'May Contain Nuts' and more...
Monday, November 3, 2008
The First One!!
'What was I nervous about?' all the sleepless nights, pacing the floor and biting my finger nails all for nothing!!
Peter & Jayne arrived early and commented on how good the gallery was looking! They also needed to know where was the best place to get some breakfast!! We pointed them in the direction of some local eateries and off they went (which gave me chance to finish my sausage buttie)!!
By 11.15am Peter & Jayne were back and by 11.30am the gallery started to fill up with people and it stayed like that for the next 5 hours!
It was very busy, what a good job we had hired help in the form of our daughter Emily, who did a magnificient job in topping up glasses and taking photos!
Diane & I were busy introducing Peter to the collectors and looking after customers who had decided to buy - we even had a queue at one point!!
Peter was amazing to listen to, he has a story for every piece! His paintings are based on people he knows and the ups and downs of life. The secrets within the new 'May Contain Nuts' images are amazing and when they are revealed to you it makes you appreciate the talent that Peter has. Some extreme planning and forethought has gone into his work - much of which is only just becoming apparent with this latest tour!
Peter spent time with each collector dedicating their purchases with a fantastic sketch!
As a special thank you for those people who bought a print or an original piece on the day he gave a FREE limited edition print entitled 'Pick Me'! He titled and signed it in the presence of the buyer AND as an added bonus he did a tiny remarque! What a great thank you!!
For those people who didn't come to the gallery to meet Peter you missed out on a great day but don't dispair - availability of his latest work is still good - for the time being at least!
It's Thankyou time ...
Diane & I would like to say a big THANK YOU to all those people who came and enjoyed the day...
...and a huge THANK YOU to Peter and Jayne for giving up their day and making it a great success!
A special THANK YOU to the couple who travelled from Lancashire to be with us - we hope that your 'Notorious' new friend will be much admired!!
By 4.30pm we had chance to chat with Peter. He revealed that The Acorn Gallery is "The First One" to sell an original oil on his new tour!! What an honour!! Yippee!!!
Thank you Peter & Jayne, everyone we have spoken to today has asked us to pass on their thanks for such a great day! They have all said the same, that you are a great couple and it was a pleasure to meet you both!
Roll on 2009 when we will be asking you back for yet more stories and the latest installments on your wonderful impossimals!!
Peter & Jayne arrived early and commented on how good the gallery was looking! They also needed to know where was the best place to get some breakfast!! We pointed them in the direction of some local eateries and off they went (which gave me chance to finish my sausage buttie)!!
By 11.15am Peter & Jayne were back and by 11.30am the gallery started to fill up with people and it stayed like that for the next 5 hours!
It was very busy, what a good job we had hired help in the form of our daughter Emily, who did a magnificient job in topping up glasses and taking photos!
Diane & I were busy introducing Peter to the collectors and looking after customers who had decided to buy - we even had a queue at one point!!
Peter was amazing to listen to, he has a story for every piece! His paintings are based on people he knows and the ups and downs of life. The secrets within the new 'May Contain Nuts' images are amazing and when they are revealed to you it makes you appreciate the talent that Peter has. Some extreme planning and forethought has gone into his work - much of which is only just becoming apparent with this latest tour!
Peter spent time with each collector dedicating their purchases with a fantastic sketch!
As a special thank you for those people who bought a print or an original piece on the day he gave a FREE limited edition print entitled 'Pick Me'! He titled and signed it in the presence of the buyer AND as an added bonus he did a tiny remarque! What a great thank you!!
For those people who didn't come to the gallery to meet Peter you missed out on a great day but don't dispair - availability of his latest work is still good - for the time being at least!
It's Thankyou time ...
Diane & I would like to say a big THANK YOU to all those people who came and enjoyed the day...
...and a huge THANK YOU to Peter and Jayne for giving up their day and making it a great success!
A special THANK YOU to the couple who travelled from Lancashire to be with us - we hope that your 'Notorious' new friend will be much admired!!By 4.30pm we had chance to chat with Peter. He revealed that The Acorn Gallery is "The First One" to sell an original oil on his new tour!! What an honour!! Yippee!!!
Thank you Peter & Jayne, everyone we have spoken to today has asked us to pass on their thanks for such a great day! They have all said the same, that you are a great couple and it was a pleasure to meet you both!
Roll on 2009 when we will be asking you back for yet more stories and the latest installments on your wonderful impossimals!!
Friday, October 31, 2008
Nerves!!
Well the nerves are building. 'May Contain Nuts' is in the gallery and attracting alot of attention! The walls have been moved and the floor has been swept and washed. All pictures have been dusted and I think we are ready!!
