Imagine Gallery

2012-01-28T11:45:00.000-08:00

The return journey.

Or 'There and back again' would sound better if J.R.R. Tolkien hadn't used it for "The Hobbit".

Really this is just a follow up to the last 'post' that I was too tired to do last night.

So if you were anticipating fights with Dragons and Goblins you have come to the wrong place,

although I did visit "Barrow Hill" which is a very bad place, unless you love Cider.

Anyway, leaving the town of 'Saint Ives' on a wet misty morning, I was undecided about where I should visit on my journey home.

There are so many really exciting artists working in this corner of England that I really didn't know where to head for.

I sat in the car tapping different addresses into my 'SatNav' trying to work out what [Or who] I could fit in on my return journey.

I knew that I would not be this far south for some time so I wanted to make the most of the trip.

It was impossible to decide, I have so many old friends in that area I didn't know where to go.

The decision was made for me by John Bedding.

Well not really him just his advice, because of an exhibition that I have planned for June of this year.

RELIQUARY

It has been in my thoughts for many months, it has been something that has fascinated me

for a long time and I admit that I have been greatly influenced by another blogger,

Margaret Brampton.

Not only does her own work intrigue me but she has lead me down the path of history.

So for some time I have had the thoughts "let's do Reliquary as an exhibition",

then recently I decided to stop pondering and to actually do it.

As a result I feel very contented and excited and I have a feeling that I will tell more about

who is involved in the near future.

One person who has confirmed "just one piece" is John Bedding,

the man who instigated.

He suggested that I look at the work of 'Sim Taylor'.

"His thoughts are there already", he told me.

So I did look at his work, and also where he worked.

"I can do that on the way home".

As a result my route back to Suffolk was dictated by the need to visit this man,

which was made harder because he was lecturing at a University in North Somerset and his time was restricted.

I spoke with him, we fixed a time to meet and then the rest of my journey was based around our meeting.

Hhhhmmmmmm, who to visit?

There were two people that I would like to visit but only the time to see one.

Decision made, I set off to see John Leach the potter.

I had last seen him maybe 29 years ago! Little wonder that I look old [but only 18 inside].

John not only happens to be the grandson of the famous Bernard Leach but more importantly he lives only 5 miles from 'Barrow Hill Cider Press'. How convenient.

So after our different "lunch breaks" I parked my car outside his pottery/gallery just as he was

opening after his lunch.

Although we had met many times in the past I wasn't silly or vain enough to think that he would remember me, and he didn't.

That made no difference, he welcomed me inside and said

"quick come and look at these before they all go".

He was talking about an exhibition of prints that had been on show for two months in his gallery by the artist Julia Manning.

" Ooohh it was so good", he said.

"It was embarrassing as we sold so many.

Hhmmm, no, no it wasn't embarrassing at all it was good".

What a lovely man to assume that I had come to see the art of someone else.

However, I was excited as for a long time I had been trying to contact Julia, and here she was

in front of me packing up her few unsold prints.

I will cut a very long story short,

which I don't really want to as John and I talked of many events, potters, artists and friends,

and I know we both enjoyed the reminiscence, except for the mention of the death of the potter

Ray Finch.

His smile vanished from his beard covered face.

"Oh that man was my mentor, I will miss him so much. We are going there tomorrow".

Apart from that the chat was fun and enjoyable.

Eventually he said, "I must go, I lost the key to the kiln shed two days ago and the blacksmith has called to say he has made a replacement, but it needs 'tweaking'.

Where in the world would you use a blacksmith to get a new key?

Only in deep Somerset.

But before I left I had hurried discussions with Julia Manning and to my great delight I walked out of the Leach Pottery with pictures to bring home.

Before I drove away I decided to take a couple of pictures of the pottery "just in case".

I took one photograph but it wasn't right so I crossed the road to take another.

"That's more like it".

Then a car pulled in front of the pottery/cottage.

"Shit".

Out of the car climbed John Leach.

"Oh, John you are still here"?

"Yes I was just taking a picture of the famous 'John Leach' pottery when some old bugger parked there car and spoilt it".

"I'm sorry about that".

"Now your here make yourself useful and pose for my Blog".

This is all true.

So there he was the world famous potter with a bag of shopping posing for you all.

"Blogs"?

"I know a potter near here you should go and see, Paul Jessop. He's blogging mad.

I don't know how he finds time to make his pots".

Of course Paul was the other potter that I would have liked to have visited.

But hey! Paul your a youngster, us old folk have to meet while we are still here.

Next time.

From the Leach pottery I drove to?

Actually I'm not sure as I just did what "SatNav" told me.

Eventually I arrived in the evening at a University where I was greeted by the incredible

Sim Taylor.

I have never seen someone so young, so handsome with such long hair since I was eighteen.

That was me looking in the mirror many years ago.

Sim is a real dynamic character, full of life and enthusiasm for his art, it is little wonder that he is so sought after as a lecturer and teacher of ceramics.

He whisked me away to his room and showed and explained to me the philosophy and techniques of his creations.

He was so humble when describing his ceramic sculptures.

" I am honoured that you have bothered to come and see me", he said many times.

I felt like saying "are you stupid? The honour and pleasure is mine".

I told him after looking at his work "you are going to be so big".

He shook his head, and that is what I liked so much.

He is striving to make beautiful things not a name for himself, that was unimportant to him.

But he will become known, just for the simple reason that he is interested in his craft.

I don't have the time to write more about Sim or his art, plus I don't want to as I intend to write an article about him.

After all if he is not interested in promoting himself so someone had better do it for him.

Most importantly he agreed to participate in the Reliquary exhibition.

Five hours after leaving him,with a head full of memories and loud music I arrived home.

To the ecstatic welcome of two beautiful dogs.

They missed me.

This is what life [or at least mine] is all about.

2012-01-27T10:06:00.000-08:00

I had a lot to write about that I thought might be interesting, and was poised

"pen in hand"

ready to blog when I remembered that I was going on a long trip and thought that maybe I might have something of even more interest to write about on my return.

Well it probably might not be, but as it involved me going off on an adventure and meeting people I had a feeling that I would find it more interesting,

otherwise my small world exists within these walls and although a lot happens

[some good some bad] it is nice to get away,

if for no other reason than driving for hours allows me to think without interruption,

and I like that. I also enjoy playing music at full volume without worrying who I might annoy.

So, off to St. Ives in Cornwall I went.

I must admit that I wasn't looking forward to the journey as it is long and this combined with fog and heavy rain made it was worse than anticipated, but I arrived safe and with a head full

of new music, at least that was fun.

I was visiting Cornwall to see a potter called John Bedding.

I have mentioned him and shown his pots here before, but this was to be my first time

to have a "proper" conversation with him.

Before it had been restricted to emails, telephone and hurried chats at motorway service stations where we did our furtive exchanges.

Pots from him and a big smile from me.

I have long been totally fascinated and puzzled by the techniques that he uses to decorate his pots, the truth is I just didn't know how he did it.

On the frequent occasions I have been asked in the gallery "how did he do this"?

I have had to bluff and guess as I had no idea at all, all that I knew for certainty is that I loved them and coveted them however they were done.

So for the first time [of what will be many] I eased the car down a very small alleyway and

into the courtyard of the "Gaolyard Studios" in the centre of St Ives.

As the name suggests it used to be the village gaol, now it is owned by John and is home to many different and talented potters.

But it was only John that I had come to visit [or so I thought].

His studio/workshop was no different to that of many potters, in fact it is in the running for being one of the most untidy, but that would include almost every potter I know.

What made the greatest difference to me is that out off this studio came some of the most beautiful, elegant pots I have ever come across, and I really wanted to know how they were

created as I have never seen anything like them.

Two hours later I left feeling like I was walking on a cloud.

John is one of the nicest, cleverest and most forward thinking craftsmen I have ever met.

I was staggered to find that he uses a computer to decorate his pots.

It is true, there amongst all the normal pottery clutter was a laptop computer sitting beside

clay and normal pottery tools.

Attached to the laptop was a projector, in front of that a pot.

From the computer he projects his designs onto the unfired pots.

Don't ask me how, ask him, and if he tells you how he will be mad.

Let me explain that the studio was full of pots, some in various stages of being fired but most

still damp and drying, each one decorated with patterns and images that moved the heart,

each different but in some way or another Japanese in influence.

This is no great surprise as John had not only worked for the famous potter Bernard Leach

but had also trained and worked in Japan many years ago.

I say many years ago and this is what surprises me, that a man with his background and knowledge of making real "Leach" influenced ceramics was bucking the trend.

He was taking all of his knowledge of past pottery and with modern technology using it to create the most wonderful eastern style ceramics I have ever seen.

If I had been watching and talking to a younger man I would have been thinking

"kids today, what they can do",

but this is a man who is older than me [yes, that is possible even though he looks 10 years younger] his mind and thought process was so exciting and invigorating.

He is moving forward, not trying to make copies of past masters, he is his own man

creating on his own terms and is unconcerned by criticism of others.

He is making his pots for himself and his collectors not for acclaim on the small pottery map,

and that is why he is so good.

There was no ego, no searching for approval or acknowledgment.

A man who has every right to make pots in the style of others but who is mature enough to walk his own path.

Wow! This is sounding like a one man fan club, but I think by now you understand that he

greatly impressed me.

The man and his work.

As I was about to leave he asked "have you been to my shop"?

"Yeah, about 20 years ago".

"It has changed a bit if you want to have a look".

I promised that I would, so he told me to take attention to the work of different potters he thought I would like.

I visited his shop.

The "shop" turned out to be one of the best galleries I have ever visited, it shows nothing but ceramics but is beautiful and with great attention to detail.

In fact it is more like a museum than a gallery as there was work on show by almost every

great potter of modern times, those living and those dead and every piece a collectors item.

Potters like Shoji Hamada, Bernard Leach, Colin Pearson, Mick Casson, David leach and

Michael Cardew were on show and for sale.

All shown in the most subtle surroundings, almost like a Japanese tea room.

"Less" definitely was more.

Amongst the various famous names on show there were a few, but only a few of John's own pieces, for me these stood out as being some of the best pots on show.

There were two I was smitten by, one nearly four feet tall, the other was smaller but it burnt an

equally large hole in my heart.

Showing alongside the older traditional pots were also the works of the modern studio potters,

some of the them like Ruthanne Tudball I know and am friends with, others I didn't know at all although I do now.

One in particular whose worked I really admired was a young man named Sam Hall.

"Shit", I had just met him back at the "Gaolyard" without knowing who he was or what he did, and for that I plead ignorance as I now appreciate that he is well known and very collected

but luckily I didn't know of that.

So back to the studios I returned to meet Sam.

A lovely gentle and handsome young man [if I'm allowed to notice that].

I confessed that I knew nothing of him and

"did not know of his work until today, but could I take some".

I think that the honesty paid dividends as he showed me much of his work, some I criticised

and to my surprise we both agreed in the criticism and it was an enjoyable,

"I really like that"

"So do I"

"I don't think that has worked"

"That's what I think".

Eventually he asked "would you like to take something? I don't let many galleries".

I think ignorance and honesty this time the right thing.

I was lucky as yet again there wasn't an ego, instead just a very good potter.

Of course I have since found out how well known and collected his work is, but as I have always said "the bigger the artist the smaller the ego".

Anyway, I had hoped to complete my trip on one post but I appreciate that most people will have fallen asleep by now, so my return journey and meeting with a very famous potter I will leave until next time.

Above the pictures explain themselves.

John Bedding's gallery [or a small portion of it].

The giant bottle that I loved, Sam Hall's pots and of course the pot that I loved so much,

which of course, John allowed me to bring back to the gallery.

2012-01-13T08:22:00.000-08:00

This year I am behind with events that we should have planned for the future and at the moment I am playing "catch up".

I usually try to be at least one year ahead with exhibitions, firstly because it gives the artist time to plan their own year or even to try out new idea's out without added pressure, and secondly it allows me to work out how the gallery will look as the year progresses and to plan the promotion, advertising, invitations etc,etc.

But, it doesn't take a lot to throw things out, plus I find that I tend to get over excited about one

idea or another, or a particular artist whose existence I have only just discovered and start wishing I could fit another event in the calendar.

I like to leave a gap here and there in the years events just in case something like this happens

plus sometimes it is just enjoyable to have the space as it normally is without all the work and disruption that an exhibition can sometimes bring, plus I like the gallery as it is everyday.

But this year started and I was definitely behind.

I have been awaiting a couple of confirmations before I could definitely know that the year

was sorted.

Having said that, I have left the very end of the year open until I have really thought through a

particular idea that I have in mind.

Anyway, more about planned events in the next post.

Apart from thinking about who and what we shall show at exhibitions there are the constant

thoughts of who I should talk to or go to see so that we can fill the place everyday with the

unusual mixture of art we have.

Sometimes this is made easier, yet a lot harder by one particular artist,

Michael Parkes.

I almost liken him to the slogan for the film Jaws,

"just when you thought it was safe............"

or in his case

"just when you thought you had it all planned............."

The man is just so talented and prolific, he seems to work non stop, which makes it really hard

when I am trying to work out what different art I want to show.

I think I have it worked out and then the bugger creates something else, and everything seems to say "John must show this".

Trouble is, "John really wants to", as a result I become very indecisive and tend to think to myself "I will make a decision tomorrow, or next week".

Time passes, and Michael creates more, and I find it harder to make a decision.

Sometimes, just occasionally, I start to think that maybe I don't feature on his list of major priorities, or perhaps it's just a case of him trying to work out what I "really" like.

Probably.

So after not having talked about much at all I will show a few of his pieces that I have been presented with recently, then maybe you will see why I get distracted and behind on events.

Although really this post is just an excuse to show some things that I have wanted to show for

few weeks.

I didn't get around to it before because I was distracted

......................by more Michael Parkes.

2012-01-07T03:45:00.000-08:00

Self doubt.

I'm sure that it is something that we all have from time to time, especially me.

This might come as a surprise to the people who may find me a little [or a lot] arrogant, but

usually this only comes to the surface when someone is critical of the work we show.

My own self doubt [my own photography aside] arises when I think that maybe I have made

a bad decision about how different pieces of art should be displayed, or if I think I have not

done justice to the work, as I know and understand that presentation is everything and it is very easy to undersell something with a poor display.

Sometimes I think that maybe I am showing the wrong combination of different works and so

I start again, or maybe I think that new displays need to be built for a certain piece.

I constantly worry that I haven't got the window display right, or I get indecisive about what should be in the window.

The one thing that doesn't worry me or cause doubts is the quality and variety of work we show.

So with all this in mind I found myself getting slightly concerned and later very annoyed

when the "seeds of doubt" were sown by someone this week.

I have mentioned before that I don't enjoy it when different artists come in "cold" and ask would I look at their work?

I don't dislike it and I am pleased to have the opportunity to look at something new, but I do

hate having to say "no" if I don't like the work or if I feel that it would be misplaced in our gallery.

Sometimes the art presented can be great but it just wouldn't look in place here, and it often

comes as a surprise that people don't first have a look at what we show and then think

"would my art fit in with what they show"?

But, I do look at all work presented and at times with a heavy heart have to say no.

What I have been shown may be really good but it wasn't for me.

So it was this week I had one such "cold call".

The artist in question had been inside the gallery with his partner for a while, and as is usual

we started having a chat about different pieces of work etc.

Nothing unusual there, then he told me that he was a sculptor and that he happened to have

some work with him in the car that had just been returned from another gallery.

Sculpture! He had hit my soft spot, I always want to see new sculptors.

I might not like what they have created but I definitely want to see it as I have a fear that it

might be the one that "slipped through the net".

So I did view his work.

It was bronze animal sculpture, for me this is often very dubious as there seems to be many people out there all producing very similar not very good brown bronze sculpture and all of it set with a high price tag,

because after all we all know bronze is expensive.

Which is exactly what he told me when I questioned the price of a Wren.

"Blimey", I thought. I could have created a bird garden for that price.

However his work was not without merit and both he and his partner seemed very nice people

and I enjoyed talking with them and when they left much later I was the recipient of one new sculpture.

Since then I have looked at his piece many times and pondered and indeed a little doubt grew in my mind, "did I take this for the right reasons]? Still what was done was done so now I will do my best to display it properly and achieve a sale for him.

Next morning I had a call from the same artist.

It started really well, he told me how much they had enjoyed having a chat with me and how much they liked the gallery, "we talked about it all the way home", he said.

"However, we did have some thoughts".

Yes, I was going to get the benefit of those thoughts.

They loved the gallery, the building , the displays etc,etc. It reminded them of one other really good gallery which is very successful financially and has sold "thousands" of pounds worth of his work.

Apparently there was only one major difference between us, they had an identity and we didn't.

"if you had an identity you would do really well", I was told.

While he was giving me his [well intended, I am sure] advice] I looked online at the other

"similar" gallery.

"now if only you............."

at which point I interrupted him to tell him I was looking at the "art" of the other gallery while

he was talking.

"What am I looking at"?

A painting by an English artist of a scene of Venice, another still life painting of a vase of flowers, a painting of race horses.

" I have seen it all before, the only difference is the paintings had different names on them.

I wouldn't give them house room", I told him.

Then on to their sculpture, which was all wildlife and animals

[which I have no problem with if done well].

"I am looking at bronze brown horses, they are crap".

What else was there?

Brown bronze, Lion heads, Elephants, Tigers, Antelope, Penguins, game birds, and even Pears

[wow! I haven't seen those somewhere else for at least a week].

"It is all rubbish", I told him.

"Yes, but they make lots of money, everything sells in the thousands, because of them I have had my best year ever, and it's all because they have an identity".

I tried to explain to him that so too had Imagine Gallery.

It is different, everything in it is different, but it sits together well because it all has a common thread, me, I love it all.

I tried to explain to him that we all have many different aspects to our personalities and

that the varied collection that we show was just a collection of all the things that I love in the world, that I equally loved the abstract paintings and sculpture as much as the life like work that we show, that the illustration from a children's book that hangs on the wall was equal in beauty to a famous painting that hangs beside it, that I loved a small rough pot from Japan

priced at £20 every bit as much as a bronze priced in the thousands".

He just didn't get it.

"You need more bronze, he told me".

Unaware that when he was here he was standing next to a fabulous and very expensive bronze

while he was talking to me. He didn't know because it wasn't shiny and brown.

[Thanks Emma that bronze is one of the pieces that I am proud to have on display].

He tried again to make me understand that the other "similar" gallery was making

"loads of money".

"If money was our only motive we wouldn't be here, we would have done something different".

I explained.

We never set out to make money, even though like everyone we need it.

Our gallery is here because Irene [bless her] realised that there was something in my life that I wanted to achieve, and that "something" was showing this great mixture of beautiful artifacts.

Sure, we want and have to make money but that has never been the goal.

