A Snowy Surprise...

Yesterday evening we had an appointment at Mackenzie Thorpe's Gallery in Richmond to collect some work for our new display having recently been approved as a Mackenzie Thorpe Partnership gallery.

Wendy as usual was a complete oracle of information about Mackenzie and his work and everything we were expecting was ready and waiting for collection... but not before she invited us to join her in a cup of coffee and some tales of adventure.

By the time we left we had acquired another print and a gorgeous bronze sculpture! You know when you just close you eyes and wish... well it happened! 'Grandads Little Finger' was coming home to the Acorn...

'Grandad's Little Finger' in bronze by Mackenzie Thorpe

To our surprise Wendy had also planned on including an original for our display and to our total delight the piece she had in mind was one which we had admired on our last visit!

Entitled 'Snowy Tops' this magnificent pastel work has bold but simple colours and a strong message that even in deepest winter when the snow falls and the leaves are gone, the Shepherd will always take care of his flock. 

Of course the Shepherd and his sheep are not only a literal representation they also make a symbolic reference to the family and those in all places who take care of others...

'Snowy Tops' by Mackenzie Thorpe

Mackenzie's use of warm gold colours in stark contrast to the cold you know there must be, reminds us of the force of nature and yet in the strong and calm presence of the shepherd we feel comforted and safe.

My heart sang as we took a steady drive home although I'm sure the car was a little heavy on its axles!

Never too young to start with art...

This week a new family found The Acorn Gallery and we have met one of our youngest ever customers.

Harriette is just 10years old and had been in the gallery last weekend with her parents. Whilst here she saw, and fell in love with 'Thumpers in Jumpers' by Peter Smith.

We understand that Harriette was so smitten with this print that she spent the weekend talking about it and making drawings and even a model! Finally the question came up 'Can I buy it?'. 

Now Harriette is the kind of girl who looks after her money carefully and is not prone to rash decisions! So, her parents replied that she could if she had enough. Harriette checked her savings and breathed a sigh of relief - she had just enough!

So Harriette withdrew her savings and Mum rang us to reserve the print, advising that they would call after school to collect it. Of course even the receipt would have Harriette's name on it.

And so it was that 10 year old Harriette collected and paid for her very first piece of art!

We have today received an e-mail to thank us for giving Harriette such a 'wonderful experience'! 

The print now hangs proudly in her bedroom and even the wall had a fresh coat of paint to make sure that everything was perfect! Congratulations Harriette :)

Prince Charming...

Just collected Toni Hargreaves 'Prince Charming' from the framers! Doesn't he look fantastic? Toni found this young Simmental bull at one of the big agricultural shows and doesn't he suit his name!

'Prince Charming' by Toni Hargreaves £299 Framed

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!

Happy New Year!

Let me start the first blog of 2013 by wishing you all a Happy New Year and sending a big THANK YOU for your continued support. 2012 was a year of discovery for the Acorn, looking at what we do and how we do it and what you like and whether we tick your boxes... thankyou for your votes of confidence :)

Last year we introduced even more independant artists including Sarah Louise Ewing, Louise Rawlings and Kerry Darlington. We held the UK's first ever one man exhibition by Andrei Protsouk who is widely regarded as a genius in the making!

'Olympic Tango' by Andrei Protsouk

A celebration of 2012

We also showcased work by Louise Rawlings who works with household emulsion! Her beautiful pieces are perfect for kitchens and landings and all rooms Farrow and Ball!

'Alfie on the Beach' by Louise Rawlings

Another of our new names is artist Sarah Louise Ewing whose jewel colours and gold leaf artistry has caught many an eye! Each new colour has found new appeal and you seem to like buying them in pairs!

'New Beginnings' by Sarah Louise Ewing

Kerry Darlington joined us here at The Acorn in August and her stunning original work has found new homes all across England! Kerry has just launched an amazing series of limited edition prints, of breathtaking quality, all of which have been very well received! 'Ophelia' is our favourite - we have sold three in a month!

'Ophelia' by Kerry Darlington

One of the highlights of our year was being asked to be the EXCLUSIVE stockist of limited edition prints by the fabulous Toni Hargreaves. Toni is renowned for her cow paintings, usually working on commissions of individual animals. Now, Toni has responded to requests for prints by producing three beautiful pieces available on boxed canvas or on paper.

'Broad Maud' by Toni Hargreaves

We are also pleased to be working with the very talented Paul Oz, explosive portrait artist of household celebrities and favourite characters. Pauls work spans many subjects but closely follows the world of sport and especially Formula 1. His amazing work hangs on many famous walls and his recent portrait of Bradley Wiggins was also bought by the man himself!

'Bradley Wiggins' by Paul Oz 

(Commissions Available)

Diane and I are currently planning the year ahead and hope to build on 2012 and bring you even more of what you love :) If there is anything you would love to see here at The Acorn then comment below or email us... We'd love to hear from you :)

Northern Soul and Southern Generosity...

It's always good to hear about the restoration of historic buildings but York’s De Grey Rooms sounds like the perfect venue for an upcoming Northern Soul all day event which aims not only to bring this amazing building back to life, but which also aims to raise a substantial amount for local charity, York House Ventures.

The charity is based in Heslington and does valuable work helping people with acquired brain injury, often from accidents or strokes and helping them in their everyday lives.

The building itself has now been restored to its former glory; a lavish Victorian ballroom dating back to the 1830s with a magnificent wall to wall, sprung wooden dance floor. This will be a coming together of an incredible line-up of Northern Soul DJ's from all over the UK all of whom will be playing original vinyl and representing legendary Northern Soul Venues!

