The Wonder of It All!

After 12 long years as a published artist Alexander Millar has taken the next step and is now totally independent!

Having taken back the reins Alex now has total control over his work 

and as such we are delighted to welcome him back to The Acorn Gallery!

Having complete control over his work has given Alex the freedom to release 'Wheee!' 

taken from his best loved and most collectable print.

This piece now available as a beautiful bronze sculpture!

The superb NEW Collection also comprises of 

7 superb colour limited edition prints

and

4 timeless sketches!

 

     

   

      

      

The Wonder of it All!

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

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!

Alexanders Angel...

We have just taken delivery of the brand-new Alexander Miller sculpture entitled 'The Angel'... 


This iconic piece is simply stunning and shows the much loved gadgie at his best! Nobody can ignore the link to the artists own background as a window cleaner and knowing this you can't help but see this piece as the cornerstone to any collection and it will certainly be an item of pride in years to come!


Of course the obvious link is to Anthony Gormley and his famous 'Angel of the North' but Alexander Miller's gadgie, with his good nature and his heart of gold, has captured our hearts and he is, in his own way, 'The Angel' of the North...

'The Angel' by Alexander Millar

Limited Edition of 150

£495

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!

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 - NEW Exhibition Website!

Alexander Millar has now launched his BRAND NEW WEBSITE in connection with the forthcoming Working Man Exhibition!

Lots of news and a competition too!
Check out this link: http://www.working-man.co.uk/

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!

Elephant Parade London 2010

At The Acorn Gallery we have been following this fantastic cause on Facebook and took a keener interest when we found out that Alexander Millar, Jeff Rowland, John D Wilson, Louise Dear, Paul Kenton and Peter Smith had been asked to take part.

WHAT?
The Elephant Parade was the largest outdoor art exhibition, displaying 258 life sized baby elephant sculptures, in locations all over the city of London. Created to support leading charity Elephant Family, each elephant is a unique piece of art hand painted by renowned artists and designers.

WHY?
With an estimated audience of 25 million, the campaign aimed to raise over £1 million for the endangered Asian elephant. It was an innovative fundraising and awareness campaign that shone a multi-coloured spotlight on the urgent crisis faced by the endangered Asian elephant. Elephant Parade’s mission is to become the world’s largest financial support organisation for elephants saving the Asian elephant from extinction in the wild.

AUCTION
After going on display in London, a select number of elephants were auctioned by Sothebys at a glittering event on Wednesday 30 June. The remainder were auctioned online and in a public event on Saturday 3rd July in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea.

We can now update you as to the amounts raised by our own Washington Green artists:-

Lover by Jeff Rowland £26,000

Iconic London by Paul Kenton £21,000

Tinkle by Louise Dear £18,000

Impossiphant by Peter Smith £13,001

Young At Art by John D Wilson £12,250

Nana by Alexander Millar £5,530

So, the 6 pieces donated by our artists raised an amazing total of £95,781 for a very worthwhile cause.

Congratulations to all the artists from Washington Green and we would just like to say WOW to the fantastic price paid for Jeff Rowlands elephant!!

Lover by Jeff Rowland

We are pleased to advise you that the sale of all the elephants at auction raised a total of £4,148,675 which far surpassed the target of £1 million which they were hoping to raise!

Long live the Asian elephant!

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!!

Originals Exhibition

The Acorn Gallery is having an exhibition and YOU'RE INVITED!

We'll have ORIGINAL Work by several of your favourite artists including Alexander Millar, Peter Smith, Phil George, Toni Hargreaves, Wendy Corbett.

We have been lucky enough to secure two very special original paintings by Kevin Day - see image below!

Theatre Dreams I by Kevin Day

The work will be available to view from Saturday 17th April and as a special offer we will be offering 10% off the price of any original in the show and bought between the exhibition dates!

Diane & I look forward to seeing you in the gallery so join us for a browse and a chat :-)

Just out of interest we'd like to update you with the top sellers for March!

1. Keith Proctor

2. Paul Horton

3. Alexander Millar

Congratulations to Keith for being top seller for the second month in a row! Woop! Woop! We must advise that 'It's A Man Thing' has now officially sold out and the other pieces have reached low availability so do say so quickly if you wish to reserve one :-)

We look forward to seeing you on Saturday!!