Peter Smith will be in the gallery tomorrow between 12-3pm and so in the morning there are only a few last minute jobs left to do... well, I must get out the drinks and nibbles anyway!
I must also try not to wear a groove in the floor with my pacing and try not to bite my finger nails into nothing!! Not that I'm nervous about Peter's appearance but he is in the Top 10 of Washington Greens best selling artists!!
The truth is I am a little (well maybe alot!) nervous as I have known Peter for a while now, firstly as a collector and now as a gallery owner. I want the day to go well as he will be giving up his Saturday to be with us!!
Diane keeps on telling me that it will go well and everything will be fine but in this time of doom and gloom who can say with confidence that people will come?
The truth will be known by noon tomorrow. Will we be ready? Will we be busy? Will it be a success or a failure?
Check back here for the next exciting instalment... - oh no you don't - get down to the gallery tomorrow and see for yourselves :-)
Just to update you on the top sellers for October - I can reveal that Jeff Rowland has taken top spot! Well done Jeff (I'm sure that Jeffs fabulous new tour and visit to the gallery must have had something to do with it!!).
1. Jeff Rowland
2. Alexander Millar
3. Peter Smith, Bob Barker, Paul Horton
With Peter's new tour 'May Contain Nuts' in the gallery then maybe he will be reclaiming the top spot come the end of November...
Peter Smith will be in the gallery tomorrow between 12-3pm and so in the morning there are only a few last minute jobs left to do... well, I must get out the drinks and nibbles anyway!
I must also try not to wear a groove in the floor with my pacing and try not to bite my finger nails into nothing!! Not that I'm nervous about Peter's appearance but he is in the Top 10 of Washington Greens best selling artists!!
The truth is I am a little (well maybe alot!) nervous as I have known Peter for a while now, firstly as a collector and now as a gallery owner. I want the day to go well as he will be giving up his Saturday to be with us!!
Diane keeps on telling me that it will go well and everything will be fine but in this time of doom and gloom who can say with confidence that people will come?
The truth will be known by noon tomorrow. Will we be ready? Will we be busy? Will it be a success or a failure?
Check back here for the next exciting instalment... - oh no you don't - get down to the gallery tomorrow and see for yourselves :-)
Just to update you on the top sellers for October - I can reveal that Jeff Rowland has taken top spot! Well done Jeff (I'm sure that Jeffs fabulous new tour and visit to the gallery must have had something to do with it!!).
1. Jeff Rowland
2. Alexander Millar
3. Peter Smith, Bob Barker, Paul Horton
With Peter's new tour 'May Contain Nuts' in the gallery then maybe he will be reclaiming the top spot come the end of November...
Friday, October 24, 2008
Jeff Rowland Appearance 23rd October 2008
A 'Brief Encounter' it may have been but here are the highlights!
A Brief Encounter
Diane & I spent all day yesterday getting the gallery ready for Jeff Rowlands appearance. We washed the windows, inside and out! We swept and washed the floor, dusted the pictures, moved the walls and took delivery of 17 box's of the new Fine Art Collector magazine!!!
By 4.15pm we were all ready and Michelle, the WG rep arrived, having collected Jeff from the railway station (a very appropriate form of transport don't you agree?).
The kettle was on and we had chance to sit and chat over a cuppa before people started to arrive.
Jeff is a geordie lad and with all geordies he has a great sense of humour and kept us all entertained with his stories of the years before he became an artist!!
Jeff also explained in detail how he created the images to his new tour 'A Brief Encounter' and the techniques used to create the rain in his so atmospheric images!!
Jeff kindly dedicated each piece which was bought on the evening with a beautiful sketch on the backing board - a truly unique thank you to his collectors!
The champagne flowed and the nibbles were nibbled and a good time was had by all!
Once the gallery was empty Jeff kindly signed the back of each remaining piece with 'Best Wishes'!
To those customers who came on such a wet evening - THANK YOU!
To those customers who didn't brave the elements - you missed a good night! A special THANKS to Jon who drove up from Norwich to join us for the occasion!
Diane & I were a little nervous as this was our first official Artist Appearance but we are really pleased that it went well!
To Jeff, the 'Rain Man' himself - many thanks for giving up your evening to meet and greet our customers. To Michelle - a massive thank you for collecting Jeff and for guiding us through our first appearance!
'A Brief Encounter' it may have been Jeff, but next time we see you in the gallery bring your easel, paints and apron cause we will have you painting for us live!!
By 4.15pm we were all ready and Michelle, the WG rep arrived, having collected Jeff from the railway station (a very appropriate form of transport don't you agree?).
The kettle was on and we had chance to sit and chat over a cuppa before people started to arrive.