Upon hearing of this retro musical extravaganza and their fundraising expectations we instantly thought of artist Mike Jackson who loves to paint mods on their scooters and spoke to him about the possibility of him donating something from this collection to help raise funds for the charity.

Without hesitation Mike said yes and he has painted an original watercolour aptly titled ‘There Was A Time’, to be donated to the auction to be held at the Northern Soul event on New Year's Day. Mike says that he hopes the auction goes well and that the event is a roaring success.

Mike Jackson is no newcomer to charitable donations having also donated work earlier in the year to raise funds for the RNLI when Diane did her Humber Bridge abseil.

Mike is always the first to jump in with an offer to help for anything charitable. He is a star! 

The opportunity for fans of sixties and seventies soul music to dust off their polished leather-soled shoes and dance from 2pm until midnight is proving popular!

If your New Years wish is to dance the night away then tickets are just £11 each and are available via PayPal CLICK HERE OR Contact Jason Chinnian on 07884 367177

A Genius in the Making...

The indifferent iron skies of Donetsk, Ukraine are more likely to produce championship boxers than fine artists, but Andrei Protsouk can take something from the reference.

Knockout

“They both require intense dedication and great strength. In boxing, a knockout can be a thing of beauty, and so is the feeling of having made a great painting,” Andrei says.

Walking and Talking

With his wife and son, he moved to the United States in 1994 where he was able to meld the discipline and training of the great Russian academies with the wild freedom of expression infusing American culture. Andrei found America strange, but welcoming. A question often asked of Russian émigré artists is how their work was changed by moving to their adopted country.

“It was like surfing....like riding the waves of the post-glasnost era. I wasn't expecting such a warm welcome!" says Andrei.

Our exhibition of original work and limited edition prints 
ends this weekend! 

Don't miss out on the chance to see this incredible work!

Skyfall needs no windfall...

One of the most iconic movie legends of all time has to be James Bond. The James Bond legacy has been going for decades and is still just as strong today. Generations of people have enjoyed the movies both as children and as adults.

Here at The Acorn Gallery we are delighted to bring you a very special James Bond Collectable item which we feel you will agree will be treasured for years to come!

This superb limited edition print is by the very talented Nicholas Smith and shows the Aston Martin DB5 which was once voted the 'most treasured object' from the Bond series.

Included in this fantastic offer is a 1:36 scale replica of the official Skyfall movie car produced by world famous model makers, CORGI.

This piece is ideally timed as the Bond legacy commemorates its golden anniversary and to add even more oomph to this unique combination the number plate on the car will be personalised for you free of charge if you order before 15 November!

You can choose up to 3 letters and 2 numbers to personalise this amazing car with the plate of your choice. If you can't make up your mind then why not use the original Bond plate BMT 216A.

This fantastic piece is collectable in its own right and will make a fantastic addition to any study or stairway and is available for the fantastic price of just £195.

Order yours today and it will be with you in plenty of time for Christmas - the perfect gift for any enthusiast!

Ring us today on 01759 307652

An Art Explosion!

Last night we hot-footed it over to Manchester at the personal invitation of explosive portrait artist Paul Oz.

Paul was holding his latest exhibition at Generation Gallery and as we are hoping to have some of Paul's work here at The Acorn he issued an invitation to join him!

When you see his work up close you realise why he styles himself as 'explosive'.

'Mr Bean'

The Paul Oz style involves massive quantities of paint on impressive sized canvases applied in such a carefully thought out slapdash manner that upon close inspection you would wonder how anything could take shape... however when you take a step back the colours and the shapes meld together to reveal some of the strongest portrait work you will ever see!

Paul specialises in celebrity, people whose characters have become an iconic part of our world, interwoven with our memories. People of sport, of music and of television. People who, without trying, have become a part of our lives.

Of the 18 canvases that were displayed last night there were characters as wide-ranging as Ed Sheeran, Spock and Captain Kirk, Luke Skywalker, Lewis Hamilton, the legendary Muhammad Ali and long-time childrens favourite Miss Chatterbox!

'Spock' 

As a massive Formula 1 fan, Paul finds that these personalities feature regularly and indeed one piece which caused alot of attention last night featured Nigel Mansell and Ayrton Senna capturing the moment when Mansell picked up Senna at the side of the track and carried him on the wings of his car back to the pit at the end of the race. An iconic moment which many fans will remember...

'Senna and Mansell'

Whenever possible Paul likes to gain the approval of the celebrities he paints and will usually make a point of contacting them for signature or other endorsement. The painting of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver was autographed with 'Big Love' and Paul explained that he had recently donated a painting to one of Jamie's favourite charities.

We would like to thank Paul Oz and the staff of the Generation Gallery for their warm welcome and thank you for hosting such an entertaining evening!

We are very excited and look forward to seeing some Paul Oz work here at the Acorn Gallery soon!

'Lewis Hamilton'

Farrow and Ball in the Frame...

We've all heard of Farrow and Ball... the company whose subtle colours adorn walls and doors all over the land in shades of Elephants Breath (229) and Breakfast Room Green (81).

Aberdovey (Original)

Well now you can adorn your walls in beautiful original paintings to match - literally!

Artist Louise Rawlings uses Farrow and Ball's beautiful range of colours to create her own unique style of paintings. She says that their mini-matchpots of household emulsion are exactly what dreams are made of and they fit her ideas perfectly!

Winter in the Village (Original)

Louise creates intimately detailed gardens and beautiful snowy villages using some of the most delicate colours known to woman (well, lets face it, it's usually us who choose the colour schemes, isn't it ladies?)

Treat yourself to a Farrow and Ball Original...

Vintage Caravan (Original)