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!!

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 :-)

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!

Happy New Year !!

It's the start of a new year for The Acorn Gallery and we are kick starting it with our January Sale!

We have over 40 pieces in the sale including a few stunning originals at unbelievable prices. These prices are temporarily reduced so this is your chance to aquire a stunning piece of art for less than you would expect!

December was a good month and the top sellers are as follows:

1. Paul Horton
2. Peter Smith
3. Caroline Shotton

'Paul Horton Mania' is still in evidence as he beat his fellow artists with ease!! Well done Paul No. 1 for a second month in a row!

I can also reveal the overall top sellers for the gallery in 2009 are as follows:

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

It was a one horse race, Peter Smith romped to the overall top seller slot with Paul Horton coming out of nowhere to push Alex into 3rd spot!! Congratulations Peter - you have retained your 2008 title as top seller at The Acorn Gallery!!

Diane and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our customers for your continued support and we would like to wish you all a very Happy & Prosperous 2010!

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... :-)

Art on all levels...

Last night Diane & I closed the gallery a bit earlier than normal as we were going up to Gateshead to The Sage building to support Kevin Day one of our artists who was exhibiting at The Gateshead Art Fair 2009.

The Sage is an amazing place to look at from the outside. Unfortunately by the time we got there it was too dark to take any photos!!

Once inside the building it was full of art and people. Free drinks were available on arrival however we did not participate instead we elbowed our way through the crowds to search for Kevin.

We eventually found him upstairs on one of the balcony wings and as you can see from the photo below he had a good crowd standing and looking at his new work!!

We managed to grab Kevin & Nicki for a few words and Kevin said that he had already sold 4 pieces and that there was lots of positive comments and great feedback.

Diane & I then had a look at the new work and have pencilled in about half a dozen that we would like to see in the Acorn Gallery if Kevin doesn't sell them at the fair!!

After saying our goodbyes we had a wander round and found the following sculpture:-

These sculptures were made from scrap metal and were amazing to look at. The detail on them was outstanding. The company who made these are called Metalic Creations and we were reliably informed by Tony that they are hoping to do a sculpture of the STIG from Top Gear and also hopefully create sculptures of athletes for the 2012 Olympics!!

As we were heading towards the exit we bumped into Alexander Millar who lives nearby and decided to pop in and see what his former apprentice Kevin Day is up to!!

We had a good chat and left him to speak to other people who were waiting. As we left Alex we spotted Jeff Rowland so stopped and had a chat with Jeff. Jeff is currently unwell and it was nice to see him up and about, however he is not yet up to full strength to get back to the easel so we will be waiting a while for any new work! Take it easy Jeff!

Diane and I also managed to speak to Phil George who is an artist we are keen to showcase in the gallery and whose work we have been watching for a while. We will let you know if anything develops on that front.

Well what can I say? What a fantastic night, hob-nobbing with the top artists from Washington Green, seeing Kevin so busy with lots of people keen to get hold of his superb work and having the chance to see so much art on all levels!!!

October? Are you sure???

Well so much for September? Where did it go? I swear the days are just flying by!

Just to keep you up to date the TOP 3 for last month are:

1.Alexander Millar
2.Bob Dylan
3.Peter Smith

Congratulations to Alex, as included in these stats is the sale of a fantastic original!! Numbers were very close but it will be interesting to see how that changes this month!

So, it's October already and appropriately enough we have a stunning new original entitled 'Tangled (October)' to show you!



Lawrie Williamson is the artist and we have a really good feeling about this guy! This piece is very impressive and if you have chance you really should come in for a look! We have a couple of prints in the same style too!

Now that it is October we are only 10 days away from Peter Smiths exclusive appearance! His new images are really causing a stir and the advance interest has really been something!

We have even sold TWO originals in the space of a week so you can tell that he is just RED HOT just now!

Do remember that this appearance is not part of a tour and is especially for us! You all made him feel so very welcome last year that he is genuinely looking forward to coming back :-)

See you on the 10th between 12-3pm...