Welcome to the Gallery

Imagine is set in the Suffolk village of Long Melford.
This is an attempt to record the daily trials, tribulation and pleasure of running an art gallery.

Thursday 24 December 2015



Christmas Eve
Long Melford in Suffolk, England.

It feels and looks nothing like Christmas,
The sky is clear blue, sun is shining and it is very warm.
I find it hard to remember that just two years ago on the same day I had difficulty travelling the one mile journey to the gallery because of the snow.
It now seems such a distant memory.




 So before I lock the doors and return home for Christmas with the family I constantly neglect
[Art for Arts Sake]
I thought I would show you some images of how the gallery might have looked on a different Christmas at a different time.
Perhaps the Christmas in our dreams and imagination.
Innocent and magical.




A few weeks ago I was asked to take some photograph's to promote the first ever Christmas Fair
In the village of Long Melford.
With much help from a friend named "Bella'
The shop window was transformed, children costumed, candles lit, snow scattered and pictures taken.
All within an hour.
You have heard of four seasons in a day, this is December in an hour.

We had no expectations of any usable pictures, but despite this Bella ran up and down spraying snow,
"Nat" her partner shone torches and I kept pressing the shutter.
Perhaps the magic of Christmas actually worked for us.

These are the results.

'A Child's Christmas in Suffolk'.

I wish you all a good Christmas and an even better coming year.

Wednesday 23 December 2015



Before Christmas is finally upon us I thought it might be a good idea to do a small update
of some of the different artworks that have arrived during the past couple of months.
The works that I am showing are in no particular order or preference,
They are just works that I have remembered that I have still not shown.
With each artist I am just showing a sample, perhaps one day with time and memory permitting I will
show and write about the other works that they have created.
Here is a small sample of recent treasures that have arrived.

The first above happens to be the latest arrival, it is also something that enchants me.
The painting by Nom Kinnear fascinates me, I long to know the story behind the painting,
What makes it even more beautiful is that it is painted on the "hide" of an antique tambourine.
She sent it for me to place in our 'Christmas' widow, but it seemed to me to be too important to just
be propped amongst other pieces of work so I immediately made a deep case frame to place it inside,
it now looks like an atifact in a museum and it really looks stunning.
We will be holding an exhibition of her art in the summer.




Above is a 'wood smoked' sculpture by the French sculptor Evelyne Galinski.
She visited us recently to ask a question.
"Would I like to exhibit her sculptures"?
After giving the idea a lot of consideration and thought [a minute] I agreed.
We signed the contract there and then, she spat on her hand and I shook it.
"October".




Another fantastic artist that we will be exhibiting is also from France.
Gerard Daran.
I wrote to Gerard, some months ago [it is easy when you are fluent with "Google" French.
I expected no reply but I was still disappointed when I received none.
Then two weeks later his best friend who can speak perfect English called me, this was very good
As I also have a good understanding of that language.
So it was agreed that we should try a little of his art and if the response was good then we would hold
A full exhibition of his paintings.
Daran will be visiting us in May.




This incredible chair I literally stumbled upon last summer.
It is one of the most staggering pieces of furniture I have ever seen.
Made from Sycamore and Bog Oak. It is strong yet very delicate and was two months in the making.
There have only been two created, both from different combinations of wood, so they are truly unique.
One was destined for the famous 'Chatsworth House'.
The location that served as the home of Mr Darcy in the film 'Pride & Prejudice. 
A fitting home for such an incredible piece of sculptural furniture.
Of course I am proud to tell you the other is here in the gallery, and yes I confess on occasions
I do sit upon it
We may not be as grand as Chatsworth but I promise our chair is loved and revered equally as much.




If I haven't shown you the new sculptures by Rachel then I have been very remiss.
They are a set of three [only two shown].
Created from 'Yesmonite' they really are uncanny in their realism.
There is not a single flaw to be found, they really do feel and look like perfect miniature beings.
When I say perfect that is what I mean.
They are a small edition and we are now showing our second set, I fear there may not be a third
As it seems that they sell as soon as they are created, which comes as no surprise.
At the moment I am grateful to have the pleasure to have them on display.
I promise you, this woman is going to be so BIG in the art world.




This clock is one of five different time pieces that I commissioned from a craftsman who I collaborated with many years ago.
Julian is a genius. You describe something to him and he creates it.
Of course there has to be a downside, and that is that he is very busy.
So I have been waiting [with great impatience] for these to arrive for most of the past year.
Then there will be another problem.
How do I replace them?




There is a problem with Neil, the creator of the sculpture above.
Well, two problems actually, the first is he is too sought after, the second and most important I can barely understand his accent.
Being very poor of hearing [most visitors have worked this out for themselves] I have to concentrate [and rotate my head] when people speak with me.
It usually works out, but throw in a slight Manchurian accent and I was lost.
Of course I do exaggerate just slightly.
He was probably wondering why this man in Suffolk was speaking with a London accent.

What speaks clearly and in volume is the quality and detail of his work.
I will definitely show you more and in greater detail, it needs to be seen to be believed.
He and his wife made a long journey to deliver his sculptures, this was appreciated, plus I was pleased that he had interest to know learn where his art would be shown,
which is important to me.
Having his approval I am now proud to have his sculptures on display.
It seems so unfair, he is young, handsome, talented and has a beautiful wife.
If he only spoke with a Suffolk accent he would have it made.




I am very happy to still be exhibiting the sculptures by Elisabeth Dupin-Sjostedt after her recent exhibition here.
It seems that as time passes they are gaining more and more interest, people tell me that they have never seen anything like them. I understand what they mean as she does work in a style [and portrays people]
that is unique to herself.
I am hoping that in the New Year I can persuade her to show alongside the artist below.




George Underwood
Needs no introduction as we have been showing his art on a permanent basis now for a few years.
It is nice when working with an artist that after a time things become "blurred" a little.
What I am trying to say is that there comes a point when you realise that you are not just work colleagues but "mates," from that point everything becomes easier.
George and Birgit [his wife] visited last week to bring some new, while here George commented to his
wife "I really like that," he was pointing at a sculpture by Elisabeth.
It was only after they had departed that I looked at the sculpture with a different perspective.
I realised for the first time that a lot of her work is like a 3D rendition of some of his paintings.
So perhaps I may try to persuade her to do a collaboration.
We will see.

The exhibition that is planned with George wasn't actually planned at all. 
As I have mentioned before George Underwood is a friend of David Bowie.
I have often day dreamed of David coming into the gallery and asking
"have you got any paintings by my mate George"?
Funny things dreams aren't they.
Bowie is not George's only friend in the music business, because of the exciting life George has experienced he has many famous friends, some of these being musicians.
A few weeks ago one of these visited the gallery, it was the singer Steve Harley.
In case you have forgotten he is the man who had the single "Make me Smile" [come up and see me].

That really is a story for another day, but suffice to say he fell in love with a painting
which happened to be created by an old friend of his.

After his visit here Steve Harley made contact with George for the first time in many years.
A few days later George Underwood gave me a call and we talked about the coincidence of it all.
Joking, I said to George
"We should have an exhibition of your art and get Steve Harley to come and open it, and maybe get him to sing at the opening".
"That would be a good fun". He replied
After a seconds thought I said "shall we do it for real"?

So in April that will be the exhibition we will open, or should I say, Steve Harley will open.

Well, that's it for my potted history of the past few weeks or so.
What bothers me now is that I am thinking of the other artists that I haven't shown and mentioned.
Everything in Time.