the Yorkshire Ridings Magazine, the regions fastest growing, paid for, quality magazine!

Oh and by the way... Think Local!
Thankyou :-)

Its June!!!

Wow, its June already, what a busy month this is going to be!!

Diane sets off on Friday 11th June from York to cycle 250 miles to Amsterdam and back for Marie Curie Cancer Care.

She is hoping to help raise £30,000! Diane is not cycling this distance on her own, she is cycling with another 59 ladies and will be back in York on Tuesday 15th June, very tired but very pleased with herself.

If you would like to make a donation to her charity ride then you can pop in to the gallery and leave a contribution, every little helps :-). Alternatively you can donate online using this link to their just giving page http://www.justgiving.com/amsterdame10 please quote Acorn Gallery in the message box! The gallery will be late opening on Friday as I will be waving her off :-(

The town of Pocklington is awash with Red and White flags and bunting in the shop windows ready for the start of the World Cup!!

COME ON ENGLAND!!

In keeping with the spirit of the game we have a few specially selected pieces in our NEW World Cup Gallery on line at http://www.theacorngallery.co.uk/

Also this month there is Fathers Day on Sunday 20th June and we have some fabulous gifts starting at just £35.00! Excellant value on superb business card holder, cufflinks and bottle stopper! Order online for fast delivery!

The latest release of work from Bob Dylan was held on Saturday 22nd May and was very well received with almost half the collection selling on the first day!! We do still have some pieces left but for how long who knows!!

Our top sellers for May are as follows:-

1. Bob Dylan
2. Keith Proctor
3. Drew Darcy

As you can see Keith has been knocked off top spot however without Dylan he would have been the top seller for the 4th month in a row - a first for us!!

We have just started a very special event for gallery visitors only... a few specially chosen items are available at a very special price but only for customers who purchase in store :-)

So, come along to Pocklington this weekend and BAG YOURSELF A BARGAIN!

Bob Dylan - Go on Ask Me!!

So, back to news in the gallery and we can let you know that the top sellers for April were:

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

Congratulations to Keith - that's the third month in a row that he has been our top seller! Can he maintain this run or will what I am about to tell you change everything...?

The Drawn Blank Series 2010 by Bob Dylan

World wide launch 22nd May at 10am!!

We still have a few 2008/2009 Brochures available - please ask for details!

The continued interest is this superb body of work is unprecedented and already we are getting interest from around the world!

Once again each image is limited to a selective 295 worldwide and each individual graphic is personally hand signed by the man himself, Bob Dylan!

More information and images from this very special release will be available soon and if you are registered as interested then we will make a point of telling you first! So, don't be shy, let us have your name and email address and we'll keep you bang up to date!

Once the images are released early reservation will be essential so if you are familiar with the collection so far and are waiting for a particular piece - then let us know - this could be your lucky day!!

Spring Into Summer

The Acorn Gallery are delighted to present to you our ‘Spring into Summer’ range which features twelve brand new pieces available from May.

Paul Corfield takes us into his wonderful imaginary world away from the stresses of everyday life with his three new pieces.

Days By The Riverside by Paul Corfield

Paul Kenton exhilarates us with the hustle and bustle of his fast paced cityscapes of London and New York.

City Reflections by Paul Kenton

Paul Horton revisits his much in demand seaside scenes, as well as his ever popular street scenes.

Where My Heart Belongs by Paul Horton

Keith Proctor – a new artist to our portfolio earlier this year – brings us four endearing and charming pieces that bring a little bit of childhood nostalgia into our lives.

For the very first time Keith’s work  has been released in sculptural form with this fabulous hand painted resin sculpture entitled Yee-haa! which is a perfect compliment to his limited edition print of the same name.

Yee-Haa!! Sculpture by Keith Proctor

So why not head to The Acorn Gallery for artwork that is sure to brighten up your home this summer!

Coming Soon ... to a Gallery Near You!

We have just received our gallery copy of the NEW Fine Art Collector Magazine!
It looks fantastic and features the superb work of Keith Proctor on the front!!

There is an excellant article about the man himself and some super write-ups on fellow artists John D. Wilson and new artist Joanne Panayi.

See what is SEXY and SASSY!

Learn what part of the world has a special place saved in the heart of Hamish Blakely...

Learn how you can help Alexander Millar and Jeff Rowland to support

BIRMINGHAM CHILDRENS HOSPITAL!

This issue has some truly powerful pieces and we are sure you'll want to get your hands on it fast! So, as long as you are on our database then we'll be posting your copy out as soon as the boxes arrive on our mat!

  

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!!

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!