To survive, and do something as interesting and fulfilling and as much fun as this was.

In that respect I am rich.

I was wasting my breath, he knew I was an idiot.

Indeed thinking things through over and over again today, I think maybe I am wrong.

The seeds of doubt were planted by someone who boasts great success.

As he told me "the trouble with your gallery you can only sell to people who think like you".

Very true, but I hope there are more people out there who appreciate beauty more than a

brown shiny overpriced piece of bronze.

My parting words were [as always]

"it's my party....."

"yeah, I know, .......and you will cry if you want to", he replied before hanging up.

Cry I will, and cry I do, but never caused by egotistic, vain, money grabbing fools like him.

So on a parting note I am showing you a few "wacky" sculptures by two people who don't understand the importance of "life like, shiny bronze shit".

I mean to say, when did you last see horses in the wild that looked like this?

Never, and as for a Unicorn?

The beautiful pieces are by Paul Priest and Elaine Peto, two people who aren't chasing money.

Just Life

2011-12-15T11:16:00.000-08:00

What I really dislike about 'blogger' is that it seems so "thick".

Most likely it is me that is thick, but after having spent a hour writing a post and then realising that I had left a picture out I tried to correct it and typically lost everything.

It is a bit of a bugger as I was in one of those moods where I was enjoying telling and writing about things.

Now of course the "moment" [or hour] has passed and I don't intend to re-visit what in my mind is now history, so instead I will just show the pictures that related to what I had written about my recent adventures and the artists connected with them.

I will re-visit at least one as it relates to lots of things in the future but until then.

Here is a painting by Rosalind Lyons Hudson.

She spends a lot of time at the 'Shakespeare Globe Theatre', re-creating costumes, scenes and events. This painting is from 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' and features the fairies.

'Peablossom, Cobweb, Moth & Mustardseed'.

Suffice to say I love it.

The next picture is one of the new creations by Michael Parkes.

Of this I will say no more [I had written a load] as I will come back to his new work soon.

The ceramic clocks are by Ross Emerson, and I really can't write again about him as I have spent 40 minutes telling about my recent [nightmare] trips to visit him.

But here anyway are the remaining unsold pieces from those trips.

Lastly is a painting that I have "lusted" after and wanted to exhibit for so long, it is titled.

"Polly Vaughan's Swan Song", by Kate Leiper.

I think that it is so beautiful, innocent and fitting to the season, it featured on our

Christmas invitation.

If you know of the story of 'Swan Lake' then you can probably work out what it tells of,

she has been shot by her lover, a Prince.

Sad, beautiful, innocent and childish.

Whatever, I will take pleasure everyday looking at it while it is here,

and I will be so very sorry to see it go.

Sometimes I really would like something to keep for myself.

But, go it must for that is the nature of what we do, I do miss some things more than I should and I certainly know that this will be one of them,

but after all we are a just shop and selling our goods is what we must do.

Still at least for a little while this is mine.

2011-12-10T10:16:00.000-08:00

Too many different pieces of art have arrived or are on route at the moment.

No, that was a mistake.

What I meant is that there are too many different things for me to choose from to show.

"I should show that, but what about this it arrived earlier, wow! I want to let people see this,

how have I left that unseen? Etc, etc, etc.

These are the many thoughts that I have each day, so as a result I take the easy option and instead of taking photographs I go home.

Which doesn't matter as I read on a blog recently,

"it makes me laugh when people apologise for not posting, after all who cares".

Who indeed?

So if there is anyone who is interested here are a few things that have interested or captivated me recently.

Firstly, I have to admit that I have a "bit of a problem" with tea bowls, and what follows will upset any potter who bothers to read, but that is not my intention.

It seems that for the past 25 years or so western potters have been working away trying to produce the perfect tea bowl, myself included.

But why?

It is not of the Western culture, we do not hold tea ceremonies or revere the ritual's associated with them.

But we do know that the best potters in the world, the Japanese and before them the Koreans

regard them with great importance, so obviously to be a good potter you must be able to make a good tea bowl.

In fact I think once I nearly did make a good one as one of my hero's [in ceramics]

Takeshi Yasuda admired a bowl made by me and pronounced that "it is nearly good".

That was it, when I heard I was "made up" as we say in England [or I do].

I was now a real potter, or so I thought at the time.

Since that day many, many years ago I have thought often about Tea Bowls, and even though I have a large collection of them I have decided that the "Western" tea bowl is a lot of nonsense.

What do we do with them?

Drink coffee or wine out of them or maybe even drop a teabag in once in a while and have a brew?

This wasn't what they were intended for and they are not of our culture.

This only became very clear to me one day a couple of years ago when a customer was in the gallery deliberating for an hour or so over different pots

[made by a very revered English potter].

Eventually he came over to the counter and told me "I have decided at last, I'm going for the jar

not the tea bowl [this is where the anoraks ask what kind was it, Yunomi, Chawan, who cares]

they are both the same price but I can't bring myself to pay £200 for a tea bowl".

He went on to explain that he understood that I had to "mark up prices to make a living",

but I pointed out to him that the price label was hand written in gold pen and unlike any of our

price labels. "That is the potters price and what you would pay at her studio" I told him.

"We receive a percentage of that but that is what you would pay direct".

He left with his jar, but he left me with a lot of thoughts.

Hell, we sell mugs from £10 so why was a mug without a handle £200.

What do most of us use each day? A mug or a cup, so to me these should be the pieces that we cherish not a bowl that most of us don't know how to use.

So why do we all persist in making bowls?

Because we are all trying to be recognised potters and to do so it is best to aspire to

replicate the best of the east.

Wasn't there an old pop song "I think I'm turning Japanese". I really think so.

As a result I returned all of the pots to the maker as I no longer felt comfortable with them.

She was not "too" happy, and many people have since asked "are you mad"?

The potter is important, and very very good, but I felt uncomfortable with those prices.

I have made my bed now I will lay in it.

So having upset any potter who is reading.

A few years ago I went to a ceramic fair and showing there was a man named Richard Dewar.

Richard is English but has his pottery in France, and he really does produce some lovely work.

However at the show I visited he had on display a selection of tea bowls.

"What now" I thought. Japanese bowls made by an Englishman in France, "what next".

But these were different, they had all the beauty and qualities that I would look for in a tea bowl but they all had "handles".

They were beautiful, fun, objects, meant to be used and were priced at £8 each.

Here was a man who wasn't taking himself too seriously, although his pots were seriously good.

I have used the one I purchased everyday since then.

Sure it is getting chipped in places but it gives me great pleasure to use, whats more I don't burn my fingers holding the bugger because I use the handle.

I met Richard again a couple of months ago and he was still making and selling tea bowls but this time he was also showing a fantastic selection of tea pots.

Everyone totally different and unique and with prices that started at £25.

Although he was selling them there were no "tea bowl mugs" as beautiful as my own [of course] so instead I left with boxes full with his teapots.

I was surprised that from years ago he remembered me purchasing the "tea mug", not because of the money he made but because he knew I was going to enjoy it [or so he said].

I have meant many times to show the teapots I purchased and now at last today I have photographed those few left.

Apart from Richards pots there is also another teapot I am showing, made by a delightful young

Welshman, Sean Gordon.

He is such a lovely man and whenever I see him he tells me "you are leaving with some of my pots aren't you"? More a command than a question.

He is a strange lad [not strange, lovely], and although young, his roots are firmly set in the past.

He often talks of the "great miners strike" and the affect that it had on his family and his community.

Like him I remember with anger what Thatcher did to the working man.

He remembers his childhood and home and as a result, many of his pots are based on updated versions of old household implements [like his "coal scuttle jugs"].

But like everyone he is looking forward and outward and the latest teapot that I collected from him I have named the "Laboratory" teapot.

It is fun, beautiful, very well designed, and more importantly it pours a treat.

In fact I think I might use it to make a "cuppa" to pour into my "teabowlmug".

Is nothing sacred nowadays?

2011-11-21T10:45:00.000-08:00

I have different events and various works to show and I am trying to decide what to write and show, I felt that they should all be in correct order.

But no, I will have to record today's event as it is still fresh in my mind and had made such an impression on my thoughts.

Every day, of every week of each month and year I am searching for new artists,

trying to find work that intrigues and moves me.

It is a little like prospecting for gold or that is how it seems to me, which is a little silly as there are many many fantastic artists working in all mediums out there,

but I am just searching for "my" gold and that is a little different.

I discovered one such artist [as had many others before me] maybe a year or so ago.

A young man named Will Teather.

I found his work so intriguing and desirable that I decided that it would be a waste of time trying to make contact with him.

He seemed to be in demand everywhere, was winning awards and was showing in so many

top class locations.

"Too late again", were my thoughts.

I moved on but never forgot his work and I would often search to find what he was up to.

I have explained that some artist's do also search us out, in the same way as I search them.

Serendipity? Is that the word I'm looking for.

One afternoon I had a call from Irene: "what do you think of that artist"?

"What artist"?

"Have you checked your mail today"?

"No".

"You had better, there is someone who is 'right up your street' who has mailed you".

To my surprise and great delight there was a mail from Will Teather.

He wanted to know if I would have an interest in his paintings as a friend had told him

that we were meant for each other.

After running around the gallery punching the air and saying "yes, yes", to myself

for a while I eventually gave him a call.

Some two months later [don't ask why] I eventually made the trip to his studio this morning.

With the aid of my SatNav I eventually found myself somewhere that I knew must be yards

from his studio, when I passed a very "up market" looking gallery.

"Bloody Hell", they had one of his paintings in the window,

I moved on to the next set of windows, made from curved sheets of glass.

"Just look at this place", I was thinking, then looking up I found an inscription on the glass.

WILL TEATHER

Purveyor of the Extraordinary.

So my journey in to the world [or studio] of Will Teather began.

He looked exactly as I imagined him to be, tall, bearded with long hair that fell about and hid his face.

A larger than life personality for a larger than life artist.

Although that was the exterior, the man himself was shy, gracious and very humble,

He kept thanking me for my "too" kind comments, and I knew that he meant it.

His studio? Disorganised chaos.

It was fantastic, a real Alladins cave, beautiful paintings were trying to be seen.

A fantastic leather mask was fighting for space next to a banana, a cycle helmet was beside the paints. Prints, objects, frames and artefacts were everywhere, and I mean everywhere,

I wouldn't have been surprised if there wasn't an Egyptian Mummy stored in there somewhere.

It was a beautiful mess, one only an artist can create.

But on every available wall space was an amazing painting, some finished and others with months or even a year of work still to be done before completition.

It was wonderful.

I loved it and would have been disappointed if it had been any different.

More will be told about the artist as I get to know him, as I am sure that there are a wealth of tales to tell, so that is something for me to look forward to.

There were some particular pieces of Will's work that I was really keen to see.

Like many, many other galleries I wanted to see his series of paintings concerning

'Maudeline Spacks'.

The tale of Maudeline is too long for me to tell

[I shall ask Will for an abbreviated version that I can post at a later date],

but suffice to say that she performed the

Worlds greatest vanishing act.

She appeared on stage in Sydney and London simultaneously with a televised link between

the two locations, the event was attended by many celebrities and was being recorded by all the media, it was to be her "big break".

Appear she did, but only to vanish, somewhere between the two locations.

The dress that she wore at the performance still remains, and it is this that has formed the focus of Will's paintings.

True, untrue? I know that there is a lot to tell and that Will has researched his subject well.

Either that or he made the bloody lot up.

But the story and the artefacts connected with it are fascinating, and his paintings and those in progress are beautiful, and I know for certainty that those unsold are being sought after

by various galleries and publishers.

The one thing I know for certainty is that Will Teather is going to be a name we will hear a great deal more of in the future. I stood in front of his paintings and felt that I was viewing something very special.

I came home with a few of them today.

Will told me to choose what I wanted, so I suppressed by greed and desire and chose four

smaller studies, along with a limited edition print

A print of the first of his work that I had come across, that was a lovely feeling.

So here we have them.

The first is the original painting that introduced me to Will the others are from the

"Maudeline Spacks" series.

2011-11-16T10:38:00.000-08:00

What to write about?

Each day that passes I feel the need and desire to write something, but what can I write?

I want it to have at least a little interest, but on a daily basis not enough happens that I think

would interest anyone, so I tend to let things slide for "another" day.

There is a blog that I read everyday by a dynamic lady named Tracey Broome

who lives in America.

I delight in what she writes, records and rants about, such an honest, open woman.

If only I had the nerve to record events as she does.

Still I suppose that telling the world that one artist or the other is on a big "ego trip" is not really a good thing to write.

At the same time I have to subscribe to the British lie that everything is great.

"Recession, what recession"?

According to some English artist's we should have more of them, as they have

"never had it so good".

Fantastic artists or fantastic liars? Hhhhhmmmmmmm.

Without a doubt some of the very best artists are doing really well as their work is

perceived as an investment in these troubled times.

Hang on!

What troubled times?

It is so very refreshing to read blogs and receive mails from people

and galleries from around the World

who actually have the courage to admit:

"some shows are shit, all people want to purchase is a beer and burger".

It is having contact like this that makes me smile.

My vote is going to Tracey Broome for president of the USA,

not only for her courage to "tell it like it is" but also for the amount of work that she does and the beautiful unusual "folk art" that she produces.

So what can I write that would be as interesting and honest as someone like her?

Not a lot, other than the usual self promotion that we all get a little bored with.

Well, I could have written pages about our present gallery location and offers of other premises, but a lot of that is too sensitive and would involve a lot of swearing, and I do enough

of that each day without putting it onto paper [screen].

So I come back to my dilemma of what I can write about.

Things like, "I sold that, I didn't sell this but there is a lot of interest in that painting"

it doesn't make really good reading.

But these are the daily events and it wouldn't interest me to read it, but maybe I am wrong

and these are the interesting things, because I suppose thinking about it seriously,

my life isn't ordinary.

So for better or worse here is today's offering.

One of the things that gives me great pleasure and much cause for excitement is to often wonder "whose art will I be showing this time next year"?

What a thought.

I know that there are so many fantastic artists out there who have been producing amazing work for many, many years, yet I do not even know of their existence.

But next year I might be exhibiting their art and we might even be friends.

What an incredible thought.

It has made me think about where does our gallery art come from

and how did it all come to fruition?

So here are a few examples.

An artist that I have mentioned before, "Kate Leiper", has been someone that I have chased after for years. Unfortunately so have many, many others, and as a result her work is in great demand and the chances of us getting anything here were very slim.

But, I can be an very persistent, [others would say rude] so I never gave up with her.

How could I, as I love her paintings so much?

Eventually she conceded to my many requests and we now have her work on the walls.

It is impossible to describe the pleasure that this gives me, it is something that I once thought would never happen but it has.

Her paintings "in the flesh" are even more beautiful than I imagined,

what a thrill, they are here and we are selling them so who knows where it might lead?

That is fun to dream about.

Earlier in the summer I visited a wonderful art fair. It was a three day event but I had to visit

the day before the opening to return some paintings to an exhibiting artist.

In a way this was like a very "private view" as I was able to look at so much varied work by so many artists without being hampered by other visitors.

I found one artist whose work was so very different, unusual and beautiful.

Carole Bury

I would "just have to have [I told Irene on the mobile] her best piece in the gallery".

I wanted it so much it hurt but I also knew that it was a waste of time to ask for it as the woman had three days of exhibiting in front of her".

To cut a very long story short, I showed her my heart and when the show ended I drove away

with her work in the car.

What she creates is so unusual.

It is individual paintings that are stitched between layers of transparent paper.

You have to see them to understand them.

Since the day I left with her 'masterpiece' in my car, she has sent me many others.

A kind and very talented lady.

Frequently I get chased and called by some artists who would like us to show their work.

This I find hard as I can be a little fussy plus I hate rejecting people,

I know that it is so easy to kill enthusiasm and talent, and it seems unfair

when the only criteria is my own taste and thoughts.

From experience I understand that a few negative words can cause a lot of damage.

I find it easier to be rejected than to make the decision to reject the

people who approach me, but I do it, and on a weekly basis.

So it was with one young sculptor who approached me, I felt that her ideas weren't right for me,

I liked a lot of her work very much but a question mark hung in the air.

One year later we met early in the morning, miles from both our homes and her beautiful

work was transferred from her car to mine.

What a result.

I love it, it is well conceived and crafted and each piece tells a story which for me is so important, it doesn't matter if the story that it tells is different to the one in her own mind,

it tells a story and provokes a lot of thought.

So thank you, Clare Walker

for persisting, calling and mailing me many times, you have made me feel so very fortunate to have your work on show.

Other works have arrived recently, each with a tale to tell but my day has been long and I want

to go home to a welcome of dogs.

The people at home gave up on seeing me hours ago.

2011-10-17T09:40:00.000-07:00

While other events have been taking place and occupying most of my attention

it has been business as usual behind the scenes here at the gallery.

Well, not really "as usual", because the past few weeks have seen the arrival of various different

pieces of work.

Some expected and eagerly awaited, some anticipated and some desired but with no expectation that they would ever come to us.

So despite the fact that I have other things to display I couldn't hold back any longer from showing a few pieces.

These are from a Sottish artist, a sculptor from Sussex and another from France.

I have long desired to show their work,

but apart from Melanie Bourget the French sculptor I had all but given up on the other two.

Guy Holder, the wildlife sculptor.

I remember contacting him very shortly after we first opened, I asked if I could show

some of his ceramic Owls.

It was a waste of time as he explained that he had just signed a one year contract to a gallery

in Cambridge, the terms of the contract forbid him to show with any other gallery

within East Anglia.

If you live outside England you will not understand that East Anglia is a very large area

which is made up from three counties, or states.

It is very large and for anyone to enter into such an arrangement they had to be

mad or desperate.

I have since spoken with other artists who had at some time signed with the same gallery,

they all say the same, "never again".

So with Guy I waited a frustrating year before I approached him again.

He was out of his contract but was now designing for companies who were manufacturing his work on a larger scale.

So he was still unable to let me have anything.

I think I remember trying on another couple of occasions but still with no luck.

But never say never.

I am often told that I should forget some people and "just move on",

but unfortunately that isn't my nature.

So a few weeks ago for the first time I met Guy "in the flesh" and told him that I had contacted him in the past..........................................

"Hang on, are you Imagine Gallery"? He asked

"I was about to contact you to ask would you take my new sculptures"?

Yes Please.

So, it goes to show that stubbornness and persistence do sometimes pay off.

I am showing only one piece by Guy at the moment as I want to photograph them all properly so that people will understand why I persisted.

Next, is Melanie Bourget the French sculptor.

I have loved and coveted her sculptures for a long time, and we have corresponded for a while,

so I knew that with her work it was just a case of when and not if.

She recently came to London so we met for the first time.

