Diane and John go to Copenhagen... (Bob Dylan 'The Brazil Collection')

Well the day dawned crisp and clear with blue skies and we were looking forward to our flight! We checked in at Manchester for our early flight and went to find breakfast...

All was calm and clear despite snow and freezing conditions, gritters were out on the runways and planes were taking off and landing at regular intervals... until it was time for us that is! A two hour delay (ironically caused by fog in Amsterdam that morning!) meant a little longer in the airport lounge than expected! Never mind... small price to pay and we hadn't flown for years so it was a treat simply being there... :-)

Eventually we boarded and the flight took off - what fun! We could see the ocean laid out far below us and the deep blue skies stretching away into the distance beyond the curve of the earth...

The flight was smooth and scenic and as we flew into Copenhagen we came in low over a forest of Christmas Trees... all thickly decorated with fresh white snow... beautiful!

So, we made a safe landing and quickly caught a taxi to our accommodation - a fabulous rooftop apartment decorated with a comfortable mix of boho chique and having a snow covered balcony... we'd step out later with our bare feet - just for the hell of it ;-)

We had planned to visit the National Gallery first thing the next morning and were amused by the still falling snow and its ever increasing depth on the balcony... would we even get there?

The bus-stop was only a short walk around the corner and we bought a ten-trip click-strip from the seven-eleven (do you like how we got the lingo there?)...

A standing-room only trip into town and we took a walk along the snow-lined streets glancing down the festive decorated walking-streets, resolving to explore those afterwards!

Soon the National Gallery came into sight, adorned with a huge banner advertising the work of Bob Dylan - he even got bigger billing than Picasso!!

The building was very grand and the entrance led into a huge open space with a magnificent high ceiling and which echoed with a revered silence... We carefully wiped our feet on the large mat and walked over to the desk, feeling guilty about the wet footprints we left as snow still dripped from our boots...

We bought our tickets at the desk and were told that we had to leave coats, cameras and bags in the cloakroom downstairs, so that's where we headed first...

Duly offloaded we followed the signs, huge banners hung from the ceilings and the balustrades... they were obviously very pleased to be housing the collection...

Upstairs along the marble lined hallways we found the double doors leading into the room where the paintings themselves hung... a custodian sat by the door nodded quietly in greeting as we went in...

The room itself was warm with a wooden floor and walls which curved away in waves... Wooden benches were placed along the middle for those who wished to sit and admire...

The paintings immediately catch the eye as being very colourful and varied and the first to catch my attention was entitled 'Bahia'. It shows an evening scene in a small town looking across a street from a high vantage point, maybe a window or balcony. The sky is midnight blue with a church outlined against it and the only characters shown are a streetsweeper, an old man with his walking stick and a scantily dressed woman in a doorway... a single car drives by... I love the deep blue and the dark browns and blacks in this piece and wonder if that really is a Christmas Tree in the pot on the corner of the street... it's vibrant green and yellow lights standing out in the darkness...

'Wagon Master' is an agricultural scene showing cattle pulling a hay cart and its honest 'rough and ready' hand has none of the old world charm of the likes of Constable... the honest true life style of Bob Dylan tells it just like it is!

There is a scene of workers hand-picking grapes in a vineyard, they have stopped work and stare at the viewer, almost as if you have interrupted them...

There are a few mafia-like paintings showing brawls and nightclub scenes... always leading the eye to a particular character where Dylan wants you to linger and ponder their situation...

There are huge wooden benners at intervals annotated with expressions from the man himself... words of wisdom about his life and his work...

One of the quotes accompanying the Brazil Collection

(more quotes to follow over the next few days...)

Overall the collection is stunning and Bob Dylans honest, true to life, paint-it-as-you-see-it style gives every piece its own individual character, a feeling that doesn;t always leave you when you turn away...

The Brazil Collection is available to view at The National Gallery of Denmark in Copenhagen until the end of January... well worth the trip!

Where Have All the Sunflowers Gone...?

Sunflowers by Bob Dylan was one of the most popular images from the 2009 Drawn Blank Series and a different portrayal of the image has been included in this years Drawn Blank release!

In keeping with the 'Drawn Blank' ideal, the use of colour to change the feel of the piece has proven that the popularity of the image remains constant!

We are one of a few galleries to still have this image available as a single item (ie, not part of a set) and so don't miss out if this is one of your favourites!

Other items from this years Drawn Blank Series are still available - click on the title of this blog entry to see the work for yourself!

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!!

I Want to Ride my Bicycle...

Diane and I spent Sunday on our bikes taking part in the Great Selby Bike ride, cycling a total of 50.4 miles!!

