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!

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!

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!

Some like it hot...!

This year the Bob Dylan Drawn Blank Series comprises of 21 images and we started the day with the framed standard edition graphics on the wall - stunning!

The two portfolio sets and the four medium graphics were beautifully laid out in their presentation wallets on a large table especially brought in for the occasion! Atop the folders was a pair of pristine white cotton gloves, for showing off the work and protecting the Hannemuhle paper.

We arrived in plenty of time for the specified opening time of 10am and we nipped out to get a large bag of ice before sealing ourselves in! Down came the shutters and the champagne went on ice...

We busied ourselves with final preparations and watched nervously as the hour approached... Before long a familiar face appeared at the window and we saw a customer waiting by the door, soon joined by another... we had a queue!

Even with the phenomenal success of the 2008 and 2009 collections we had never had a queue! Excitement grew... At 10am on the dot we opened the door and our queue made their way inside - yes, two customers officially make a queue :-)

Both had both come with images in mind but were keen to see the entire collection and we happily donned white gloves and proceeded to show off the work. Very soon we had made our first two sales :-)

The morning progressed steadily and we had a constant stream of people coming in to admire the work, a few more sales followed and by lunchtime we were very pleased with the day so far...!

Outside the sunshine was getting stronger and the heat was intensifying.... fewer people were coming in and we joked that they were all staying home for the weather!

The things is ... we were right! Pocklington became a ghost town and the usually bustling street was half empty! A sight rarely seen in this busy market town!

For the rest of the afternoon we had only a few visitors and as a result we still have a superb selection of work to look though!! This is a first because in previous years we have sold out so fast that of you have been disappointed - so now you have your chance!

The work will remain in the gallery only for as long as it takes to sell - so step up and make your choice!

By the way... Happy Birthday, Mr Dylan, for Monday :-)  

Oh my word...

Bob Dylan is in the building!!

(Well, his artwork is anyway!)

The stunning graphics from this years Drawn Blank Series 2010 release have finally arrived and were quickly whisked away, shrouded in secrecy, ready for tomorrow unveiling at 10am!

Almost everyone in the gallery today has been asking about the new Dylan release and we are getting very excited!

Come and join us tomorrow at 10am :-)

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 :-)

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!

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!!

Lambing at The Acorn... and Pigs... and Cows...

Spring is in the air and here at The Acorn we have a delightful display of new lambs eager to meet you!

Meet Alfie...

... and Boo Peep...

and ... watch them walk in Grandmas Footsteps...

... and not to be left out we have Rascal Flaps...

... and the gloriously decadent Haute Cowture...

 

She comes complete with genuine gold leaf on her ears and is a truly stunning piece of work!

Come and meet them all in person at The Acorn Gallery NOW!

(...or if you can't wait that long ... click on the title of this entry to find out more!)