It was very entertaining trying to converse, with her minimal understanding of English

and with only my "school boy" French we struggled to have a complete conversation.

But with lots of smiling and pointing and picture drawing we came to an agreement eventually.

Unfortunately for me our first meeting coincided with two major exhibitions of her work

in France and then Canada, so my choice was limited slightly, but not that it mattered as I loved everything that she presented me with.

So here is the start of her work with us, next year I am hoping for an exhibition.

We will see.

Last, but by no means least.

These are the paintings of a woman from Scotland

who I have been pursuing for a couple of years.

Kate Leiper.

I had managed to get some limited edition prints from her a while ago

but I was still longing for a few original paintings.

One in particular.

At last week they arrived, including the one I had most desired.

"Jennyanydots"

A strange name for an equally strange painting.

"Mine at last", it was such a strange experience to hold it in my hands and be able to study it

properly, instead of just looking at photographs.

Of course I had to show it to the world, so into the window it went just before I left for home.

Next morning, within three minutes of opening it was sold.

I suppose that is what it is all about having a gallery, but sometimes, just sometimes,

it would be nice for things not to sell.

Well at least for a day, any longer and I would start to worry.

So here above are the objects of my desire.

Two of Kate's paintings, two of Melanie's ladies and just one of Guys

[fictitious Owls].

2011-10-15T06:20:00.000-07:00

Trying to catch up on neglected jobs I haven't had a chance to show anything else that is being shown in the exhibition.

Why is it that the things that you want to do most always go to the bottom of the list?

I dunno, but it happens everyday.

So today having a brief break from chores I am taking the opportunity to put a few

new pieces on show.

At the exhibition opening Jackie Morris was taking photographs of everything on show,

[unlike me as I totally forgot until it was too late].

Some of her pictures she put on display on her Facebook,

as a result there has been a lot of interest in the work of one woman in particular.

Eleanor Bartleman.

Ellie is a very clever woman, plus a very kind person.

She drove all the way from Devon just to bring me two small sculptures,

she wanted to make sure that they arrived intact,

plus she says that she likes to see where her work will be shown.

This is pretty unusual but certainly very refreshing.

It is a pity that we hadn't discussed it before, as two nights before I drove 10 hours to

Devon and back to collect something else so we could have met up on route.

However, it was lovely to have her visit and to have the time to talk,

and even nicer to open her boxes after she left.

I wanted to wait until she had left because I knew that I would be delighted with what she had

created and I wanted to take my time and linger over each piece.

A little like you did as a child when you were down to the last few unopened presents at Christmas.

Both pieces are beautiful and one is very unusual.

It is a totally different take on 'Little Bo - Peep'.

It explains why maybe she lost her sheep.

The other is equally as beautiful and has a real presence about it.

' To Market, To Market, To Buy A Fat Pig '.

It is lovely but what makes it special is the angelic face and eyes of the young boy.

If he was real he would be in films.

So I thought I had better show them quick before Jackie takes any more credit

for discovering them and Ellie.

Although of course no one discovered her, as she was never lost.

But I am proud to have her here.

Another woman who comes from the same part of the country

[well actually Cornwall but that's close]

is the very clever Jane Ryan.

Jane makes toys, wooden toys for adults.

Actually they are toys for all ages , but I somehow think that the story they tell and with the verses written upon them they are perhaps enjoyed more by "big children".

They all work and are meant to be played with and the three that arrived for the exhibition

were certainly played with at the exhibition opening.

They look very simple but the workings are very complex and very well conceived and crafted.

Regardless of anything else the old wooden plinths that they stand on are a thing of beauty,

I have an image in my mind of Jane spending hours on the beach each day searching for

driftwood, maybe not but it is hard to imagine that they came from anywhere else.

Plus I like the romantic image in my mind.

The piece above is 'March Winds April Showers',

as the handle is turned the woman waters the flowers which then grow.

Very clever.

Her version of 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star' sold at the opening but we do still have

'Lavenders Blue Lavenders Green'...........Love Machine.

With a title like that you just know that it is different.

The spoon on the stand is yet another creation from the multi talented Karen.

Simple and beautiful, is the best way to describe it.

With the title it explains itself.

"A Swarm of Bees In June Is Worth A Silver Spoon".

Although the spoon might be antique silver the Bees are cast from Pewter.

Karen created them from clay

"holding them with a toothpick, as they were drying too fast in my fingers".

Then when they had been fired she cast them individually, each individual Bee is beautiful and highly detailed and I couldn't help but ask "wouldn't it have been easier to have cast from life"?

She told me "no", because all of the real detail would be lost and the only way she could show detail was by exaggerating everything.

I have since found this is true as I have seen various insects including Bees that have been cast from life and they all appear fuzzy and blurred.

What she will make next is any ones guess but I just know that the best of Karen's work is still to come and I know that she will go onto great things.

It is not if, just when.

2011-10-10T06:53:00.000-07:00

Although I intend to I never get to write anything before an exhibition as it seems

that the last weeks and days disappear in a blur.

A blur of travel and worry.

Travel, because some of the promised work still isn't finished and it means that it wouldn't be

here for the opening unless collected at the last minute.

Worry, because I am never sure if everything will be here and also because you never know

how the opening will go, and the most important priority is that I don't want

to let the artist or artists down.

So as usual thirty minutes before the door was opened I was cleaning, arranging, printing prices, panicking and getting in a sweat.

It's the same every time and I suppose it always will be, as I think that even with another day or even a week I would still find more to do and even more to worry about.

But at last the door was opened to waiting people and the exhibition was underway.

People were viewing, Jackie Morris the illustrator was signing her new book

and I was enjoying a glass of wine.

Well, to tell the truth I wasn't enjoying it I was just drinking it because there was the rest of the day to get through and still much to worry about.

There wasn't really, but I think I just enjoy worrying.

I had been looking forward to the arrival of many of the pieces of art that were being shown

and it was a real pleasure to see everything set out and to be able to enjoy the things that I

had only known from photographs.

It is strange that although I wish for everything to sell at an exhibition a part of me wants nothing to go, so that I can have the continued pleasure of looking at things. In theory I should have that pleasure for at least a couple of weeks but we have always had a policy that if people have made long journeys to come here then we would allow them to take their purchase with them.

Fortunately many people are from a thirty mile radius but many do undertake journey's of

many hours to be arrive here.

The result of this is that some of the exhibits that I would like myself and others to enjoy vanish sooner rather than later.

So it is some of the "disappeared" that I will show first.

The very first sale [apart from many of Jackie's books] was for a most unusual sculpture,

made by a very unusual person.

The artist is a lovely lady named Lorell Lehman, who unfortunately for me lives in Australia.

Unfortunately, because I would love to show much more of her work,

but I think that the distance will make it too hard.

Everything she makes is innocent and beautiful, a little like the creator.

Although, perhaps her Goblins and other such creatures aren't so innocent.

Whatever, Lorell's contribution to the exhibition was a inspired by her

favourite childhood nursery rhyme.

"A Pobble".

In fact "the" Pobble.

'The Pobble Who Has No Toes', written by Edward Lear.

I confess I had never heard of this, and when receiving photographs prior to the arrival I wasn't sure what to think.

Then I read the Rhyme/Poem, and instantly I fell in love with him.

The story is so silly, old fashioned, innocent and full of nonsense, it is impossible not to love it,

or the sculpture that it inspired.

In fact this sculpture shows Pobble before he lost his toes, but! Protecting his nose, because.

"it's perfectly known that a Pobble's toes

Are safe,-----provided he minds his nose."

It was a piece of sculpture that only comes along "once in a long while".

I was sorry to see him go, but happy to know that he is now living with two of the nicest

customers we have known. So I think he will be happy and cared for.

The pictures above show him about to embark on his swim across the Bristol Channel.

His bell is of course to warn ships away, but I'm sure you realised that anyway.

The other picture shows a totally different sort of work.

It was made by my best friend Karen, and again it is total nonsense but in an instant tells

what the exhibition was all about.

"Four & Twenty Blackbirds", who wouldn't recognise that?

Although I did hear someone looking through the window the evening before the opening

telling people that there were only 21 Blackbirds.

Maybe he was the village idiot [like every village/town we do have one or maybe two].

I am so pleased that Karen created this piece for us as I know that she is under a lot of pressure

and has a baby due soon, so she didn't need me calling saying

"our exhibition is nearly on us".

But typically she managed to make us some special pieces just in time.

She told me that it had been on her mind that "I can't let John down", and I was very moved

by this statement from someone who certainly doesn't need extra pressure at this time.

She also created a VERY unusual clock.

"Hickory, Dickory, Dock...................."

That I didn't have a chance to photograph and never will, as it left with Jackie Morris

who had been undecided about different treasures but eventually left with this unique object,

complete with Mice running up and down and with an Owl perched waiting to catch them.

It is these sort of innocent pieces that made the whole exhibition fun, along with the presence

of the incredible Jackie Morris, who without any complaint talked and signed for hours on end.

She was so nice she didn't even complain about my grumpy nature.

Stress doesn't tend to bring out the best in me.

Thank you to everyone, it was a very enjoyable and light hearted start to an exhibition.

2011-10-01T09:21:00.000-07:00

Lots of new things to show and I can't believe that I haven't been displaying them here,

but I have come to understand that I don't enjoy writing and showing things when I feel down.

Unfortunately there has been one prolonged ongoing incident that has been really annoying me and I find it amazing that one bad feeling undermines all of the good things that happen.

But such is life.

I won't mention the subject of of my recent cause for disappointment at the moment as it would detract from what I will write about, and that is not fair for others.

But I will just say the problem was caused by bureaucracy and small minded

"jobsworth" people.

Because of the long lapse I am really behind in talking about current and future events,

one of which is almost upon us.

Anyone who has read things that I have written before will know that we always have on

display some of the original paintings by the Artist, Author, Illustrator

Jackie Morris.

Next week sees the publication of her 28th book [well I think it's 28].

She not only writes and illustrates her own award winning books but also produces the covers of books for many famous authors.

In fact it was only after we started showing her art that I realised that much of it I was familiar with without ever having known that she was the creator.

In fact anyone who has been into a bookshop in the past ten years will probably recognise her art as it is featured on the covers of so many "best selling" books.

So next Saturday we are going to do something that we have never done before,

we are holding a book launch.

Well actually it's not just a book launch it is also an exhibition.

Jackie's new book is an illustrated collection of children's nursery rhymes, so it was decided

[probably by me]

that we would hold an exhibition based upon the theme of "Nursery Rhymes"

to accompany the launch and book signing.

Book signing?

Well that will be something different again because Jackie being the unusual person that she is

doesn't "just" sign her books, she always draws a unique sketch in the front of each book

which makes each unique and collectible in its own way.

So it's Jackie, signing and drawing plus a very unusual exhibition.

I admit that this event is bringing more than its fair share of stress

[referred to at start of post]

and is going to be "close to the wire", as I kept thinking of different people that I would like to participate, as a result there have been lots of late calls made and there is still work being

created by different people.

I know it will all come together at the last minute but at the moment the next week looks like it will disappear in a flurry of trips around the country.

In fact while I am writing this I have just thought of another sculptor who I think would

be interested, but of course it's far too late to contact her, isn't it.

No, yes, no, "oh, don't be stupid John of course it is".

Right that does it, as soon as I have finished this I will call her, after all she must know by now that I'm mad, and would expect nothing less.

Mad and excited by beautiful things, that's me.

Beautiful things?

The new book by Jackie Morris is titled 'The Cat and the Fiddle' but this was a last minute change by the editor as for a long time the book was to be named

'A Rhyme in Time'.

Indeed Jackie had painted the front cover and it was this that became the inspiration

for the exhibition.

The cover was to show her painting of a "magical clock", a clock depicting many famous characters, animals and creatures from nursery rhymes.

I fell in love with the painting of the clock as soon as Jackie sent me an image.

"If only it was a real clock", were my thoughts.

Now it is.

An old friend from childhood who is now an incredibly talented jeweller was persuaded to create the clock as a real working timepiece.

Jonathan Mayle.

I know that Jon understood exactly the amount of work that he was committing to, but for some reason he agreed to "have a go".

Have a go, in Jon's language means "you will get the best clock you can imagine",

and we have done.

In fact it became a collaboration with his artist/sculptor wife Jan, as it was she that undertook to paint the brass figures to replicate the original painting.

Of course the book editor decided to disrupt all of our plans and two weeks before the book

went off to the printers "she" fell in love with another painting and decided that this would be the cover, and guess what?

The title didn't fit the painting so she changed that also.

So the clock painting became the "end plates" for the publication.

I admit that it was a long time before I had the courage to call Jonathan and tell him the news.

Still why should he mind? He had only been working on the clock for two months.

It says a lot for his nature that he took it in his stride, there were no ego problems here.

He continued working on it and finally with the additions of Jan's painting it was finished.

The painting brought to life.

A real working clock, created from copper, brass, silver and gold and including precious stones.

It is now in a case hanging in the gallery and it looks beautiful.

Next week the original painting will hang alongside Jon's creation,

I would love to think that they will find a joint home, they deserve and should stay together.

In memory of the original title and as a dedication to Jonathan's countless hours of work

our exhibition is called "A Rhyme in Time".

As well as many unusual pieces of art there will be other clocks on show,

but none that took as long in the creation as this.

The pictures above show the invitation cover depicting Jackie's inspiring painting.

The clock in the "early" [six weeks] stages.

The back cover showing the clock before being secured in a case.

The inside of the invitation showing various works by different artist's including the one that

has been the cause of my recent upset.

But I will tell you more of that as the artist really deserves

recognition for the effort that she took to be involved in this exhibition.

If anyone wants to order a signed book with unique illustration let me know as we will only

have a limited number and we are expecting a lot of Jackie fans at the opening.

2011-09-10T09:32:00.000-07:00

I have the desire to write every day but as this isn't a personal blog [well it is a little bit]

it makes it harder, I can't write about the daily things that happen and are very important in my life as I had wanted to keep the blog restricted to the gallery.

I am aware that many galleries now keep "blogs", or as far as I'm concerned they are just advertisements as they are only posted about six times a year and might consist of

"Please come on Wednesday when we will be showing new paintings by Doris Day",

of course the same people are putting the same heartfelt message on 'twitter', f'acebook',

and anything else you can think of.

Maybe I should be doing that.

But for me the height of technology and interest is 'blogging'.

I once mentioned a long while ago I was urged to do this by an artist who told me

"we want to know what happens behind the scenes,

come on give us the dirt on everybody, tell us what it is like everyday".

If only she knew how many times her words run through my mind, and how much I would love

to give the details of what goes on.

But, alas I am unable to tell everything, instead I have to "skirt" around it and maybe just hint

about what happens, and the various egos involved.

So the prolonged gap in posting is because lots has happened.

So, lots happened so why not write about it?

Because for every artist that gives me great pleasure to deal with there is at least one other

who is shallow and really disrupts the peace and pleasure of having a gallery.

So I try to give a "thumbnail" of how it is to run a gallery, but I would never be able to do what I was encouraged to do at the start and "tell all".

However, of course the good times outweigh the bad and most people/artists are lovely, and have become my best friends and enriched my life more than I could ever explain.

Today being one example.

I had the unexpected but delightful visit from two sculptors who work together,

Paul Priest and Gaynor Ostinelli.

We are fortunate that our relationship with them works well, although it's not too surprising as they are totally easy going, I don't think that they have even worked out how many letters are in the word ego, plus they always travel a long distance to bring me new work, without any complaint, and that is a very generous thing.

It is a strange that every time I think "what I need now is something by Paul and Gay"

a day or two later they turn up with something new.

As far as they are concerned their work is never " perfect", there is always something that troubles them about it, but at the end of each visit Paul will say,

"well my friend, you just wait and see what we are working on now, you will love it".

I do, but every time they feel that they can "do better for next time.

I think they passed being "very good a long while ago.

I must confess that Paul does get my own 'award' for being the most appreciative artist.

He once told me, "if anyone ever says to me again what does a gallery do other than take your money? Then I'm going to send them here, you work your socks off for us".

It is easy to see why I like them.

So today started with one of their visits, which was brilliant but immediately left me in the dilemma of "what shall I put where, and who should I be showcasing".

I say this because I have recently been sent work by various artist/sculptors that I like and admire and the desire is to put them all in the main window, but that is impossible without making it look silly, so instead I will rotate them around.

In truth I don't want to part with any of their work, I do want to sell it but I hate the thought of parting with it.

Above are a few of the different works that I have received recently.

Of course there are todays arrivals by the "Ostinelli/Priest" collaboration, which are the Hounds and the magnificent Bull.

Another is the bronze "puppet" by my hero Emma Rodgers.

The unusual and beautiful "Head"is by the lovely and incredibly shy but very talented

Helen Nottage.

It is a real treat to show her work.

We have shown her since she was at art collage, now she sells through auction rooms,

and of course still us.

It is so nice to have that continuity and to be involved in an artists progression.

It is what having a gallery is all about.

So how could I not mention the artist whose painting is at the bottom

[only on the list of pictures not in my mind]?

Lindsey Carr.

In fact the same person who urged me to start a blog.

Today is a very important day for her, she has the opening of her first

Solo exhibition in America.

Her first solo exhibition ever was here, and is something I will always be proud and grateful for, this young woman is destined for very great things.

So if you are anywhere near Culver City in California then go and see her exhibition.

The work shown above does vary a little,

the only common link is that I love it all and the artists have given me great pleasure.

2011-08-24T09:19:00.000-07:00

What shall I photograph next? I have been thinking.

A job I really hate. I want to show the varied works that we have but I really dislike the process of taking pictures and preparing them for show on the Internet.

Why? It is simple many of you must think, and I do admire the people who can just "snap away"

and show their wares. But when what you are displaying is created by someone else it is a lot harder.

I would rather show nothing [and I often do] than present someones art in a manner that doesn't do full justice to the work, so because of this I take less pictures than I should.

So back to my original thoughts of what I should show next.

Of course new arrivals are always in my mind because they have been the cause of my latest excitement and because they are fresh to me I want to show the world what I have found.

So this afternoon I had a look around, made a mental list of what to photograph, then looked again. I was amazed to see how many beautiful things that we are showing that I have never

mentioned, so instead of what I was going to photograph and show I decided to concentrate on

other pieces of work that I love equally as much but have never got around to presenting.

Of course they [or similar pieces] are always on show here but I have never shown them to a wider audience, so I will try to start rectifying that now.

So today I am showing the dramatic, yet very gentle and very emotive ceramics of

Anja Lubach.

We have shown Anja work for as long as I can remember, and I find it as beautiful and moving today as the first time I ever held a piece in my hands.

It is made from porcelain,

and more than any work I have known it relies upon light.

The same piece will take on so many different characteristics depending on how it is illuminated.