Great Selby Bike Ride - Over 1000 people took part this year!

It was a brilliant day and good training for Dianes charity cycle ride next month to Amsterdam! If you would like to sponsor Diane then please contact us with your pledge or pop in and leave her a donation. Or you can click on the title of this entry to donate through JustGiving!

Diane's enthusiasm for this fantastic event is such that she even has me considering signing up for next year - it'll have to be the guys ride though - I don't think they'd let me ride with the ladies ;-)

Stopping halfway for a well earned break :-)

Dylan 2009!!

Friday 24th July - Diane & I stayed later than usual in order to move the gallery around and hang the Bob Dylan signed graphics! We got stuck in with great gusto, taking down framed pieces for storage before hanging and unveiling the new Dylans!

Saturday 25th July - Diane & I arrived at the gallery early and shut ourselves in, we even put the shutters down! We still had bits and pieces of paperwork to do in readiness for the launch. At precisely 10am we put the shutter up, hoping to see at least a few people waiting to come in but the street seemed no busier than usual.



By 10.30am however we were well underway with enquiries starting to come in via email and the telephone! People calling into the gallery were keen to discuss this latest collection and compare it to the debut pieces from 2008 - their verdict? Most people agreed that this is an even stronger collection than last year!

We did manage a cuppa about midday - something we didn't get at all last year!

Over the day we had fans of all ages coming in to see and many had been with him 'man and boy'! Before we knew it it was 4pm and the gallery had another quiet spell so we took the chance again to put the kettle on!

By 5.30pm on launch day we had sold a total of 12 images, with sales as far away as the USA! Our decison to be in on the 2009 Dylan launch had paid off! Sales for the day were fantastic!

So, now we have only four Dylan pieces left and we think that even they will be soon gone! 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 came along and especially to those who bought!

Will there be any more Dylan prints in the future - we hope so because there will be alot of disappointed people out there if not!!

25th July 2009 10am!!

Saturday 25th July - 'mark it in your diary!' This is the launch date for the eagerly awaited 2nd release from The Drawn Blank Series by Bob Dylan.

There are only eight images being released all images are HAND SIGNED limited edition graphics and we are expecting the media interest in this to be huge!

Those who wish to receive an invitation to this event can contact us either by telephone 01759 307652 or email:- info@theacorngallery.co.uk

We can see already that interest in these new images is such that early contact is essential if you are keen to reserve a piece from this release.

Do not miss out on the chance to own a fabulous piece of art from this iconic music legend!!

Bob Dylan The Drawn Blank Series

I must apologise for the closure of the gallery on Monday this week.

We closed because we were in Birmingham at the ICC for the trade launch of Bob Dylan's much anticipated hand signed limited edition graphic prints from The Drawn Blank Series.

Before I mention Dylan we called in to the Head Office of Washington Green to collect a Nadeem original and had the chance to browse through all the originals that they have. I was like a kid in a sweetie shop, so much to choose from - I eventually chose two new Philip Stuttards - all I will say is ... fishing and conkers (but not together) - I hope you like them - I think they're cracking!!

Whilst there we bumped into Mark Spain who was dropping of some of his originals and saw the man himself - Glynn Washington - with whom we were able to have a chat later that day. He is very excited about the Bob Dylan launch and truly believes that this is the start of something very special!

Well, Diane & I had lunch and made our way to the ICC where we had a champagne reception (orange juice for me as I don't drink!!). Had a chat with some friends who were there who also have a gallery and then we were ushered into the room where we sat spellbound for 3 hours listening to the story of how this collection came about.

At the end of the presentation we were ushered down to The Halcyon Gallery in the ICC to see the images in the flesh - wow, we were blown away with them! What a collection - some favourites it must be said but something for everyone!

We both looked at each other and realised that we needed to top-up our order as this has the potential to be the biggest thing to hit the art world in years.

The amount of worldwide press attention focused on this will be huge and we wanted to put The Acorn Gallery and Pocklington not just on the map but on the world map!!!

As I write this we are one week away from the launch date 14th June and excitement is building...

...we have sent out over 200 invites and if you haven't got one and you would like one then please pop in, ring or email us.

Our Dylan campaign on Google is receiving massive hits and we have a list as long as my arm of people who have expressed an interest in this superb body of work.

This truly is a rare chance to own a superb piece of art by one of the worlds most iconic singer-songwriters - a legend in fact and to have it hand signed by Bob makes it even rarer!

We have had people from all over the UK ringing us to be a part of this - if you haven't yet done so then do please register your interest - even a £10.00 brochure could prove to be a collectors item!!