Imagine Gallery

Many people know of the artist that I will now talk of, indeed I have talked about her before, Rima Staines.

Not only is she an incredible artist but she also has perhaps one of the

Worlds most followed blogs.

Rima is not only an extraordinary artist but also a person who has had an extra-ordinary life,

after all not many of us have spent a year of our life living in a travelling horsebox.

She is a constant source of delight and interest to me, and fortunately for me her work isn't just something that I have to view online as we are the only gallery that shows her work,

and as a result I can have a "quick fix" now and again by looking at her original art.

I know I mentioned Rima before when we collaborated to publish a selection of her paintings as 'Fine Art' prints exclusive to Imagine Gallery.

I was reminded of this today when I went to have a peek at her blog.

Wow! She had taken the most beautiful photographs of her prints as she was signing them,

the prints arrived on her doorstep rolled up in a tube, but only Rima could have turned this into a wonderful "photo" opportunity.

The pictures she has taken of the prints and her autograph are nothing short of art,

mind you her signature alone is a work of art.

Not only had she placed these pictures on her blog but she had also published some beautiful photographs of an original artwork that we have here on display.

This was her contribution to our 'Ancient Mariner' exhibition, it is an original painting on a piece of wood.

Not any piece of wood, but a piece especially chosen for the painting,

as nothing about Rima could ever be random or by chance.

While many of us would have just seen a flaw in the wood Rima could see only an arrow,

so her arrow became the starting point of the painting.

An arrow piecing the heart of the Albatross which was being held by the suffering Mariner.

Or are both their hearts being pierced? I think maybe so.

There are many other unusual things in the painting that are very personal to Rima,

and although I admit that I know the full history it is perhaps not for me to tell.

She has photographed the painting against a background created by nature, it looks beautiful

and I admit I would never have thought of doing that, I wished that I had.

The painting here in the gallery looks equally as beautiful although now it is in a case.

It looks very precious [as it should].

It was the beauty of her photographs that determined me to mention her work and the limited editions that we are showing.

Rima is a real "one of a kind", a very clever woman but one who is so humble and very

ordinary, which seems such an odd thing to say.

How can such a talented person ever be ordinary?

So let me say her manner is very ordinary and very humble, yet the artist within is anything but

ordinary.

There will be more to tell of Rima, as in the future I wish to show her and her equally talented partner Tom as a collaboration.

Now that will be an unusual show.