Many people have purchased her work and told me

"I am going to put candles in it".

Having heard the same statement many times

I still manage to express surprise at such a good idea.

But then it is a good idea.

Other people have told me "oh! these are really creepy".

On those occasions much as I have wanted to I have so far managed to hold back from saying

"see that door? Get out of it you ******* idiot".

Yes you can tell that I really am a people person.

Anja's work is incredible, well crafted and it is a constant delight and surprise to me that there

is not a lot of it offered for sale elsewhere.

Her small beakers are a delight and really affordable and intended to be used, but I will admit that it would take a stronger spirit than mine to pour coffee/tea or wine into one.

Which is a great shame because they are intended for daily use and I'm sure the pleasure of the piece could only be heightened by constant handling.

What's more unusual is you could even afford to break one and then only mourn the loss of the object rather than the "financial disaster" that has just occurred.

Now that is a rare thing.

I have tried without success to give a feeling of how her work looks but it really does depend upon the lighting, so here is a very small mixture, I hope it just gives a small understanding of what these beautiful ceramics are like.

I have known for a long time that she is going to be "great" but I very much doubt that a thought like that has ever gone though her mind.

I am VERY proud that her work is always here on show and feel a little shamed that I haven't talked about her in the past.

Better late than never.

Thank you Anja.

2011-08-15T09:37:00.000-07:00

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.

2011-08-13T06:20:00.000-07:00

After spending the last three weeks travelling around the country it feels nice to have my life back again. Although the various trips have been fun and as a result the gallery is full of new treasures.

Too many things have happened in a short time so there are lots of tales to tell about many artists that I have met recently, and I admit my memories and thoughts are getting muddled and are overlapping a little bit, so perhaps it is easiest for me just to mention my very last visit.

This was to Liverpool where I was going to collect work from the amazing sculptor

Emma Rodgers.

We have been privileged to have been showing Emma's work for a number of years, I can't remember when I first spoke with her but I do remember I was nervous.

Perhaps I need to explain that Emma is something of a legend in ceramic circles, and indeed if

you were to talk of sculptors with most potters you will find that most have only heard of two

and one of those will be Emma.

As first and foremost she is a ceramic sculptor.

So in a small circle she is very famous.

Moving beyond the ceramic circle you find that she has even greater worldwide recognition.

She no longer works exclusively with clay, most of her work now is cast in bronze and is in great demand with collectors around the world, but of course as everyone knows once you have touched clay then you are hooked for life, so she still does produce ceramic sculptures and these are the pieces I cherish the most.

Just imagine how it feels to hold a sculpture by such a well known person knowing that

"this is the only piece in the world", it isn't one of an edition but is truly unique.

Knowing that these are the things that I like whenever I call Emma she will ask

"tell me what sort of pieces you want".

Usually that will be "A Rook and anything else you have, like another Rook".

Of course she does send us some of these but being a little wiser than myself she will intersperse them with other lovely pieces.

I will admit her work fits into the "love it or hate it" arena and we sometimes have the occasional idiot visiting the gallery complaining that they are too disturbing, but more frequently people are overcome by the shear power and emotion in her work.

She is such a very clever and fascinating lady and I am lucky enough to know her a little.

I was travelling to see her after attending the last day of a ceramic show 'Art in Clay'.

This show is a must on my yearly calendar as I know many of the artists showing there and it is

always an opportunity to collect new work and talk with old friends.

So with the rain pouring down and the show coming to a close I packed the car with the new work I had collected, set my 'SatNav' for Liverpool and set of for what was to be a very interesting visit.

Although I have wanted to for a long while I had never visited Emma's studio before and I was both excited and slightly nervous about the prospect.

Excited because it was going to be a new experience and nervous because I was frightened of doing or saying the wrong things, and as a result scaring her away.

This sounds stupid but I find I feel like it a lot when I am visiting someone who I really admire.

Perhaps it's because you are visiting what is their most personal and private space, and that deserves a lot of respect and I don't want to spoil that for them in anyway.

I needn't have worried with Emma, firstly she is such an easy going down to earth person,

secondly, as soon as I arrived she bundled me back into the car

and took me off to another work space of hers.

A foundry.

I have only visited such a place once before and found it fascinating, this time even more so

as the whole making process was explained to me by Emma and her friend the owner.

For some time she has been working in this strange and totally non private work space, for the new sculpture that she is creating is on a very grand scale and had it been built at her studio then it couldn't have been transported.

So in this giant industrial building this small woman [not frail] has been working away in a corner, building a most beautiful sculpture from wax.

So involved in her work was she that within minutes of introducing me to the casting team

she was standing at the sculpture adding and smoothing lumps of wax.

Oblivious to what was happening around her she stood in her raincoat with handbag still on her shoulder deeply engrossed with her art.

She only paused and then stopped when I asked how the finished piece will look.

How to describe it.

I think all I can really do is to show a photograph of it when it is finished and in "situ" on a small hillside in the county of Shropshire.

It is a running woman with a long trailing dress under which is sheltering and running with her

a hare. I believe her name is Melangell and she is protecting the hare from the huntsman.

Although very large in scale, even at this stage the sculpture looked light and very delicate.

I have promised myself that one day I will visit the site were it is to be installed, I can just imagine it in a winters mist, the woman running down the hill with her ten foot bronze dress flowing behind her. Still that's for another day.

So rushing on and missing out my tour of Liverpool and our conversation, I did eventually

visit Emma's own private and very intimate studio.

It was almost like a small museum, every surface and wall space was covered by the many varied objects and stuffed animals that inspire her.

I will return and tell you of one incredible sculpture that I had journeyed to collect

but rather than use more words I will just show some snapshots of her studio.

I intend to visit that place again, but next time there will be no nervousness as Emma had made me so welcome, showed me so much and given me such an incredible glimpse into her world.

2011-08-05T09:50:00.000-07:00

Often nothing gets written simply because there is too much to tell.

On these occasions I tend to dither about what to write for so long that in the end it seems unimportant and not worth telling about which then ends my dilemma.

I think it's called being lazy.

Now it is that time of year when there is lots going on in the art world especially with ceramics,

there are shows and fairs up and down the length of our small country

and I try to visit as many as I can.

Most of the time I encounter the same people, which is strange in itself as you can start

a conversation in Oxfordshire and the following week conclude it in Scotland.

It feels almost like we are travellers on the road and only get to meet and talk in locations

far from home, but I have developed some good relationships maybe even friendships

with different artists whose studios I have never visited.

It is funny to think that at times they seem too far away to visit but I will think nothing of

driving hundreds of miles in the knowledge and anticipation of meeting them in

varied locations which are home to none of us.

I can be great fun sometimes and I suppose I regard these as my little adventures,

certainly they are the closest that I ever come to having a holiday

which is perhaps a sad reflection on my life.

So my last few weeks [and another to come] have been occupied with journeys.

On Sunday I go on another first to Hertfordshire and then from there to Liverpool.

What makes it interesting and fun for me is that I have no idea [well only a little] of what

I may return to the gallery with, the only thing that is certain is that by this time next week it will look totally different here to how it is today, but it will look beautiful of that I'm sure.

So my thoughts have been very much centered on the various new pieces of work that have

started to fill spaces in the gallery,

but what has occupied my thoughts more is the the anticipation

of what we may have here in the future.

Well isn't that human nature? We always want what we haven't got.

A lot of what I am anticipating and desire is coming from Ireland

We have different art from that island on show in the gallery at all times and the place itself is constantly in my thoughts.

The past two weeks have seen me being very fortunate as because of the fairs I have been able to collect new work from different Irish artists without the need to travel there,

although the excuse would have been welcome.

But there is still other art from that country that I desire and which may arrive very soon.

So rather than tell you about my trips [which I may do] I am just going to show you

pictures of different art I have collected and some that I will collect soon.

Of course I won't be happy until I have everything.

The various work above is by the sculptor Christy Keeney and the two painters

David Shanahan and Jimmy Lawlor.

I will admit that it is unlikely that I will have the exact paintings above by Jimmy as they

are sold, but that makes the anticipation of what I might have even more exciting,

like I was saying you want what you haven't yet got.

2011-07-25T09:21:00.000-07:00

It is impossible to run a gallery and show the very personal work of different artists and just treat it just as a normal job.

What they are making, what they are up to in life and their well being is something that becomes very important.

Basically, I suppose what I am trying to say is that they become your friends.

Without intention and usually with just the occasional meeting they become very important to me. In fact I admit with some it perhaps goes too far and we argue, sulk,

and sometimes even fall out for a while.

I think it is all because what they produce is so important to them and then in the same way becomes important to me.

I can't think of any other group of people or individuals [outside my family] whose lives have ever become so entwined with my own.

Many days I will have go through my mind

"I haven't heard from XXXXXXX for a while, I hope they are OK".

But as Irene has explained to me many times they have their own lives to lead, and just because

they haven't called for a recent chat doesn't mean anything.

I think that is the way it works with friendship, and I certainly know that with some artists

the fact that we don't talk often means nothing, they know I think about them and vice versa.

Perhaps this applies to one artist more than most.

He is Mark Rowney.

In fact I have a vague memory that he was the subject of my first ever post and if I had the time he would be the subject of many more, or perhaps even a book, as there is so much to tell.

The short story is that Mark was raised as the son of a cowboy

on a Ranch in North Yorkshire.

You don't see many of those nowadays [if ever].

The rest as they say is history, or a least a very long story.

After many adventures [and even more careers], in various countries he eventually

settled down to a life of being an artist back in the County where he was born.

But what an artist he had become, his unusual life has left him with a wealth of varied talents,

from his stunning paintings on wood to his equally amazing leather carvings.

We are fortunate that he allows us to show a variety of his different works and I am never sure what I love more, in fact I am not even going to try and compare them.

I love them equally

It is a little like having two or three artists who share the same name.

Towards the end of next year we are going to be holding a solo show of his work,

something that I am really looking forward to, and what is nice so is Mark, the event will be

a pleasure for us both [and a great excuse to have a pint and a good chat].

He is one of those people that when we occasionally talk the conversation will be something like

"I was thinking about what you said........................."

and this would have been something we may have been talking about months before.

So it is always a pleasure to hear from Mark, and today more than most.

Last week marked the opening of a new gallery in North Yorkshire, well not really a gallery,

a complex of artist studios plus a gallery area which caters for every kind of artist

from painters, sculptors, blacksmith's to recording artists.

The new studios were to be opened by His Royal Highness Prince Edward and it was felt that to mark the occasion he should be presented with a special gift,

something that spoke of the art of the region.

Of course the artist chosen was Mark Rowney.

His gift.

A book, carved from leather and which took a month to create.

None of this I was aware of until today when I received a "what I've been up to" mail

from Mark, written as usual in his casual unassuming way.

He included a few pictures of the book covers and himself with Prince Edward.

What struck me as really important is that the work [books] he has sent to me are equally

as beautiful and must have taken the same time to make as each was special for our gallery.

So Prince Edward is a fortunate man but I think he was aware of that as he has promised Mark that he intends to write in it regularly [it is a journal], and I am sure he will.

The one difference between "his" meeting with Mark and my own is I doubt that Mark asked

"have you got time for a swift pint before you go mate".

But knowing Mark nothing would surprise me.

Above are a picture of the front and back cover, followed by the bookends

[note the Royal Crest on the butterfly].

Then Mark with H.R.H. Prince Edward, with some of Marks incredible leather pictures

in the background.

I'm not positive but I'm pretty sure that in the last picture Mark is saying

" you sure you wont have just a quick half then, I'm buying "?

Or maybe it's only me that is lucky enough to receive those special invitations.

Well done Mark.

2011-07-13T07:02:00.000-07:00

Should I do a short post, or none at all?

When I am in the mood and have the time I enjoy clearing my cluttered mind and writing about things, but there are times [most times] when I haven't the time as there always seems to be "just one" more important thing to get done before giving myself the luxury of writing.

Little things, like answering a telephone every five minutes.

Hey! I spoke with an artist [Jackie Morris] yesterday and she has told me that she is getting the patent on a "bouncy phone", one you can throw at the wall went it rings constantly.

She has one definite sale here.

I love the thought of throwing it out of the door and shouting after it "and don't come back".

It's nice to dream.

So I am going for the short post.

At the moment we are holding an exhibition featuring the work of four different artists.

I have already shown some of the ceramics we are showing by John Bedding

and without a doubt I will show others in another post.

They really are some of the best pots that I have seen for a very long time, pictures just don't do justice to their beauty, plus the scale that he works at is unbelievable.

From very small through to gigantic pieces and what is unusual is that he can enlarge the scale of a pot yet still keep its form and beauty, something that not too many potters are able to do nowadays, sometimes it seems to be a case of "it's big so it must be good" but for me that doesn't work, big isn't always better but in John's case it is.

They look dynamic, and I don't say that lightly, it just looks as if I am going to have to purchase one for myself.

Decisions, decisions, what a lovely dilemma to have with his work.

John's ceramics are not the only beautiful things that we are showing, there are many different

pieces of art on show.

Some by a man I have been wanting to show for a long, long time and now at last his work is here and I can really appreciate the beauty of it.

Jan Morgan is the artist, a sculptor.

What I so love about his work, apart from the skill involved is the narrative in each piece.

I love story telling, in fact I think we all do, and when I look at Jan's sculptures my mind races

off on different journeys making up different tales that end frozen at a point in time which is

what Jan has captured.

His idea of presentation is second to none and I just know that we are going to see and hear a lot more about his art in years to come.

For now they are mine to enjoy.

Apart from the exhibition which I shall return to, I have a lot on at the moment.

It is coming to that time of year when almost every artist in every genre's is showing at some

large event somewhere in the country, and of course they are usually far apart.

So I have the calendar on the desk covered in dates and locations.

Some I will make others I will regret missing so I just have to hope that I make the right choice of locations and artists to visit.

At least it will give me a legitimate excuse for a mini holiday, with time to think and plan.

Driving for hours isn't fun but at least it enables me to think over future plans and ideas.

Of future plans?

We have a massive one taking shape at the moment.

Now, that really will be a long post [or many] for the near future.

What a tease I am.

2011-07-02T08:55:00.000-07:00

Thinking about things that I should have written about, but didn't get around to I thought that I might show you some art that has really been occupying my mind and getting me excited.

"Thaddeus Erdahl".

The wonderful thing about the Internet and blogging for me is that it opens up the whole world,

so no longer do I feel that I have to chase after the over exposed English artists, I can now look and lust after work on a worldwide scale.

Can you imagine just how frustrating that is?

There are lots of artists out there but every now and then I am able to discover

something that is to me "real gold".

As I have said many times, everything that I show is for my enjoyment and pleasure.

It is these pieces of art that sell for me, maybe it is because like minded people come into the gallery knowing that they might find something they are searching for, or maybe it is because I talk more [non stop] about the things I love.

Not to try and sell them, just so that I can try and make people appreciate them as I do.

The trouble is it that it usually works and then that particular piece disappears to a new home.

So back to my current love and obsession.

The incredible, strange, disturbing, beautiful and so well crafted sculptures by Thaddeus.

I can't remember how I discovered him [he wasn't lost, I just found him],

but I am so pleased that I have.

One day before too long some of his strange work will be here on display,

and for me that day can't be too soon.

As soon as they arrive I will show you our strange new treasures, but until then this is a sample

of what I hope will arrive one day.

It seems so odd, these works coming from a place I haven't been to and from an artist I haven't met, but it also seems so normal.

We have met, in a different way, and do know a little of each other and it is the fact that we both love the same things that makes it all seem so normal.

2011-07-01T08:15:00.000-07:00

With such a long gap it's hard to know where to start, the longer it has become the more I have felt inclined to leave it "until another day".

The realisation that another day means "sometime never", made me decide to focus a little and at least write something, so for what it's worth here it is.

I find it hard to believe that we have gone from one exhibition to almost another and that I have written nothing about daily events.

They couldn't have been that interesting, I tell myself.

A new exhibition is almost upon us, I admit that this has caught me out a little because for some reason I thought that I had another week until I had a call from my printer asking me

"are you sure you don't need these invitations sooner".

Blimey, I did, what was I thinking of.

So at least they have arrived in time, been sent out, and as as a result I have become a lot more focused.

For the first time ever we are going to hold a "Summer Exhibition".

I have always thought that these sort of titles were a bit of a "cop out" and I have interpreted

Summer/Autumn/Winter/Spring exhibitions as meaning

"this is all we have, we can't think of anything so come and buy it anyway".

So to think that the day would come when I would do such a thing was unbelievable.

Until.

Until that is I decided that there were a few artists whose work I was longing to show but they, or us weren't in the position to have a solo exhibition.

I struggled to find a name or a reason to hold an exhibition involving them all until in the end the answer came. "Summer Exhibition".

Well it is summer, and these are people that I really want to show, and will do again in the future with solo exhibitions of their own.

The first person whose work I am showing you is a St. Ives potter named John Bedding.

I have mentioned before that once I was a potter.

This is back in the days before potters shows and similar events existed, then the only way you could sell work was from the workshop [studio is the name now] or in a gallery.

In those days there was only one major ceramic gallery and that was called the Craftsmen Potters Association.

Since then they have gone upmarket and are now called Contemporary Ceramics.

After all how can you have the word "craftsmen" when females are involved.

I wonder how long before someone decides that there are racial issues and the name will have to change again. Sometimes, "just sometimes" changes seem so silly and seemed to be aimed at idiots and bigots, where has innocence gone?

Anyway, since I am not standing for a place in Parliament I had better move on.

Back in those days everyone was given a six month probation period in the C.P.A. in case the quality of your work dropped, or just in case the pots you were accepted by were the only six good pieces you had ever made, if on re-appraisal it was felt you weren't delivering the goods then you were out.

Of course nowadays you are in for life no matter what you go on to make afterwards.

So of course it is obvious that after being accepted I was then kicked out six months later.

Of course I would love to talk about this at great length, and would love to name the committee

members of those days.

But am I going to be childish?

No, I will leave that for another day.

The result was that my sales disappeared, and I couldn't sell enough from the pottery to support a young family.

If only those pottery shows around the country existed then my life would be different now.

Not better, just different.

Now it has all turned around and potters ask "what do galleries do"?

I have just showed at the "Potters, potters and more potters" show [or similar] last week and I made a bundle,

Who needs a gallery?

Alas, as a young man this wasn't the case and with the need to provide for a family I closed my pottery and took a job in London that paid a real wage.

But I remember my last night as a potter.

I took my dog for a walk on the Essex marshes where we lived, sitting down with him on a small hillock I looked back into the distance at the pottery.

The roof tiles glowing deep red with the setting sun, and I could see the tip of the kiln chimney.

I tiled that roof, it had been a derelict barn open to the elements before I restored it from the ground up.