Jeff is a geordie lad and with all geordies he has a great sense of humour and kept us all entertained with his stories of the years before he became an artist!!
Jeff also explained in detail how he created the images to his new tour 'A Brief Encounter' and the techniques used to create the rain in his so atmospheric images!!
Jeff kindly dedicated each piece which was bought on the evening with a beautiful sketch on the backing board - a truly unique thank you to his collectors!
The champagne flowed and the nibbles were nibbled and a good time was had by all!
Once the gallery was empty Jeff kindly signed the back of each remaining piece with 'Best Wishes'!
To those customers who came on such a wet evening - THANK YOU!
To those customers who didn't brave the elements - you missed a good night! A special THANKS to Jon who drove up from Norwich to join us for the occasion!
Diane & I were a little nervous as this was our first official Artist Appearance but we are really pleased that it went well!
To Jeff, the 'Rain Man' himself - many thanks for giving up your evening to meet and greet our customers. To Michelle - a massive thank you for collecting Jeff and for guiding us through our first appearance!
'A Brief Encounter' it may have been Jeff, but next time we see you in the gallery bring your easel, paints and apron cause we will have you painting for us live!!
Friday, October 17, 2008
Invest in Art!!
Amidst all the doom and gloom about the economy I was pleased to read an article in Yorkshire Life this week that advises that if you have surplus cash or have taken your money out of stocks and shares due to the ups and downs of the stock market then the best place to put your money is in Art & Jewellery!!
As with all things the value of your art may increase but it may also decrease, however if you do your research you may just hit on the next Van Gough,Turner or Constable. I always say to people if you like it and it makes you smile then you will never be disappointed with your decision to buy that unique fantastic original or a very limited edition print. If it goes up in value then thats a bonus.
It has been a quiet two weeks but we are only one week away from Jeff Rowlands appearance and we are busy hanging his new work in preperation for his visit. Jeff's work is going from strength to strength and we have 3 superb original pieces, one oil and two pencil sketches to hang along side his new limited edition prints.
We truly believe that this is Jeff's strongest work todate and hope that you will agree when you see them hung in the gallery. If you would like to come to the appearance on 23rd October between 5-8pm then please contact us for an invite.
Remember Art is the new investment in these times of doom and gloom and we have some stunning pieces for you to invest in!!!
As with all things the value of your art may increase but it may also decrease, however if you do your research you may just hit on the next Van Gough,Turner or Constable. I always say to people if you like it and it makes you smile then you will never be disappointed with your decision to buy that unique fantastic original or a very limited edition print. If it goes up in value then thats a bonus.
It has been a quiet two weeks but we are only one week away from Jeff Rowlands appearance and we are busy hanging his new work in preperation for his visit. Jeff's work is going from strength to strength and we have 3 superb original pieces, one oil and two pencil sketches to hang along side his new limited edition prints.
We truly believe that this is Jeff's strongest work todate and hope that you will agree when you see them hung in the gallery. If you would like to come to the appearance on 23rd October between 5-8pm then please contact us for an invite.
Remember Art is the new investment in these times of doom and gloom and we have some stunning pieces for you to invest in!!!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Excitement Builds!!!!
Well its October!! What a busy last two days of September! We spent all day Monday packing. We shipped out 6 pieces which isn't a lot but it takes some time when you have to build a box as none of the pieces we sent out were of a standard size!!
Yesterday we had a changeover day which is where we put up new stock. It is always typical that when we do a changeover we are busy with customers - unfortunately they don't get to see the gallery at its full potential so apologies to those customers yesterday who saw us in our somewhat disorganised state!
You may have noticed on the website that we have taken down the selection work available from Rolf Harris and Todd White. As a Premier Partner with Washington Green we are no longer permitted to promote artists published by other companies.
Rolf Harris remains very popular and some new pieces were ordered last month and we are hoping that they will arrive very shortly!
In the meantime do please ring the gallery if you are interested and of course if you are passing then we are always happy to talk about the work available.
Just to update you on the top sellers for September - I can reveal that Peter Smith has again stormed to the top of the leader board for the second month in a row! Well done Peter!!
1. Peter Smith
2. Paul Kenton/Bob Dylan
3. John Wilson/Sarah J Szikora
With Peter's new tour 'May Contain Nuts' due out very soon maybe he will make it 3 months in a row!!
Perhaps Jeff Rowland will make a bid for the summit - we will have Jeff in the gallery on 23rd October 2008 between 5-8pm to promote his one man show entitled 'A Brief Encounter'. If you wish to be on the invite list then please contact us.
October promises to be an exciting month and I sit here with great anticipation!!!
