Imagine Gallery

For some time now I have put off writing anything, not because nothing has happened, it has.

But a lot of the things and the people connected with them have left me feeling very negative.

So I thought rather than record bad thoughts I would write nothing.

As they say [who are they] if you can't say something nice about someone then say nothing at all.

So, having said nothing about the "someones" I will concentrate on the good things that have happened, and there have been a few.

What have I been up to?

Well, I spent a couple of days on a boat.

I had to go to Holland to arrange delivery of some sculpture from a nice man named

Hans Blank.

Hans does the strangest of work, most of it is related to the sea, and all of it looks as if it has been excavated from some ancient site.

The journey to see him has been off,on,off,on, for so long now I think we both thought I would never make the journey, but at last I did.

As I anticipated the journey was long and boring, which strikes me as a strange thing.

Had you asked me a few years ago "how would you like to go to Holland, work related"?

I would have thought "GREAT", a few days away from the workplace, but now I find that I am reluctant to leave the gallery for more than a few hours.

"It is me, and I am it".

Much as I really enjoy meeting and talking with different artist that we work with I always wonder "what is happening back at base"?

Usually, not much plus it's good to give Rebecca some time here without me telling her how she should arrange the paperclips.

But I do miss the daily involvement, so a trip to Holland was a bit of a chore plus an expensive one at that, still what did I expect when I found that the boat had a cinema as well as a shopping mall. Life on the ocean wave is not for me but I did get to read a couple of good books.

Apart from the fact that I was meeting an artist at the journeys end those weren't normal days.

What was more normal and much more exciting was meeting some artists closer to home.

Like every gallery we have people coming in and asking "would you like to see my etchings"?

Or words very similar.

On these occasions my heart sinks as I feel that if I haven't found them already then the chances are that I won't be interested in their work.

But that's not the main point as I realize that most of these people have "worked up the courage" to come in, and I really don't want to turn them away or dampen their enthusiasm.

It's not a nice thing to do.

Very rarely have I taken anything from any artist who has walked in and I had despaired of the day when someone really different would come through the door.

 But it happened this week.

An artist called Paul Rumsey came in while I was out and left a book of his drawings for me to "look" at.

I called him within four minutes of looking at them.

Paul returned and brought with him some of his work.

To describe his art as dark would be an understatement, but it is not just dark but very thought

provoking and every picture 'really' told a story.

His work is of worlds only seen in our imagination or dreams. Disturbing and very beautiful.

I suppose that it came as no great surprise to learn that he is collected worldwide [by famous

people] and that he shares the same agent as H.R.Giger [the man who designed ALIEN].

It was really rewarding for me to know that he had studied the gallery and then sought me out.

He must have read me like a book.

Needless to say his work is now hanging on the wall.

Another really lovely and very interesting artist that I have seen recently is Graham Piggott.

Graham's work couldn't be more removed from that of Paul's.

It is very gentle, and timeless sculpture.

For years he and his wife Corri have produced as sculptures almost every imaginable scene

from 'Alice in Wonderland'.

Which is obviously why I went to see them in Oxfordshire.

There is far too much to tell of the visit and the things that I saw but it was all so exciting I will have to write about them both at length very soon.

The sculptures by Graham really are like antiques, they all look so precious. But at the same time very childlike, I can honestly say that visiting them was like opening a window

to your childhood.

I left with lots of 'Alice' sculpture, but I think we have agreed "not enough" so I intend, and look forward to returning again very,very [next week] soon.

Another artist that I unfortunately have not met, but whose art I have received is

Bertem Rene

Bertem lives and works at New Smyrna Beach, Florida [now a journey there I would like].

He is a 'Mask Maker', and he has made us a very special "one of a kind" White Rabbit mask 

for the ALICE exhibition.

I know very little about Bertem, but I do know that he is extremely kind and very generous.

He is a man of few words but those few speak volumes about him.

I had managed to make contact with him and asked if he would make us a mask for the exhibition. The next I heard was to tell me it was about to be sent.

I replied had I known I would have asked for one of the incredible

'Green Man' masks that he has made in the past.

Two weeks later a box arrived with the ALICE mask and to my great delight a

Green Man.

In the box was a short note, it finishes thus.

"No matter what reason one covers their face with a mask, remember...............

It's all about your persona".

The words made me feel cold, I had been uncovered.

What an incredible artist and person, I feel humbled and privileged to be showing his craft.

 

Well other things [in fact lots] have happened, but like you I'm feeling tired.

I want to go home, be welcomed by my dogs, eat then sleep.

Tomorrow's another day, and who knows what delights it may bring me.

I do have a suspicion of one , but I won't mention it in case I frighten the artist away.

One last thing before I drive off into the sunset

[that was two hours ago but it's good to be romantic at my age]

At last the ALICE invitation is ready for the printer on Monday morning.

So here is the cover, along with Bertem masks, a Graham Piggot sculpture and of course a Paul Rumsey drawing.