It was a silly thing to do as it was rented from the local Church and would never be mine, but sometimes you do silly things if it makes you happy, and having that workshop gave me a lot of happiness. A lot of heartache, but it made me happy.

So with my arm around my dog I looked back at a dream, then took him home and turned my back on pottery.

For many years, I had no interest in pots, or potters. Indeed I wished never to see a pot again.

Until.

We had a family holiday at St Ives in Cornwall.

Every evening we would walk down to the waterfront, get bags of chips a feed seagulls,

all those usual holiday things. What wasn't usual is that each evening we had to pass the window of a pottery, of course I would stop and look and remember the past, but as the week past I realised that I really loved these pots, and one bottle in particular.

It was different to anything I had ever seen and really stirred all of the emotions that had been long buried, I really wanted to own it.

On the last day of our stay we went to have our last fish supper, this time the pottery was open.

Irene went in and purchased for me the pot I liked so much.

It was by a potter named John Bedding, an apprentice of the famous potter Bernard Leach.

This pot changed my life.

I fell back in love with ceramics, and is perhaps the reason we are here today with a gallery.

John Bedding's pots are going to form part of our Summer Exhibition.

Next year he will be back with a solo exhibition.

So it is really mixed and personal emotions that I will showing his work.

I love it.

2011-05-26T11:01:00.000-07:00

The 'Ancient Mariner' art that I am showing today is chosen because these are the pictures that I had ready and was happy with.

I was going to show two other talented people but on consideration I didn't think that the

images did justice to their work so I will try again tomorrow.

However I am more than delighted to be able to show the work of sculptor Eve Shepherd.

The pictures again don't do justice to the work, but these sculptures seem almost impossible

to capture with the camera [sometimes it happens] so these are the results of the best efforts by Eve and myself.

Eve is a pretty famous sculptor by any ones standards and has become one of my favourites,

but this wasn't by intent, just accident.

She contacted me a couple of years ago saying

"I believe that you show ceramic sculpture, and that's where I want to go".

That sentence is a slight compression of an hour long conversation, so I admit that I have skipped a little piece here and there.

I had no knowledge of who or how well known she was, and I don't think for a second that she expected me know to of her.

She really is not that sort of person.

Eve is someone who takes her art very seriously, but outside that she

is such a lovely down to earth grounded person.

Obviously I now know of her fame [and have even watched her on TV

but it doesn't make the slightest difference.

She is still just Eve.

I like to think that we have become good "mates", or as she told me a few days ago "we work together", having come to regard her and her work very highly words like that meant a great deal to me, but I know she is right we do.

Both mad as "hatters", we have brilliant, exciting conversations together and I always put down the telephone with a big grin on my face.

Believe me that rarely happens.

She doesn't need to be involved with a gallery as small as Imagine

[not when almost every gallery and auction house is asking to show her work].

But she has chosen to, and although I shouldn't take that lightly I do, because like I said we have become friends and with good friends you take them for granted, which I know you should never do but it does make for a much nicer life having the knowledge that

"they will be there for you".

Not that this was the case with "The Mariner" exhibition because unknown to me it was her

favourite story, had I known or approached her earlier she would have filled the place up with her sculptures, so excited was she to work on this theme.

These three pieces by her are a total departure from her normal work, and I absolutely love them. To me they are the old Gustav Dore engravings brought to life.

When I first received her pictures of "the work in progress" I was so excited that I wanted to share them with someone so I sent them on to sculptor John Maltby.

He came back with the response.

"the best work I have seen in many a year".

So eventually they were fired [they are ceramic with copper] and were delivered.

After seeing them I called Eve to say you "will never see these again because at least one is coming home with me".

But I have said that many times about lots of different art that passes though our hands and

unfortunately I recognize that we are just temporary caretakers of these lovely objects.

So above we have three different sections of the story as perceived by Eve Shepherd.

I will add that in the first picture 'Merciful Spirit' the sculpture is mounted on a piece of the old Brighton Pier.

I asked her could I name it "Mariner's Day Out at the Seaside".

"No".

2011-05-25T09:35:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking that I should be showing pictures of the different works in the order that they arrived here, but I'm afraid that I can't, as the temptation to show the work of one lady was just too much to resist.

There are different reasons for this, one being that it was the last piece to arrive from America

although there is still a lot missing

or being dissected in customs that we are waiting for.

[Now that's got to be a good job, opening other peoples things, re-packing them badly, and then charging them for the privilege. Of course interspersed with lots of tea breaks].

But someone has got to do it.

I have gone off the track a little as I do.

The main reason that I am showing this piece of work is because the artist is the first person that I approached sometime about a year ago.

Well in fact she was the second person as originally it was intended as a solo exhibition by the sculptor John Maltby, but after a few weeks into the planning he wrote to me and said that he

didn't need the pressure of another solo exhibition as his health was too bad, he explained that he needed less stress and pressure, so urged me to make it a group exhibition.

So after sulking for a while I realised that he was right and in fact it would be much more interesting showing the interpretations of various artists, not just one.

So where should I start and who should I ask? I wasn't sure.

One week later I met a woman from Washington, who just happened to be showing

a few sculptures in the Lake District [like they do].

I was totally smitten by her work and was determined that I wasn't coming back to the gallery without some, which was lucky as she was equally determined that I should take

some with me.

So that is how I met Novie Trump.

The first person to agree to participate in this exhibition.

A year later in honour of our meeting her contribution became the cover for the invitation.

In fact she had made three sculptures but only this one survived the making process, she did describe the others to me but it only depressed me to know that I [not anyone] would never see them.

However, I might prevail upon her to re-visit the theme and try again.

But there I go being really presumptuous as usual.

The sculpture she made is beautiful, it is a 'Reliquary', almost a Tomb made from ceramic and shows the dead Albatross sealed behind a glass panel.

What is more amazing is that the glass panel is engraved with script from the story.

Underneath this there is an antique compass inset into the ceramic.

It was just the sort of mad, unusual, exciting and beautiful piece I knew she could and would create.

So when long ago she sent me a photograph of it I decided that it would be the invitation cover,

as my mind went back to when we stood in a field discussing what things could be made, conversations like "you know what would be really good"?

We have all had them at some time, and it is from these sort of chats that beautiful things

become a reality.

So, as she was the first I am letting her jump the queue of whose work I am showing.

Another nice thing is that not only did she send this piece

but she also included a couple of smaller sculptures for our "next" exhibition.

Even better still she included a small sculpture as a gift for me.

I don't know what I have ever done to deserve it, but I love it.

2011-05-24T08:11:00.000-07:00

I'm in a bit of a "dither" about what I should show you next,

especially as something long awaited and eagerly anticipated arrived this morning from America and I want to show that but I'm not sure that it will work if I "mix & match" different types of work so I have decided to go with what I had intended, especially as this will take four pictures to show.

It is a very large 'Harvest Jug' by the Devonshire potter Doug Fitch.

It is strange that Doug is someone who seems addicted to modern day technology but when it

comes to his art he is firmly rooted in the past.

Making terracotta ceramics in the style of the old country potters.

He is a strange man, in as much as he seems to worry and be unsure about his own work but is always first to spot the talent of others and to promote them and their work.

I somehow think that with his own pots they will never be good enough for him,

but the next one he makes might be.

So he always strives to achieve perfection.

It is funny to think that this country potter who works from a small workshop hidden away in a remote part of Devon

[and let's be realistic all of Devon is remote if you live near London]

is known of and admired around the world.

This offering by Doug is a little bit of a departure from his "normal" work as he didn't decorate the jug himself.

He conceived it, threw it in two parts, dipped it in slip [white clay] the handed it to a good friend of his. Andrew Grundon.

[Like I say he is ready to promote the talent of others].

Not exactly another potter as Andrew is a Sign writer.

Well at least I think that is the official description for his amazing works of art.

Treating the [then] white pot as a blank canvas he drew and scratched through the surface

of the slip to reveal the red clay beneath.

This offers a very simple explanation to what is incredibly skillful, or it certainly is in the case of this jug.

He has chosen a section of the story that is perhaps less known and certainly not an

immediate choice. For this I like it even more as he obviously studied or knows the poem well.

I have tried to photograph it but nothing gave an impression of how it really looks, so I have shown four different aspects so that you can gain an understanding of how it is to look at and hold.

The jug is large, strong and well crafted, coupled with the incredible decoration it really is an object of great beauty.

What is strange is that although it is less than a week old it really does look ancient.

2011-05-23T09:42:00.000-07:00

After the "Ancient Mariner" opening yesterday there is nothing I would have liked more than to take the day off, to gather my thoughts and reflect on events.

But there is certainly no time for that, there are still a lot of exhibits that are missing so I thought it best to spend the day trying to track those down and find when [if ever] they might arrive.

Come this evening I am no further forward and still have no idea of where things are, or when

they might reach us, but on the positive side I did have a curt email from one international courier demanding to know our "company" details.

In real language it means

"we intend to send a big bill before you get anything".

So perhaps wheels are turning, and who knows?

Maybe one day they might find the time to deliver something.

If they do I must remember to mail and thank them for their efforts.

Having no luck with couriers I spent the remainder of the day photographing different things

that have arrived, with the intention of putting them on the web site.

This is always something that seems to take so long.

I am never happy with the pictures that I take and I really feel that if I can't "do justice"

to the work then it is better to show nothing rather than portray something indifferently.

Maybe [most likely] I'm wrong, as perhaps people only need to get an idea of how something looks, who knows?

I have managed to get some things photographed, but unfortunately this had to be done outside in bright sunlight as my "remote flash" has decided that it doesn't recognize the camera anymore.

Which is odd, as they have been good mates for a couple of years.

Still, that's relationships for you.

So here are a very few of one mans work.

These are of the leather 'Ancient Mariner' journal by Mark Rowney.

The pictures "really" don't do justice to the work, but I wanted to show it anyway.

It is covered with text and pictures from the poem and is stunning.

Mark is such a very clever and most unusual artist.

If he is not painting incredible pictures on wood then he is creating something equally as unusual from leather. I'm not sure how to describe his leather work as it is somewhere between art and sculpture, but I do know that it is very, very clever and beautiful.

How many hours went into the making of this piece of work I couldn't guess at, and I am very

grateful and moved that he went to so much trouble for a group exhibition.

Incredible art and no ego involved.

So Yes,

I will mention it, after great deliberation,

this was such a contrast from one artist who had asked for a solo "show" with us and who had agreed to be part in this exhibition to "test the water" with her work.

Who even after being given a gentle "nudge" even a week ago,

"I'm still working on it".

Decided to send nothing.

Her name was on the invitation, but we received nothing, not even a courtesy call.

Let's face the fact, group shows are about good work not individual ego's.

With some people it is all about "Look at me".

For this reason I intend to show you a lot of the work by the very talented people who became excited about the "theme" and were happy to be part of the whole, to create good work and to exhibit alongside other artists they admire, with no thought of personal recognition.

There are a lot of very nice artists out there.

When it comes to ego's?

Blimey! After fitting mine in there is no room left for others.

2011-05-21T13:54:00.000-07:00

I should have understood that when I decided to hold an exhibition upon a theme which was based on a tragic tale it was going to be fraught with problems.

Especially when it was showing the work of twenty five artists.

But I didn't, which says a lot about me. "Hey," that might not be all bad, maybe it shows determination, or perhaps just plain stupidity.

It has certainly taught me a lot about the nature, and generosity of some "artists".

There were four American artist/potter/sculptors involved in this themed show.

Each one of them has produced exceptional unique pieces, for which I am so very grateful.

For them to take such a "leap of faith" was a very kind thing to do, and I have been really excited in the anticipation of seeing and showing their art.

Alas, we have all been victims of the various couriers and the 'customs'.

Only a fraction of what was anticipated has arrived.

Of course I am disappointed, but even more I feel very upset for these people who have taken a chance on "this gallery" in England but who will be unable to have their work on display at the opening.

In reality I suppose that it is not too important, as long as things arrive in the next few days

because the show is on for a month, but it is a great shame as these people deserve to have their work seen by the greatest audience possible.

Whatever, I know that you mustn't advertise on blogs so I suppose you mustn't bad mouth either which is a shame because I would love to bad mouth and ask people to avoid a certain shipper who in my experience is the worlds worst.

So this has made all of the pre-exhibition concerns even more worrying than usual.

I just haven't known what to do.

Do I take a gamble or do I resort to 'Plan B'.

Trouble is there never was a Plan B.

I assumed couriers would deliver, and perhaps that was a silly thing.

So faced with a few gaps to fill, and in anticipation of work not being cleared by customs or delivered on time by couriers

I started to give serious thought to who might be able to help.

That help came from a very lovely man named Stephen Henderson, who lives not that far away on the Essex coast.

He was contributing a few sculptures to the exhibition but I had never met him until a week ago. It's strange how some people who you haven't met seem to be the people that you have known for years. This was the case with Stephen, I felt very comfortable with him, and coming from a shy person that is saying a lot.

I will have to devote a whole post to his life, home and studio, but I certainly haven't that time tonight, but I will because I want to share the magic of it all.

I had already collected Stephens sculptures and whilst collecting them saw many, many others

that my heart ached to bring back to the gallery.

So, in a spot I took a gamble and called him and in my Oliver Twist voice asked

"more".

"Not a problem, of course, come and take what you need".

I did, and now in our main window we have a seven foot wide fantastic sculpture.

Don't get me wrong here, this wasn't what I had intended to show in the window, in fact the front cover of the invitation shows the sculpture that would have been there, couriers permitting.

But if you were going to have a replacement than it doesn't get better than this.

All this aside, a few exceptional pieces have arrived "at the last minute

[or in the last possible post]

two of these are by Mark Rowney, who is by any ones interpretation a very talented man.

He knew I needed help, so he helped.

He sent a painting on wood, and an incredible book.

The book I will talk about later as I have never seen anything like it and it really deserves a showcase.

Thinking about it, there are lots of things that I want to show, but for now I suppose this is just a last minute thank you to Stephen and Mark.

So above are Stephens seven foot wide "Marlin chasing Flying Fish".

His small [only three feet wide] "Sea Trout & Fry", and Mark Rowney's painting of the Albatross.

But, I would like to thank everyone who has participated and I promise that once I have recovered from the stress I will show your various works.

Thanks to all of you.

2011-05-12T10:20:00.000-07:00

It didn't take me long to lapse back into old ways.

I was going to post pictures of new work each day until the next exhibition.

Well at least I had the good intentions, but we all know sometimes having a life stops you blogging about it.

Mind you, at the moment I don't seem to have much time for a life as I seem to spend all my time here "putting out fires".

Or at least, writing to magazines, reminding artist's of a deadline, chasing for photographs, arranging trips and deliveries and I suppose just the everyday stuff that goes with running a gallery.

Last night I left here at 11.00pm which is not that too unusual as there always seems to be

"just one" unattended thing to sort out before I leave.

I know that many artists don't believe it, but running a gallery can be a full time job,

"if you are interested enough".

I suppose that's my problem, perhaps I get just a little bit too interested sometimes,

but that's a silly thing to say, as how can you not get too interested when you are seeing new creations and talking to different creators each day?

As a perfect example, I had a call yesterday from Ed Prybyl, the sculptor who lives in America.

He is sending a piece that he has crafted especially for our new exhibition.

It was so nice to hear his voice and to be able to put a personality to the person that I have only corresponded with by mail.

He told me that he had enjoyed the challenge of creating something that had such an interesting theme, and that it had made him stretch himself.

It was obvious that he had put a great deal of thought, effort and research into his sculpture.

To hear something like that, and to realise that it had been nurtured by your own imagination

was an absolute thrill, it must be the next best thing to being an artist.

It was very humbling, and it is the comments that he made that makes me feel that

"I must try harder, I must give all of my time and attention to this", because when you think of it, it is not a lot in return for all the work and effort put in by so many people who are just

trying to help my own dreams and imagination become a reality.

So, this gives me the perfect excuse to show pictures of Ed's sculpture, [which I hope is now somewhere over the Atlantic between him and us].

It is a very unusual piece of sculpture and certainly different to anything we have had before,

but the whole feeling of it is very close to my heart.

I love the "new, yet antique" feel about it, and it is the sort of thing I would love to have shown in the past. Had I known of someone like Ed Prybyl.

Unfortunately I have only recently "discovered" Ed.

It is nothing short of a miracle that he, listened to me, took me seriously, agreed to take part, and then spent the next three weeks making this especially for us.

He has chose to interpret a piece of the story that I really like.

The Mariner stopping and telling the Wedding guest his tale of woe.

Such an undramatic part in the poem of "The Ancient Mariner", but such an important part.

A simple piece of the story concentrating on people, and at least for me the most moving part

of this sad tale.

I just love the way that Ed has captured the "cynical" expression on the face of the young man,

and then also the "earnest and honest" expression of the mariner.

I can imagine the conversation,

"no listen to me boy, it's the truth".

"Yeah, OK Grandad".

It could be anytime in history.

The old trying to communicate with the young.

A problem I have, because I never go home.

Which reminds me I had better leave now, I have to be in early tomorrow as there are more exhibits arriving from Ireland.

Thanks Ed, I really appreciate your thought, hard work and imagination.

2011-05-09T09:13:00.000-07:00

Things seem to be pretty hectic at the moment, it seems to me that this years exhibitions are almost going 'back to back'.

Which they are not, but that is how it feels.

Normally each years exhibitions are scheduled way ahead and are given plenty of space in between.

But this year isn't normal, or maybe I am the only person who has recognised that there is a recession going on [or at least has the nerve to mention the subject].

It has been a strange year for art, it would seem that people are now purchasing with serious intent, or at least being very selective with their purchases.

It seems to be a good time for good artists, the public now more than ever are after quality.

After all, if they haven't as much to spend, then they want to know what they are buying is the very best.

So as a result we have had some of our most exiting artist's selling really well.

Which has been such a confidence boost for myself as time and time again I have told people

"I don't care how well it sells elsewhere, if I don't love it then I don't want to show it here".

This is something that sounds pretty bad, mad and very "snotty" especially when at the end of the day I am supposed to be running a business.

But, like any business running a gallery is not all pleasure, in fact only a little of it is, for me that pleasure comes from looking at the work we show and as I have said many times

"I have to pinch myself for being this lucky", and I remind myself of that fact each day when I look at the many things that I cherish and would love to own and take home, so those are the works I choose to sell.

In conversation with artist's all of the time I am asked,

"what is selling at the moment"?

Or even as I was asked today by a very talented sculptor "am I good enough at the moment".

To anyone who could ask that question the only answer is "yes", any artist who is questioning there work can only be a good artist.

So what is selling ?

I couldn't tell you what will sell next, the only thing that I am sure of is that it will be something of the best quality in its chosen genre.