Yesterday we had a changeover day which is where we put up new stock. It is always typical that when we do a changeover we are busy with customers - unfortunately they don't get to see the gallery at its full potential so apologies to those customers yesterday who saw us in our somewhat disorganised state!
You may have noticed on the website that we have taken down the selection work available from Rolf Harris and Todd White. As a Premier Partner with Washington Green we are no longer permitted to promote artists published by other companies.
Rolf Harris remains very popular and some new pieces were ordered last month and we are hoping that they will arrive very shortly!
In the meantime do please ring the gallery if you are interested and of course if you are passing then we are always happy to talk about the work available.
Just to update you on the top sellers for September - I can reveal that Peter Smith has again stormed to the top of the leader board for the second month in a row! Well done Peter!!
1. Peter Smith
2. Paul Kenton/Bob Dylan
3. John Wilson/Sarah J Szikora
With Peter's new tour 'May Contain Nuts' due out very soon maybe he will make it 3 months in a row!!
Perhaps Jeff Rowland will make a bid for the summit - we will have Jeff in the gallery on 23rd October 2008 between 5-8pm to promote his one man show entitled 'A Brief Encounter'. If you wish to be on the invite list then please contact us.
October promises to be an exciting month and I sit here with great anticipation!!!
Monday, September 22, 2008
Normal Service !!!!
We are now back to 'normal services' after the closure of the gallery on Saturday due to Diane & I going away to London for the weekend to see 'Jersey Boys'!
'Oh what a Night!'
Wow what can I say? If you get the chance to see this amazing show then you must!! It was fab!! The music was great and kept toes tapping and hands clapping all night long! The show is on at The Prince Edward Theatre in Soho.
We had never been to Soho - what a busy area, plenty of cafes, bars & restaurants for people to people watch... Soho is the centre for the gay community and so I was not surprised to see guys watching guys everywhere we looked - good job I had Diane on my arm!!
There was alot to see in Chinatown! The streets were strung with lanterns and there was a real buzz about the place! The streets were full of great smelling restaurants, food shops and an amazing cake shop!
This being Soho there were also some ... er ... other interesting shops too ;-)
All in all the weather was superb, the show was amazing and the company was second to none! We had a great weekend!
As I write this I am listening to the printer printing my 100th copy of our latest newsletter which will be winging its way to your door very soon.
We are getting very excited as we get ready for the appearance of Jeff Rowland on Thursday 23/10/08 between 5-8pm. Champagne is on order and nibbles will be served!
Jeff is a real character and very entertaining to chat to - he is always happy to answer questions about his work and his inspiration!!
If you haven't given us an address but would like to be included on the guest list for newsletters and gallery events then please email us :-)
Once again I apologise for the closure of the gallery but normal services have now been resumed!!
'Oh what a Night!'
Wow what can I say? If you get the chance to see this amazing show then you must!! It was fab!! The music was great and kept toes tapping and hands clapping all night long! The show is on at The Prince Edward Theatre in Soho.
We had never been to Soho - what a busy area, plenty of cafes, bars & restaurants for people to people watch... Soho is the centre for the gay community and so I was not surprised to see guys watching guys everywhere we looked - good job I had Diane on my arm!!
There was alot to see in Chinatown! The streets were strung with lanterns and there was a real buzz about the place! The streets were full of great smelling restaurants, food shops and an amazing cake shop!
This being Soho there were also some ... er ... other interesting shops too ;-)
All in all the weather was superb, the show was amazing and the company was second to none! We had a great weekend!
As I write this I am listening to the printer printing my 100th copy of our latest newsletter which will be winging its way to your door very soon.
We are getting very excited as we get ready for the appearance of Jeff Rowland on Thursday 23/10/08 between 5-8pm. Champagne is on order and nibbles will be served!
Jeff is a real character and very entertaining to chat to - he is always happy to answer questions about his work and his inspiration!!
If you haven't given us an address but would like to be included on the guest list for newsletters and gallery events then please email us :-)
Once again I apologise for the closure of the gallery but normal services have now been resumed!!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Sorry!!!
Sorry if you tried to contact the Gallery on Monday but we were closed for the day as I had planned a birthday treat for Diane!!
At 7.45am on Monday morning we set off for Reading (via Cobham to deliver a couple of prints to a customer....hope you like them Chris)!!
I had planned to tell Diane that we had a meeting to go to in Reading but she guessed that something was afoot ... she found the bag packed and secreted away in the boot of the car so I had to confess!
All I can say is that Diane has never looked as wonderful as she did today and I know she had a truly fantastic, amazing day that will rank hopefully alongside her wedding day and the birth of our two children!!!