So with all of this in mind I decided that I wanted to keep this year "very open" when it came to exhibitions and look for the very best people. So many times in the past I have missed unknown and emerging artist's because of previous commitments, so this year I decided to gamble and to ask the artist's I would like to exhibit as the year unfolded, but all the time with the focus on what I thought was the very best work to be shown.

As by now I'm sure everyone [who reads this blog] knows that my taste's are "all over the place", or so it seems to some people.

I feel that all of us have so many facets to our personalities so why shouldn't we all like many various kinds of art?

Anyway, that's my excuse to indulge myself wherever my heart and desires take me.

And sure this has all added to a lot of timetable problems

as my desires don't always fit with others schedules.

In contrast to everything I have just said [yes, I am a mixed up person]

our next exhibition has been planned for a year, though it seems so much longer as there isn't a day pass when it's not on my mind. The people involved have been added as that year progressed, and I am so pleased that I decided to keep it open to constant additions.

'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner".

I have mentioned it before many times, and will do again each day for a couple of weeks.

At the moment it has a "cast" of 24 different Worldwide artist/sculptors/potters involved.

Even with just a couple of weeks to go until the opening I wouldn't be surprised if more weren't added as we have never had such a great response to any exhibition, and I had never understood just how many different [various mediums] artists were fans of the story.

So leading up to the opening I intend to show different work as it arrives, some of that I know is going to be "very close to the wire" as a couple of American sculptors are still working on things, but this just makes it that little more exciting [nerve wracking].

Exactly what we are going to have on show I still only have a vague idea about.

As an example one potter [Doug Fitch] has told me he is "leaving it as a surprise".

Like any child I love surprises but "hey! Doug I'm getting too old for this much excitement".

But seriously, the anticipation is all of the fun.

"When" it arrives "I" then have to start work so that everything looks at its best.

But like I said "sometimes I have to pinch myself"

The first offerings that I am showing is a series from an incredible lady named

Eleanor Bartleman, made from ceramic but resembling old stained glass windows.

What is interesting is the way she has depicted the Albatross as a person, maybe a lover.

Like the original tale, there are so many interpretations to be made from her art.

She tells me that there are more to be seen, which at the moment are still being fired in the kiln.

I cant wait.

2011-04-19T10:04:00.000-07:00

After an exhausting few days we are all now recovering from the

'Maureen Minchin' exhibition.

In every respect it was unlike any other that we have held.

The quality and quantity of ceramics which arrived just a couple of days before the were a little overwhelming, not just the thought of having to price and catalogue the work but how to go about displaying such a varied and beautiful mixture.

There was literally "something for everyone", from beautiful egg cups to gigantic plates and dishes. It is almost impossible to understand how one person can produce such intricate work.

I know that she has a team of friends and helpers who work with her, but the decoration is all Maureen's.

Drawn with a needle.

Even a humble mug must have hours of work involved in its creation.

One person commented to me about one of her framed tiles

" that's almost like a miniature work of art".

I corrected him.

"No that is a work of art. If it was on paper many artists would be demanding very high sums for such a piece".

But it seems that all of the work and many, many extra hours demanded to create this picture on a piece of ceramic mean nothing when compared to "oil on canvas".

Funny old thing the art world isn't it.

The opening of this exhibition was a rare experience.

People were waiting outside for hours before the door was opened

There was something of a carnival atmosphere about it all, much of this was helped by Paul,

a neighbour, friend and owner of the nearby Hairdressing Salon.

He, like many is a great fan of Maureens work and was determined to purchase a number of pieces and he appreciated that friendship aside this would involve a long wait, so not only did he turn up with a garden chair to sit on , but he also brought several others for the people who waited with him until the opening.

Inside the gallery I was still panicking and rushing about trying to put the final touches to the show and I envied the strangers sitting outside in the sun laughing, drinking and becoming friends.

It was a very unusual day.

Once the door was opened at 12.00 Noon [on the stroke] bedlam was unleashed.

It was terrible, for once I had to work hard instead of socialising.

For the first time I understood how much Rebecca and Irene have to do while I talk and drink,

and talk.

This was hard work.

People were snatching up pots and holding onto them so that others couldn't buy them, some were demanding "Red Spots" so that they could reserve a piece before someone else spotted it.

It was madness , then suddenly,

it calmed,

people started to behave in a more normal manner.

The reason?

Because almost everything had sold.

"What a day", I thought as I poured myself a long overdue glass of wine.

I was wrong, it wasn't a day it was only 1.20 pm.

I couldn't believe it, so much had happened and so much had sold in such a short time.

At any exhibition that we hold it is impossible to predict the outcome or how many people will attend, all I can do is put every effort into each show and then wait.

So what makes Maureen so special and so sought after.

I think that it is to do with her integrity and the amount of work she puts into each piece she creates, but not just that. I think that in her work she shows a side of life and the countryside that we all long to see and experience.

For instance I had asked her "do you ever see any basking sharks"?

"Oh yes lots, and Minke whale, killer whale, lots of Dolphin and of course the Otters and Puffins all the time".

Her pots reflect her life and everything in it that is of importance to her.

They are a 3D representation of where she chooses to live.

I have tried in a simple way to illustrate with my pictures above where her inspirations come from and what makes her create what she does. I hope that they help give an insight into her beautiful world.

I think what sums her work up comes from her own words.

"To step outside my door and be able to walk in any direction is very important to me".

Maureen will show with us again one day but not until 2015.

" What, I will be dead by then", I told her.

"Don't be silly that's what you told me five years ago".

It seems like yesterday.

2011-04-07T10:46:00.001-07:00

A long time has past and a lot has happened since I last wrote, many things I have been tempted to write about but I have resisted that temptation because each time I was drawn back to one event, and that I decided it was best not to talk about.

As a good friend told me many years ago,

"if you can't say something nice about someone, then say nothing at all".

So I have chosen to say nothing at all, for a long time.

But for better or worse I am back, with more ramblings about my gallery life and the things and people connected with it.

Much has happened in what has not really been too long a time so I'm not sure where to start, so I will just stick with the most memorable events.

I think when I last wrote we were just about to open an exhibition featuring the paintings by

Lindsey Carr, well that has been and gone and is almost history apart from the fact that the last paintings that had sold have only just been sent off to California.

It was a strange event with almost all of the sales going to America, something that has never happened on this scale before.

So clearly she is someone to keep an eye on for the future, which I will, and it is with a feeling

of pride I think that we held her first "solo" exhibition, the next will be in California.

Maybe one day she will let us show her work again.

No sooner had that exhibition opened and my thoughts and worries were elsewhere.

Our next and greatly anticipated exhibition was just on the horizon.

Maureen Minchin, the potter has been booked with us for nearly 5 years.

It was an event that I thought would never come and I have been like a child waiting for Christmas with the anticipation of it all.

Well, it nearly upon us now with just over a week to go before the opening.

Because of different things that we have planned for the event it was decided that I would journey to Scotland to collect some of the finished work from her, the rest will follow.

Scotland.

I haven't been there since I was a young man. It is strange to think that as young people Irene and I visited every year and had planned to do so "for ever".

But somehow life has different plans and despite our very fond memories and many plans we have never managed to return, so for me this "enforced " visit was a little bit of a pilgrimage

back to our youth.

On this visit I had the company of Sam, our son who on my last visit was just a hoped for dream in our far distant future.

Isn't life strange?

Strange, but such a great pleasure to take him to the places that had held such meaning to us

when we were his age.

Bloody hell! Am I that old?

I am, and was reminded of it in the most lovely of ways when after many miles of travelling

we arrived at the home of Maureen Minchin.

A home and workshop hidden away in the remotest corner of West Scotland

[but I will tell much more of that later].

Standing in her living room I looked out of the window which gave a view over the sea to far distant islands with snow covered mountains. I stood mesmerised until suddenly

I saw lights flickering over the sea.

What!

No it was a reflection in the window, I turned around and there was Maureen holding a birthday cake covered in lighted candles.

" Happy Birthday John".

Yes, it was my 60th birthday.

I should have felt ancient [indeed I am], but I felt young, alive and very happy.

How many people could be as lucky as I was to experience such a day in such a place with such

lovely people.

It seemed that everyone, Maureen, her friends and Sam tried to make this such a memorable day for me, and so it was.

I enjoyed and experienced so many good things I know I will never have time to recall them all.

It was a good day, indeed it was a good trip and I had lots of fun.

I was on a journey with my best mate, who just happens to be my son.

So without going into our many adventures, and there were many, I will just recall a few special moments.

Of course we visited Loch Ness [many times] and on our last evening stood drinking a pint of cider by the loch side as the light faded to blackness, but it never became totally dark as the surrounding mountains were covered in snow and they reflected on the water even when it became too late to see where we had left the car.

On one day we had the most amazing drive through the mountains of Glen Shiel, the snow was falling heavily but the road was still clear, it was like driving through a giant film set of 'Lord of the Rings'. Past Lochs, mountains and rivers in what felt such an isolated environment, it was beautiful but believe it or not there were almost no places to stop and take photographs.

The memories will have to stay as photographs of the camera in my mind [have you got one of those, they are brilliant but you can't share the images].

Emerging from the massive Glen we arrived at our destination, the home of "Connor MacCleod" [The Highlander],

Eilean Donan Castle, perhaps the most photographed castle in the world.

But for all the countless times pictures of it are shown on television, films and in magazines it is still a magnificent spectacle and one that everyone should try to see at least once.

From there we made a special pilgrimage to the last home of the famous author Gavin Maxwell, the man who wrote 'Ring of Bright Water' [one of my favourite books].

It wasn't really his home, not the one made famous in the novels, but it was his last home and

the one he wished to die in.

But life had other cruel plans and he died in hospital, but I feel that part of him is still there on this little island that was his home and it was a pleasure to witness what his eyes had looked out upon and it was easy to see why he had chosen to live, and wanted to die there.

From there onto the Isle of Skye and....................................too many different things.

So after some exciting days, we unfortunately had to make the long drive home

[with a car full of ceramics, yes I remembered to collect them]

past the beautiful highlands down to the equally beautiful but very different Lake District,

[now that's a story by itself, but perhaps for another day]

through heavy mist across the northern dales of Yorkshire then slowly back home in the late night to the gentle countryside of Suffolk.

It was good to be home but it had been such fun on our little winter adventure.

Having got that out of the way I will come back to show you the fruits of, and the reason for the journey. The pottery of Maureen Minchin.

The pictures are of the beach which is a 100 yards from Maureens home and which looks out to many islands. Sam, getting fed up with me asking for another moody picture.

The beautiful Glen Shiel taken from the car window.

The "Highlanders" home, Eilean Donan Castle, and lastly the beautiful home of Gavin Maxwell.

2011-03-05T08:43:00.000-08:00

The day started off in a strange way.

Strange, but good, maybe bad. Only time will tell

I mentioned some time ago about a gypsy woman who came in and told me things about

myself and the life and future of the gallery.

Nonsense that I knew it was I handed her some money.

Her words and what she told me were not only true but gave me belief and determination.

She came in again today.

The cynic in me [and there's a lot of that] thought " she has found a soft touch".

But without a pause [or only a small one] I opened the till and handed her some money.

"Do you want to buy from me today", She asked?

As before she had nothing, so what was there to purchase?

I told her no, but thanked her for her words that she had spoken on the last visit.

She then started to tell me about myself and the gallery again.

Part of me wanted her to go away and the other part wanted to hear everything that she uttered. I felt frightened but awed.

Many people would just call me gullable.

Most of what she had to say about the gallery helped my thoughts, and I believed her.

A little of what she said about myself worried me, but I believed that also.

After all when someone tells you that you are tired, what's not to believe?

Before she left she stopped to admire and caress a 'Celtic Hare' sculpture that we have.

"I love this", she said then left.

This time I was determined to see if she walked past the smaller windows as she walked away,

but the telephone rang and I looked away, so I don't know.

As I mentioned before I felt that if I had gone to the door and looked out on the street there would be no one there.

But then again if I didn't have an active imagination I wouldn't be doing this for a living.

So, the real reason for writing this is because I know that in just a few days things are going to start getting very busy for me.

Another exhibition, not until mid April, but between now and then there is so much to do.

Apart from lots of travelling, designing invitations and a catalogue there is a lot of photography to do. Most of it for the exhibition but also some pictures for myself.

Really they are for an image library but they will be my sort of photographs.

They are sending me six Elizabethan costumes which I have to use for period photographs.

So if there is anyone out there size 10, please get in touch.

This all means that my chances of showing other works here is going to be very limited,

so here are a few things that have been on my mind and in my heart.

As you must know by now, I am passionate about the 'Stone Lithographs' by Michael Parkes.

These he no longer produces as the press on which they were printed no longer exists, as a

result the work that was available has been disappearing very rapidly, so much so that he has

even offered up for sale his own personal collection just to appease the worldwide demand.

Amongst these are a few that had long ago become unavailable, so when I was offered a chance to reserve a few of "his" pictures what could I do.

So now to my delight and great pleasure I will have a few [very few] very rare pieces by him

hanging on the gallery walls.

What a delight, and privilege.

I know that I can't afford one but just for a while they will belong to me.

Some other pictures that I have been aching to have here on show for a long while

are the works of Kate Leiper.

At last after a two year wait I placed the first piece in the window today.

"Mine at last"? Six hours later it was gone.

Still for a short while it was mine to look at, touch and savour and not many people have had that pleasure.

I do have a few others by her and if there is time tomorrow I will frame and hang those.

A lot of her art is centred around "Cats & Dogs" and those are the one's that I love.

Today the picture that sold was called

'Crossing Black Shucks Path", which is based on a local legend.

What makes this unusual is that it was painted by someone at the other end of the country.

Here in Suffolk we all know of the "Black Shuck".

There are many tales, myths and stories about him, but this is my own favourite.

Many, many years ago [before we were even young]

there was a great storm at sea near a place called Walberswick on the Suffolk coast.

A ship braving the storms and unable to reach harbour was overturned and sank,

with all the crew drowned.

Everyone dead, except the ships dog.

The sailors bodies were cast up on the long stretch of beach.

Some at one end and the rest far away at the other end of that long beach.

The poor dog was lost in grief, his friends were gone.

He wanted to lay with their drowned bodies, but how could he with that

distance between them?

So he ran, and ran, and ran.

From one end of the beach to the other so that he could be with his different comrades,

laying a while with some then running back to lay beside the others.

Stricken with grief, and running forever.

Today, many years later it is said that in the evening you can still see the poor dog

running along the beach, searching for his lost friends,

but if you see him whatever you do

"don't cross his path".

Of course this and all the other legends surrounding him are total nonsense.

If you believe that sort of thing you will end up listening to a gipsy's fortune telling.

Above, two of my beautiful Michael Parkes lithographs.

Some of Kate's dogs, of course the last one being that evil creature of legend.

Black Shuck.

2011-03-03T06:01:00.000-08:00

Whenever we have an exhibition "on the horizon" it seems to become all encompassing.

and as a result many of the new exciting pieces of work that we have

seem to get overlooked for a short while.

This isn't by choice it is just caused by the worry of the forthcoming event.

But, what is happening outside the exhibition and future events always seem to occupy my mind, no matter what is going on and however busy I am.

I suppose at all times I am excited about the future and what we will be doing next.

It is the anticipation of the unknown, or at least the unknown response to what we will display.

Sometimes, not often, but sometimes, I can get excited about things that will be happening in the future with the knowledge that others will be equally excited.

For instance, the forthcoming exhibition of Maureen Minchin's ceramics.

I know that there will be a huge response.

Also other occasions, when different artworks arrive with no great "fanfare" but which are perhaps more important in the scheme of things than the exhibitions that we hold and which I know the public will love and respond to.

Two instances instantly come to mind,

but one will have to wait until tomorrow before I talk of that.

I know that many, many people out there know of the work by Rima Staines.

She is almost famous without being known.

No, that's wrong. She is famous, but in a strange way, and she is certainly very well known,

but not perhaps in the "all" important art world.

She is a gypsy, a 'will o' the wisp'', a "free spirit", a very unusual woman and an incredible artist.

She has legions of fans and followers worldwide and has perhaps "the" most followed blog, but what is amazing is that we were the first gallery to exhibit her exciting and very varied work.

To describe what she does would take hours, everything from watercolour to wood.

Paintings, drawings,games, sculptures and even films.

Initially it took an age to "track her down" as she was living in a "house on wheels" travelling the country.

It wasn't a camper or a caravan it literally was a wooden cottage on wheels, something I had heard of but didn't appreciate until I visited for "tea" one summer evening in a Suffolk field.

It was hard to appreciate that in a few days time this cottage in its idyllic location would be gone. No longer would you sip tea and eat strawberry's looking out of the 'stable doors' at a lake but would perhaps instead be viewing a Welsh mountain.

It had such a feeling of permanence it was hard to believe that it could travel.

But travel it did, until one day it stopped.

She stopped, and stayed in Devon.

I feel very privileged to be allowed to show her work from time to time, as she doesn't need any gallery to sell her art as most is pre-sold, but she always participates in any themed exhibition that we hold.

So it will be this May, when we open

'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner'.

I have no idea of what we will receive, but I do know that it will be very unusual, and beautiful.

But exhibition pieces aside, I have been lucky enough to persuade her to work with us on a longer term basis, producing a small series of 'hand embellished' prints unique for us [and her].

The pictures have been chosen from a few of my own favourites of her paintings,

each is printed on textured watercolour paper, is hand finished, signed and totally unique.

Edition size 0f only 33 worldwide.

Of course the odd number of thirty three could only come from Rima's imagination.

I do have other things that I want to talk of but they can wait,

so just for now here are few of her prints.

2011-03-01T06:46:00.000-08:00

I'm in "post exhibition" recovery mode at the moment.

Last weekend was the opening of our latest exhibition, 'Wings of Hope' when we showed the paintings of Lindsey Carr and the sculptural ceramics by Anne Morrison.

Both artists from Glasgow, both artists so very different.

In some ways it may have seemed a strange partnership but their work was so different that

there was no overlap or competition between them or their work.

Lindsey's paintings very complex, detailed and very different from any other.

Anne's very gentle, but so robust ceramic forms, strong and very understated.

The common ground between them is that they both tell stories through their art.

The paintings seem as if they are fragments of a story, almost like pages torn from a book,

leaving questions in the mind of "what happens next".

The ceramics, some with lettering and even pictures on the surface, spoke for themselves.

Although I am sure that some of what they speak of will be interpreted differently by us all.

Luckily for me I had Lindsey here so I was able to ask, and didn't need to put my own interpretations on her work, and I must admit that the temptation is here to start telling about individual pictures but for that I don't have enough time.

In fact this short post is part of my "catching up" process, because as usual many important

and pressing things have been put aside while I concentrated upon the opening.

In fact the gallery was closed several times the week before as I had to take time out to frame

a few of the paintings, something that takes me far too long as I don't do it very often.

Irene was away and Sam [our son] had other things to get on with, so it was left for me to do it myself, something that I both enjoyed and hated.

I just didn't have enough time to enjoy myself doing something different because while I was

occupied the gallery stood empty, that I hated

The strange thing is, it seemed to generate more sales as a result of it.

I was besieged with mail [and still am] about the exhibition, the interest has been incredible

and as a result when it came to the opening a lot of pieces of the work had reserves on them.

So maybe this should tell me something.

Because I have shown paintings by Lindsey to you before I decided that I must take a few minutes to give you a peek at a few of the ceramic pieces by Anne, otherwise this week will disappear under a pile of paperwork and mails and when I find time again to do another post

most likely I will be concerned or excited about something else.

In fact I am, in fact a lot of things.

"But first things first".

It was one piece by Anne that gave birth to the title of the exhibition, it seemed to be a common

area shared by both artists

'Wings'.

Both ceramics and paintings showed them. On one of Anne's forms were the words:

"When evil arrows fly around

Hold fast to Wings of Hope"

To me this became symbolic, and so the exhibition title was formed.

Another of her beautiful winged form had the words:

"Bind up your broken wings and let your dreams fly free".

This is both beautiful yet sad, as it was made in memory of a potter who died not too long ago.

I know many people used to follow and enjoy his own blog.

It is strange, I have just checked, and there his blog is, still for us all to read.

But it is now stuck forever at one date.

His last entry showing pictures taken on one of his walks, together with his dog.

Then the blog, like life, just ends.

So it was lovely that Anne had been moved enough by this man to make this beautiful piece of sculpture and that we have it here to show.

Above is 'The Wings of Hope' sculpture, followed by a picture showing how Lindsey frames a lot of her paintings, the other pieces are of course by Anne.

2011-02-14T10:39:00.000-08:00

All or nothing.

It seems to be the case with almost everything in life

but at the moment I am referring to life in the gallery.

After an unprecedented fantastic start to the year I had started to find myself in the position where I was thinking "we could run out of art".

This is something that "couldn't" happen as we always have twice as much as we can show at any given time, so I suppose what I mean is the more unusual collectible pieces.

Although I don't want to sit on the fence and decide what is or not collectible.

What I am trying to describe are the different objects/art that I love but which I have recognised are perhaps a little too unusual, or only for the discerning taste.

Here I go again.

What I am trying to say is that the things that I love I have come to understand are a little unusual, and in fact you can't buy them elsewhere.

A strange thing is people love to buy what they have seen elsewhere, they start to believe that

this must be good because they have seen it before.

Don't ask me to explain it, I'm just an idiot who loves unusual things that you can't find elsewhere.

So it seems that my beautiful "things" are being recognized for the for the incredible art that they are, and suddenly the demand for them has gone beyond anything that I have experienced and it had started to play at the back of my mind that maybe "things are selling too fast".

What a dilemma!

I'm sure that if you spoke to any shop holder at the moment then this would be a dream come true. After all they only have to pick up the telephone and order "more of the same".

It doesn't work like that for us.

I love everything here and I really want it to sell, both for us and the artist, but when it does I always feel a sense of loss, and then the worry.

"How am I going to get "anything" to replace that?

These times are the best and the worst.

So having spent the past week worrying as I watched more and more pieces disappear,

then thinking "how can I replace them", nature has stepped in.

"Human nature", that is.

Different people have called me asking "are you OK or do you need something new"?

"Yes please", has been my reply to everyone.

So now I find that my cup may soon overflow [impossible].

New art from people like Paul Priest, Lucinda Brown, Gaynor Ostinelli, Tamsin Abbott.

All at once, plus the expectation of new pieces by the famous sculptor Emma Rodgers.

Add to this an imminent exhibition with sculptures by Anne Morrison and paintings by Lindsey Carr, I'm suddenly back where I want to be.

Too much beautiful work with not enough space to display it all.

On top of this, in the background have been some things "bubbling away", or to be more precise orders for various unusual sculptures from Karen. Her sculptures are always in demand but this is the first time that we have had a 'backlog' of commissions for her.

Time has been pressing as different buyers needed their sculptures by definite but different dates, which have all been drawing closer, and closer.

Unfortunately because of the distance between us Karen and I meet only a few times a year, but this meeting couldn't be put off any longer. So we arranged a "collection".

That of course is an artistic term for "meet you halfway down the A1 at a service station".

It's such a high life in the art world, I have just come to love motorway coffee.

This meeting was different, not only was I collecting pre-sold commissions but Karen had also decided to "have a play" and to give me some new things that she was "mucking" about with.

They were a breath of fresh air, so innocent yet beautiful.

Being a girl from "up't north", she had made me some northern wildlife sculptures.

I suppose they could be southern wildlife but these all had "attitude" and reflected the area where she lives.

An ex-mining community. Not "ex" by their choosing but by the decision of the past Tory Government under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher.

The time when there was a war against miners and the union that represented them.

I don't need to record my own memories of this as it is all now history, but sadly the unemployment that followed isn't.

Where she lives is a very sad "ugly" but "beautiful" location.

It is a photographers dream.

Watching the "old boys" sitting outside their allotment sheds, or releasing their racing pigeons, or even just pushing old prams along the road laden with salvaged building materials, wonderful but a sad place.

The reminder of a life gone by, what was a vibrant community now just a place of mass unemployment.

It is in this environment that Karen works, with a house and garden full children, animals and love. It is full of life and happiness, which is why they have so many visitors.

The door is never locked and when pushing it open you have no idea who might greet you.

Her latest creations are "animals of northern England".

I have them here.

They are totally innocent, devoid of any pretension and are made "because I wanted to".

We have Badgers, dressed up for a "night on the town", Robins wearing "cloth caps" and old "schoolteacher owls", all of them dressed up for the northern climate with their leather waistcoats, little scarves and polished boots.

Most amazingly of all she gave me a "Woodcock Pilot".

Never heard of it?

Nor had I, but apparently the Woodcock and the Goldcrest, both migrating birds arrive on the northeastern coastline from Europe at the same time each year .

The Goldcrest is far too small to have flown over the North Sea, so according to myth and legend they rode on the back of the much larger Woodcock, so arriving at the same time.

They were the "Woodcock Pilots".

As far as I know, but I will have to check with the 'Natural History Museum' we are the first

people to exhibit this phenomenon.

If I had time I would show more, but time I have little of so here are a very few of her

Northern Creatures.

2011-02-04T10:13:00.000-08:00

A year ago, for the very first time we exhibited the paintings by an artist named

Lindsey Carr.

I had admired her incredible and very unusual work for some time and was desperate to get her

work here on show in the gallery. As usual I can't remember how I came to know of her and I have no recollection of how we made contact, but we did, and of course in the fullness of time she showed with us. It was a joint exhibition with another incredible artist Mark Rowney.

In fact I have a feeling that their show together might have been my first ever post and attempt

at "blogging" [or talking to myself as it now feels].

At her first showing we sold only a couple of paintings and this bothered me, but not much.

Before she left to go home I asked if she would come back in a years time and have a solo exhibition of her unusual work. Her first and our first, if you know what I mean.

She agreed, and now here we are one year later with the days to the opening racing past.

Of course as time passed we sold everything that she had shown with us, something that wasn't too hard as Lindsey has built up [in her own quite way] a massive following.

During one short year she has gone on to greater and greater things, her work is seen around the World and is in greater demand.

But, if you were to talk to her you would never know of this.

She is modest, too modest.

No, that is incorrect, she has no vanity whatsoever and produces her art because she can and she wants to. She has no quest for greatness, just to produce great art.

This she has achieved but the only person unaware of this is her, like all real artists she

"just knows it can be better".

This week she told me that one beautiful painting wasn't good enough to show and that she would have to do it again.

Really? It looked fantastic to me.

But that doesn't matter she is working to her own standards not other peoples, and that I can

totally appreciate and feel humbled by.

She is way behind with the paintings and "toys" that she had intended to produce for us,

as recently a terrible event occurred in her life.

Why she didn't call me and cancel the exhibition I will never know, but I think that she felt that she owed it to me because she understood how much I wanted to show her art.

So this week we had a "wee" chat [as she would describe it] and I now have a greater understanding of what she is trying to do for me, and with very little time to do it.

What can I say?

Nothing , or at least nothing to convey how touched by the effort she is going to.

But I think in a way the exhibition will help her and give her a focus and a goal.

She is doing something to help someone else.

That someone is me.

She didn't want to let me down or disappoint me, plus she must know that their are a lot of people who are excited and looking forward to this rare event.

So in just a very short space of time she has been producing some incredible and totally different work. As and when she could she has sent me "snaps" of work in progress.

I couldn't be more excited, if only I could afford them I would purchase everything for myself.

I truly believe that this is a young woman who is on the verge of greatness.

But don't tell her that, she wouldn't understand what you were talking about.

Her paintings have always been beautiful but the new work has a gentleness and real sensitivity to it.

As one of her collectors in America told me earlier this week,

"it is all telling a story, I want to know that story".

I think the story is there for us all to see, or at least interpret in a way that means something to ourselves.

I have put some of her snaps on our web site and the response has been incredible, in fact I am

starting to worry in case there will be nothing left unsold when we open the door for the opening.

It had originally been intended as a one woman exhibition,

but now we have mutually agreed that it will be a two woman show.

Lindsey's paintings will be shown alongside the sculptures of Anne Morrison.

Both from Glasgow and both producing moving art.

It was one piece of Anne's that has given birth to the title of the exhibition.

'Wings Of Hope'.

It so fitted the events in Lindsey's life that I could think of no other.

I will tell you of Anne soon, but firstly here is a little of what we will show by Lindsey.

2011-01-29T07:23:00.000-08:00

At the moment we are in what is considered the "dead time" of the year.

Many shops close for a few weeks, the owners taking holidays, decorating or just sitting at home.

It is the time when traditionally sales are bad as the public have spent all there money over the Christmas period, well that's the theory anyway.

Certainly, there are more than a few shops near us that are closed and others are open for just a few hours each day, I have a feeling some that are closed may never re-open, because believe it or not there is a recession on at the moment.

Well not at the moment actually, its been going on for a long while but it seems people have been afraid to admit it.

Even artists.

Well not all artists as it seems that the good have been unaffected or have even prospered because in uncertain times it seems that people are thinking

"Hell! We can't make any money from the banks so let's put our money into art".

What a good idea.

Lets face it, if you choose wisely and with your heart then you will always have treasure.

If it doesn't make you money then so what? You have something that enriches your life.

In fact the majority of people who purchase good art never make any financial gain from it as they have no intention of ever parting with it.

I like those sort of people.

It is strange this recession thing.

I could tell you many tales of artists in denial who have to pretend that they are unaffected in case people think their work is worthless.

Silly artists, I feel. Also silly buyers if they judge beauty by the number of sales.

I much prefer to talk to someone like Karen, who a couple of years ago called me and announced

"I'm sending you some "Recession Hares".

"Oh, great I will look out for them" I replied, and then started wondering

"what is a recession Hare"?

I admit I am not very good on wildlife and I had never heard of them, so I called her back.

"I know it sounds like a stupid question Karen but what is a Recession Hare"?

"Oh them", she laughed "they are my new Hares that are guaranteed to sell in a time of recession".

She was right, they do.

Thinking about this today it made me realise that this "blip", "credit crunch", "recession" has been around for a while now.

It's a way of life.

So at the moment I am much more enjoying the artists who are just "rolling there sleeves up"

and getting on with what they do best and not wasting energy telling an uninterested world that they are doing "just great"when they aren't.

As I read on a recent post by an American artist, she said that she has been through these times before, "It is a time to up your game and produce your best possible work as there is always a market for good art".

Best advice I have read in a long time.

So how does this relate to me, my gallery?

Everything that we show is chosen from the heart, everything here I would love to own.

Different kinds of art that fascinate me, excite me, and leave me wondering

"how did they think of creating that, what an imagination".

Work that touches all those different parts of our being and soul, that move us in some way.

Many times I have been advised by well intentioned people,

"you should get rid of these and get in things that sell", advice that at times has made me question what we are doing.

"Am I wrong, should I go with the flow"?

My own personal 'Jiminy Cricket' would whisper to me.

Then I argue back "no I would sooner close the door".

It seems that I was right.

For in these uncertain times when I see the closed shops I feel so pleased that we stayed firm.

It seems that the art that moves us also moves others, and for us nothing has changed.

Well there is one small change, I now find that the artists that we have shown over the years

are being chased by other galleries.

It had to happen.

So I have carried on as I always have, and for me the start to the year has been busier than ever.

I arrive home even later and seem to have less time to myself, not more.

The days in the gallery are full, if I'm not selling something then I'm talking about it.

This is my life, and it is fun and a great pleasure.

When the day ends that's when my mails and calls start, when I have a chance to talk to artists.

My time to think and plan.

It is from evenings like these that I find and unearth treasure.

When I can concentrate on what possible reason could I give to an artist I admire in the hope they will "give us a try".

It is from a time such as this that I found myself recently standing at the counter unwrapping a parcel, a painting, an original piece by

Jo March.

I have loved and admired Jo's work for a very long time, and we have shown and sold countless

prints of her work during this time, but never an original.

Indeed I had never seen or held one, only prints and pictures.

I had tried countless times to contact her about a year ago, my calls were always taken by a young boy, her son.

He would explain that she couldn't talk just then, to which I replied every time

"I will call later".

I did, again and again for what seems like weeks, until I eventually accepted that you "can't win them all" and gave up.

Some weeks later I received a call "Hello this is Jo March".

Jo explained the very sad and bad things going on in her life.

She needn't have, but I appreciated that she felt the need to and it explained a lot.

I think we got on, and it was left that "one day she would paint me an original.

Two weeks ago I called her again.

The original arrived at 11.30am one morning a few days later.

Her first painting for a year.

I loved it and was so excited and proud to place it in my "special place" on the wall.

By 4.30pm it was gone.

Isn't that the way of life? People always take what you love away from you.

But it was good.

Jo's life has changed, and in just two weeks we have become good friends.

It is as if we had known each other for a long while, and perhaps we have because it was long ago that I entered the world of her imagination.

Her paintings are all based on real locations, but they are set in the past, in a time of greater innocence and gentleness, they are of a world that is held in our deepest memories and one we would like to return to.

A new string tied [who uses string] parcel arrived today, containing three new treasures from Jo, perhaps these will be with me a little longer.

All I know for certain is that I would like to live in these landscapes.

Only problem is she doesn't paint roads, how do I get there?

2011-01-13T10:30:00.000-08:00

So much of the time running a gallery is spent doing the many things that are of no interest to me, no matter how important they are.

Things like accounts, advertising, writing letters, ordering packaging,

etc,etc,etc., the list seems endless.

I don't suppose that it is any different for people who run shops of any kind.

But at times I do wonder how I got into this situation, at times it feels like working in an office, and I am really not an office sort of person.

After all I should be talking to artists, or at the very least talking about them and their work.

So it has been good to be distracted for a few days working on the logistics of a future exhibition.

'Maureen Minchin'

That's the name of the exhibition and the artist, or more to the point the potter.

No! That's incorrect, she is an artist potter.

And it is strange to think that Suffolk's most famous potter lives in Scotland.

Many years ago in a different lifetime I was a potter and I couldn't imagine a day when I wouldn't be making or dreaming about pots.

But life and politics had different plans for me and the time came when I hated pottery and everything connected with it and it was only through Irene's urging that I kept my old wheels

and a kiln or two, plus my box of tools.

Then one day [as they say] I saw in a gallery window a pot that I fell in love with,

and purchased.

[But that is a tale for another day or a tale for later this year].

I understood that I could like pots again if I put history behind me.

So, I did come to admire pots and potters again [not politics] and started to take pleasure from

seeing good pots by good potters, but I was never tempted to purchase again.

I felt that I had seen it all before.

Then one day I found a pot that was unlike any I had ever seen before,

this was by Maureen Minchin.

It wasn't like anything I had ever liked or collected, but I loved it and had to have it.

I couldn't afford it but I loved it.

I have it at home now, because Irene and the kids bought it for my Christmas present.

That's how my love affair of Maureen's work started, and the day we decided to open the gallery she was the first person I contacted.

But she couldn't let me have any pots at that time, as she was very ill plus her own life had taken different directions.

But we kept in touch and eventually she brought me some.

We have had many over the years since, but never a complete exhibition.

It is strange to think that she is probably the best known and most collected potter in East Anglia but she lives in a very remote spot on the west coast of Scotland.

I suppose it's not that hard to understand, as she used to be a Suffolk potter until the day she followed her heart and dreams and moved to the Highlands

[taking her Gypsy caravan with her].

Now she lives in a spot so remote it takes half a day to get to the town.

She is as remote as remote can be.

The view from her small cottage is across the Atlantic, interrupted only by the mountains on

the Islands of Rhum, Eigg and Skye.

It is a location you would dream of living at [well I do].

But as she told me one winter evening "you wouldn't want to live here today, there is a gale from the sea and the roof is moving".

But I still dream of it.

Living in such a remote spot has done nothing to diminish interest in her work, in fact it has increased. She is now as popular in Scotland as she was in East Anglia.

I spoke recently to a gallery owner in Inverness, the morning after the private view of Maureen's last exhibition.

"It was incredible, just like a 'Harrods' sale opening, and the telephone didn't stop with people far away trying to purchase".

I believe her, I have experienced how popular her pottery is, on the occasions that we have been lucky enough to have any, most of it goes to America.

So this April we have our first solo exhibition of Maureen's pots.

We have waited nearly five years for this show, and I just know that the wait will be worthwhile.

Maureen being a true professional has been supplying me with material well in advance.

She understands the amount of work we have to do and does everything to make life that little bit easier. After all it's not easy to promote an artist that sends you nothing before the event,

but it has happened.

Our discussions and the pictures that she has sent have only increased my excitement.

I will come back to talk about her more as the date draws closer I'm sure as we are very committed to this show and are producing a booklet to go with it, plus I will be travelling North to see her and collect pots early in March, so I think for a while I will have nothing on my mind but her and her work.

That's not a bad thing.

Above is a picture of her scenery and daily view [makes me want to cry]. A jug, showing the different sides. A jug that she is working on, drawing through the thin covering of slip to reveal the red clay, then another jug and a dish to match.

These we sent to America some time ago.

2011-01-10T04:22:00.000-08:00

I have never made a New Year resolution before as I know that I would be incapable of keeping to it [whatever "it" was], but this year I did.

"My resolution is to finish that bloody picture", I told myself.

The picture in question was a photograph that I had taken about two years ago.

Well really it was a collection of photographs, as I was trying to build a finished picture from

thirteen different shots.