I must take this opportunity to advise that the Gallery will be closed on Saturday 20th September as I am taking Diane away for the weekend to London to see a show.... yes she knows about this one as she got the show tickets in her birthday card!! Again I arranged everything without her knowing... I am getting good at this!!!
Once again I am sorry we have/will be closed but its not every year my gorgeous wife turns 40!!
Normal services will be resumed from the 22nd September!!
At 7.45am on Monday morning we set off for Reading (via Cobham to deliver a couple of prints to a customer....hope you like them Chris)!!
I had planned to tell Diane that we had a meeting to go to in Reading but she guessed that something was afoot ... she found the bag packed and secreted away in the boot of the car so I had to confess!
All I can say is that Diane has never looked as wonderful as she did today and I know she had a truly fantastic, amazing day that will rank hopefully alongside her wedding day and the birth of our two children!!!
I must take this opportunity to advise that the Gallery will be closed on Saturday 20th September as I am taking Diane away for the weekend to London to see a show.... yes she knows about this one as she got the show tickets in her birthday card!! Again I arranged everything without her knowing... I am getting good at this!!!
Once again I am sorry we have/will be closed but its not every year my gorgeous wife turns 40!!
Normal services will be resumed from the 22nd September!!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Exciting Times Ahead!!
Monday 8th September was the day we arrived at the ICC in Birmingham all charged up ready to see the new images from all your favourite Washington Green artists.
However we nearly didn't make it pass the armed police and security staff due to the Cabinet having a meeting in the same building (the first time they have met outside of London in nearly 100 years)!!!
Eventually after scouring many lists access was granted and all I can say is we were NOT disappointed!
The work on display was staggering - so many fabulous pieces and some really stunning collections!
Peter Smith & Jeff Rowland both deserve a huge pat on the back for they each had a large selection of work (8 images and 7 images respectively) and the collections are so strong that they are sure to be incredibly popular! This will be supported by appearances by Peter and Jeff at galleries stocking their work - more exciting news to follow on this front very soon!!
You will all remember the incredible sell-out popularity of Peter Smiths 'Naughty Step' - well we are deligted to announce that there is a follow-up! It is simply fantastic and will pull at your heart strings for sure!
If you are lucky enough to have the 'Naughty Step' then you will certainly want this to complement it ... but if you missed out on 'Naughty Step' then you will want to get in early and avoid disappointment for this piece! It is called 'Do You Come Here Often' and it is a box canvas. It is priced at £575.00 and images will be available very soon - let us know if you are interested, early reservation of this piece is highly reccommended!!
I have to say that all the artists have stepped up their game and the new releases are truly outstanding and I can see no weak pieces at all.
We were also shown new work by Scott Carruthers and Mark Edwards both very interesting.
Mark Edwards is already a well established artist and has had many solo exhibitions. Mark was the illustrator for the Chronicles Of Narnia and helped on the set of the films!!
Exciting times are ahead and we will update the website as soon as we can. If you are interested in any pieces then please contact us at the gallery sooner rather than later!!
However we nearly didn't make it pass the armed police and security staff due to the Cabinet having a meeting in the same building (the first time they have met outside of London in nearly 100 years)!!!
Eventually after scouring many lists access was granted and all I can say is we were NOT disappointed!
The work on display was staggering - so many fabulous pieces and some really stunning collections!
Peter Smith & Jeff Rowland both deserve a huge pat on the back for they each had a large selection of work (8 images and 7 images respectively) and the collections are so strong that they are sure to be incredibly popular! This will be supported by appearances by Peter and Jeff at galleries stocking their work - more exciting news to follow on this front very soon!!
You will all remember the incredible sell-out popularity of Peter Smiths 'Naughty Step' - well we are deligted to announce that there is a follow-up! It is simply fantastic and will pull at your heart strings for sure!
If you are lucky enough to have the 'Naughty Step' then you will certainly want this to complement it ... but if you missed out on 'Naughty Step' then you will want to get in early and avoid disappointment for this piece! It is called 'Do You Come Here Often' and it is a box canvas. It is priced at £575.00 and images will be available very soon - let us know if you are interested, early reservation of this piece is highly reccommended!!
I have to say that all the artists have stepped up their game and the new releases are truly outstanding and I can see no weak pieces at all.
We were also shown new work by Scott Carruthers and Mark Edwards both very interesting.
Mark Edwards is already a well established artist and has had many solo exhibitions. Mark was the illustrator for the Chronicles Of Narnia and helped on the set of the films!!
Exciting times are ahead and we will update the website as soon as we can. If you are interested in any pieces then please contact us at the gallery sooner rather than later!!
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