I may have mentioned before that at times people have commented that some of my photographs

look like paintings, as a result of this I decided that I should never consciously try to reproduce a painting of any kind but that I should just let things develop by themselves.

I have broken this rule once already, this was when I tried to re-create the painting of

'Ophelia',

based on the famous painting by John Everett Millais.

I had loved the painting so much I wished that I had created it, so I did in my own way.

Another favourite has always been

'The Lady of Shalott', by John William Waterhouse.

I find these paintings so very moving and romantic, and so clever in their execution and use of light. They may be old fashioned but I still find them beautiful.

Having been lucky enough to find one model to play "dead" in a winter stream, I was now even more fortunate to be friends with another young woman [Sarah Day] who not only didn't

mind modelling for me but who also owned her own boat and enjoyed making re-creation clothing.

Added to this I had an offer from a lady who visits the gallery

"if you ever want to use my home for your photographs you are welcome".

Her home is an old mill, set beside the river and with its own weir and large pool.

So, one summer day I set out with the intention of trying to once again create my version of an old painting.

Perhaps I should mention here that I don't actually enjoy taking photographs, I find it very hard

technically [especially with limited knowledge] as my own expectations of what I would like to see are hard to produce.

Many times I don't bother to take a picture when the opportunity comes as the thought of having to work out exposures, choosing the right combination of filters, and making sure I have covered every angle tends to take away "the moment".

Any real photographer wouldn't understand this, but they would be more qualified than I for the job in hand.

This time everything was ready.

Sarah had made a dress in the style of the painting, and even taken her boat to the mill pond

the previous day.

The sky was clear and the sun shone, what more could I ask for?

From the outset I had known that I couldn't take the picture with one shot as I wanted to finish

up with a large file [over 200 mg] and this wasn't possible with a camera like mine.

So it meant that the picture would have to be a montage of different shots.

Also I wanted to create the 'spirit' of the painting, my version, or what might have been the painting under different circumstances. So I knew that many pictures would have to be taken

so I had enough to choose from and to "build" with.

For an hour or so Sarah paddled or drifted her boat about the pool.

I knew what I was looking for but creating it or capturing it was a lot harder and I spent my time scrambling about the bank side or wading into the shallows [I had my boots on] trying to get the perfect shots.

Luckily Sarah has been the 'star' of many previous photographs of mine, so she knew what to expect, what to do and how to react to my vague prompts.

Eventually I announced "that's it I must have everything by now".

Understanding what was required Sarah reminded me that I hadn't taken any pictures of reeds.

The main reason for this being that they were in deeper water and too far away.

"Climb in and I will paddle us out there", she told me.

I had wanted to go out on the boat so I jumped at the invitation.

Literally

I jumped into the boat and immediately capsized it, turning it over with us both in it.

My first thoughts were for my camera.

Standing waist deep in the water I realized that it was immersed.

"The camera, I must save the camera".

I waded to the bank side, climbed it and run to the house.

I had to dry the camera, and quickly.

I was fortunate, fifteen minutes later after taking it apart and blasting it with a hair dryer it was working again.

Crisis over.

Oh! I wonder what happened to Sarah.

[You understand that at times I'm not the kind, considerate person I pretend to be, and this was one of them].

But luckily she was aware of this and after dragging the submerged boat to the bank by herself she somehow upturned it and drained the water out before squelching her way back to the house.

" You poor girl, come in quickly and have a hot shower, you must be frozen".

No, that wasn't me that was the lady of the house.

One week later, having chosen what photographs to use I had made a "rough" by putting four of them put together.

This had taken two days.

I understood then that this was going to be a very long process so I put them aside and got on

with life.

Every now and again I would play with the picture a little and move it forward, but not very often.

Eighteen months later it was finished.

But only for a few minutes. It was as if my computer had had enough of it.

The screen went dead never to come back on again, with it went all of the pictures that I had created over the past few years.

Some were of course saved onto Cd's but not all, and certainly not

Lady of Shalott.

Recently I had a lot of the contents of the hard disc recovered, but the finished picture was gone

for all time except in my head.

I managed to get back some of the original photographs, including a picture of a soaked Sarah.

Sitting looking at this I decided that I must finish that picture one day,

just for her sake if no other reason.

We have kept in touch and indeed produced other pictures together, and she has never once

bothered me or complained about that picture.

So that was my resolution, to finish it,

and I decided that I would not write here again until I had.

So it's finished, I am unhappy with it and will one day go back and start again with the pictures I have, but at least for me at least it captures a little of the atmosphere we set out to create.

Thanks Sarah.

Above are the finished [for now at least] picture, the beautiful original painting which inspired it. An early start picture using six images, then another about a week and several changes later,

and of course my star on route to the shower.

2010-12-22T08:52:00.000-08:00

I must be one of the only people in the country that hasn't put pictures of snow on there blog,

well that's just about to change.

It did seem little point putting photographs on just to announce "we have snow", as at the moment it would be hard to find somewhere that hasn't any, well in this country at least.

It is strange to have it "white" so early [or late] in the year, but it does start to make sense of all the old fashioned Christmas cards that we are used to seeing.

"A white Christmas"?

Whatever next? "Peace to all mankind", somehow I doubt it.

So much as I was "itching" to take pictures in the snow I hadn't had a chance as I have been in the gallery with the heaters on full power, looking out at the winter landscape not being part of it.

That changed at the weekend.

The snow, while looking pretty is a mixed blessing. Yes, it looks very seasonal but it has put an end to Christmas shopping as so few people have been venturing out.

It has also caused some problems for us with travelling to the galleries, both here and to Irene's in Lavenham.

Neither are far away from home but with the country roads being unusable they might as well have been 50 miles away, as we were unable to leave home in a car.

However, there has been a growing list of frames to be made that has been slowly building up and I had decided that on Sunday I would go to Lavenham and get a few done.

They had to be done as people were expecting [with pictures] them to give as presents, so I decided that I would walk to the Lavenham gallery and get them done just in case conditions got worse.

The village of Lavenham is only three miles from our home and the journey shouldn't have taken too long but I decided to "speed" things up by walking cross country rather than taking the meandering lanes.

I wish that I hadn't, but I'm glad that I did.

The journey took far too long but it was a delight.

I walked out of our gate and proceeded directly into the fields opposite.

Although I have walked the route before this time it was so different.

I walked along the old wooded path that follows the stream that passes by our house, it was lovely to walk in the virgin snow, sheltered by a roof of trees but being able to hear and occasionally see the running water.

I came to an unsheltered part of the track where the stream was in clear view. This is an important location for the family as our old dog loved to sit here and bark while Irene threw

stones into the stream, with each splash he became more excited and would bark louder.

I couldn't help but imagine him sitting there in the snow, I'm sure he would have loved it.

Dogs do like adventures.

I continued on my own, walking through the snow, hearing nothing but my own footsteps,

apart from the occasional gunshot of course.

It seems that whatever the weather there are always pheasants "just asking" to be shot.

Eventually I came to, then waded the small ford.

This was really starting to feel like an adventure, everything seemed so much more romantic and dramatic than it would normally be.

In fact it seemed that I was incapable of walking 50 metres without taking at least 5 photographs, most of which I knew would be rubbish but I couldn't help myself, we don't often have snow.

I arrived at the pine forest, unfortunately my path didn't take me through it and I really didn't have time to spare to detour, so I passed on by and crossed the empty fields, empty except for

Crows and Rooks who so fitted the isolated landscape.

I walked through a small wood which resembled 'Narnia', pausing only to look at a frozen pool,

it was strange to think that only a few months before I had been tempted to strip and bath in it

on a rare hot summer day as I sat watching a Kingfisher dart from perch to perch.

Now it looked black and foreboding against the snow covered banks.

From the wood across a beautiful wild field [beautiful in any season], then into the "tunnel".

It isn't really a tunnel, but it is a tunnel of trees that runs for about a mile.

It was once the route of the old steam railway, before the "cut backs" of a previous era.

It was strange to walk this route thinking that once in a time before modernisation and good communications all of the small villages were connected by the rail.

Now they are all isolated and older people can only travel by the "once a day bus".

That's progress.

Walking along the disused track it was easy to imagine people looking from windows of the train carriages, watching the countryside pass by, and if they were young putting heads outside to watch and smell the clouds of steam from the engines.

As a child I used to be so very frightened of the big steaming monsters as they pulled slowly into the station.

So loud dark and menacing.

I used to put my head under my mothers coat until they stopped and the "hissing"had subsided.

Now, I miss them so, but walking the track I was once again that young boy, head out of the window, sniffing the strange smell of the steam.

Now the rail track was silent, silent, sad and very beautiful.

The tunnel before me illuminated by snow, and there in the far distance the circle of light

where the woods stopped.

The wood stopped but a steep hill beckoned. In fact it didn't really beckon it's just that I had no other choice, so puffing like a train off I set.

So it was much, and many pictures later that I eventually saw the distant church tower of Lavenham in the distance.

Oh dear!

I knew things were going to get worse, after all who can resist taking pictures of Lavenham in the snow?

No one. Including a local like me. It is so very pretty and at Christmas everyone seems to make a great effort with their decorations, it really seems like a place where Christmas does really exist.

I took pictures [too many to show], and yes I even completed my picture frames and then I had the excitement of returning home in the dark.

It's strange how nothing is a pretty, or as friendly in the dark and I'm sure the woods were longer, deeper and darker than those I had walked through earlier.

At one point I knew that I had heard hoofs on the track.

Images of Dracula's stagecoach came to mind, only to be swiftly replaced with images of

'Black Riders'.

Then they appeared.

Three deer ran across the track, then another four, then another two, then more.

Fourteen in total, silhouetted against the snow, any other night I wouldn't have seen them and in my imagination they would have remained as Black Riders.

The sounds of the deer, owls, startled pheasants and the "cawing" and flapping wings of the rooks I disturbed as I walked the wooded path made it all a memorable day.

I survived my "big adventure" and here are a few pictures to prove it, none of them convey what I experienced but maybe a lot of that was in my mind.

I don't want to do it too often, but for one day in my life it was good to be young again.

2010-12-09T11:04:00.000-08:00

As I have mentioned before artists, like all of us come in many different shapes, forms and guises, and of course with the odd sprinkle of ego now and then.

This is normal of course but as you may have realised by now there is only "one" ego that is allowed free rein in this gallery.

Yep! That's mine. [It's too large to fit this page].

So, whats this all about?

The whole pleasure of having the gallery is to show beautiful things, objects of all forms that fill that" little hole" of need that exists inside all of us.

As I have been told in the past "people don't need what you are selling".

Very true, you certainly can't eat it, or fill your car with it, but, part of you certainly needs it, and like everyone else I certainly need "a fix" of living with beautiful things.

They touch your heart.

No, they lift your heart and spirit and in these troubled times we all need something that does that from time to time.

So. back to artists.

I have always maintained and experienced that the bigger the artist, the more humble and generous the person is.

I have frequently been astonished by the generosity of "big name artists" who reply to my requests to show their work.

Many times I have had replies such as "of course you can" or "thank you for your kind words, how soon do you need it", or "when would you like it sent" "what a lovely gallery you have".

This sometimes from artists that make me feel "we are not worthy".

But instead, they have the ability make us feel special.

Then, every now and again you have an artist of some description that we have "championed"

who has gone on to have a sniff of fame. "A legend in their own mind".

Wow! They are gone.

"Can't do that now I'm very heavily committed", or "I regret that I have no new work as I sent it to the Broom Cupboard gallery in New York".

America, New York?

I suppose a village like Long Melford can't compete with that.

Well it can, but not with the inflated ego's, after all the locals are still trying to come to terms with mine.

This is starting to sound a little bitter so perhaps I had better explain.

No, named artist commits to an exhibition that they can't fulfill, or at the very least they ask for a long "lead up" time so that they have the time to put special pieces aside during the course of their normal year.

Yes, you do have a long wait but you are assured that the end result will be worth while, and that your time and money spent in promotion is not wasted.

"At the end of the day", the public decides, and as a gallery owner you can only hope that what you promise is delivered.

As they say the rest is in the "lap of the Gods".

So when I try to prepare a year in advance it is reassuring to know that artists offer to do the same and make the same commitment.

But, that is not always the case as sometimes artists who don't have a reputation to lose

don't prepare until the last few weeks and as a result submit "OK" art for their exhibition,

then wonder or blame the gallery their art doesn't sell.

So it is with these thoughts at the back of my mind that this morning I decided that I would concentrate on trying to get a few outstanding artists that I really admire to commit for future exhibitions.

By this I mean artists that I have had dialogue with but who won't commit to a date until they know that their calender is free enough to let them give proper justice and representation to their own art.

At times they are allusive, but they never let you down once they have said "yes".

As I sat at the computer preparing to write long letters detailing the advantages of showing with us I was surprised by the arrival of a mail from a sculptor that I have been pursuing for a long time.

Jan Morgan.

Result! We will be getting his work, but only when he has fulfilled current commitments.

"This is more like it, I can live with those sort of things", someone is being honest.

I don't care how long I have to wait for Jan's work, in a way the anticipation is half the pleasure.

"No", I'm lying there, having them here and seeing and touching them will be the pleasure.

The sculptures are so exciting, not only are they so well made but the also tell a story.

The display of them is everything, it is so much more than just the sculpting, there is such a clever mind behind them.

So, having been fulfilled in only a few short minutes of the day I decided to "go for broke", and approach yet again one of my favourite sculptors.

Tricia Cline.

Tricia has told me in the past that she will let 'Imagine' have some of her art, but only when she could fit it in.

I can live with that as I know we will get the work sometime and I won't be messed around with

false promises.

As I now know professional artists never promise then not deliver, and I have the work of many of them here to prove it.

They have made my job a pleasure, it's the others that are causing the ulcers.

Above are two of the sculptures by Jan Morgan followed by a couple of haunting pieces by Tricia Cline.

Hey! Did anyone suspect anywhere back there that I was annoyed, I hope not.

After all I'm professional.

2010-12-05T08:04:00.000-08:00

Each year we hold about six different exhibitions at the gallery, some solo exhibitions and the others usually group shows set around a theme.

These I really enjoy as it gives me the opportunity to have a little "artistic" input of my own,

firstly in deciding upon a theme then secondly in choosing the various artists that I think will best bring the idea to life, it is always very satisfying [once the opening is over] to stand back and marvel at the interpretations from the various different minds.

The first planned for next year is on the theme of the 'Rime of The Ancient Mariner', this was originally planned as a solo exhibition by the sculptor John Maltby but he has since urged me to "go ahead with the idea" as a group show.

This will of course make for a more varied show, it is something I am looking forward to planning.

I will have to give much thought in a short space of time as I am thinking of sometime in May which doesn't give a lot of time for artists to think and prepare, even if it is just for the inclusion of one piece. I think that I will make this my Christmas "break" project, so when I arrive back here on 'Boxing Day' after my 24 hour holiday I will have a much clearer idea of who I would really like to be involved.

So although we are very much involved with the whole Christmas experience at the moment

[it is a little festive here just now] my thoughts are very much on the future, even to the extent that I have asked one artist to show in 2012.

Perhaps I am getting too ambitious.

So, for next year our first planned exhibition is not until the end of February which at the moment seems a long way off, although having a little break from the planning and promotion side of things will be welcome [although I do have to start designing advertisements soon].

Lindsey Carr, is the artist for our next show.

I am so pleased that I had asked her earlier this year when she first exhibited with in a joint exhibition with fellow artist Mark Rowney.

Then the connection between them was that they both painted onto wood.

I loved both there works, although then Mark was perhaps the more established of the pair I had a "gut feeling" that Lindsey was really going to "take off", so on impulse I asked if she would come back in a year and have her first solo exhibition.

She agreed, thank goodness as now one year on her work is sought after worldwide and in just a few months from saying "yes" her art was being shown in numerous exhibitions in America and Europe.

But, next February she is all mine.

I am really excited and honestly can't wait to see her new work, although I know it will only frustrate me as I will want to own so many pieces but won't be able to afford one.

Still for a short while it will all be mine.

A few days ago she sent me an image of a painting that was about 90% finished, this was so that I could use portions of it for advertisements and editorials etc.

I loved it, if having a small print of this unfinished picture was all that I would personally own, then that would be enough to keep me happy, it is beautiful.

I will say and urge that if anyone out there can afford it, then snap up one of her paintings while they are still affordable as I am certain that this girl is going to be an artist that I will one day be able to boast about [I like to boast] to people. I'm sure only to have them exclaim.

" You, had HER work "?

Another exciting event that I will look forward to is the launch of the latest Jackie Morris book,

something that is still very much ongoing at the moment. I know that Jac is working to a publishers deadline as usual which can't be the best experience in the World, but although she never seems to realise it at the time some of her best work is produced under these circumstances.

It is a book of Nursery Rhymes titled 'A Rhyme in Time' .

I know that is the title because the cover has been printed and I have a copy of it.

Jackie is obsessed by time [along with a thousand other interesting things], or more to the point the waste of time, I think she really is a person for who the days just aren't long enough,

I think to do, and create all of the things she talks of and plans would take at least one and a half life times, but I somehow have a feeling that she will do most of them.

I am aware that I do mention her fairly frequently on the blog, this is perhaps because she is so very inventive and her idea's so exciting, plus she is one of the most generous people we know.

With her obsession with time it was no great surprise to find that her new book cover was designed around a clock.

From the first time I looked at the illustrations I could only think of just how good this could be if it was turned into a real creation.

I often tell myself "You must not dabble with artists creations".

But what the hell, I know best, don't I?

For a week or so my mind was occupied with trying to image how this clock could be brought

to 'real life'. Was it possible? Who had the ability to do it?

In my mind there was only one person, Jon Mayle.

Jon, a jeweller/designer /artist, I have known since we were both very much younger.

Thinking about it, maybe 40 years, which is incredible as I don't look a day older [well let's face it, does Father Christmas age]?

Unfortunately for me Jon is one of the people who at times can be immune to my powers of persuasion [luckily his wife and sculptor Jan isn't], so I wasn't sure how he would take my request to make a "real clock".

But, I asked.

After a couple of days he came back to me, "I can do it, no problem, exactly as the pictures, but

before I start ask Jackie if she minds".

Well you know how "up themselves" and precious some artists can be?

Well, Jackie isn't one of them.

"Fantastic, when, how much will it cost, I can't wait to see it, brilliant".

Were among Jackie's many comments.

So some time in the near future I will be showing pictures of the most amazing clock.

A collaboration by two talented artists [plus me of course].

Now then, that has made something come to mind.

A while back I had thought of an exhibition titled "Collaborations", I had forgotten all about the idea until I wrote those words.

Heck! How many months are there next year?

Above are unfinished painting by Lindsey and Jackie's front and back cover paintings.