There times I feel almost ashamed to be a male, today was one of those times.

Ever since we have been open we have been aware of a problem when it comes to selling art,

that problem is called "relationships".

I often wonder why people are together as there seems to be nothing that they have in common

that would cement a relationship together.

Perhaps I am just getting too old and don't appreciate that now it is all about physical attraction.

Whatever!

Everyday people in a relationship and young and old

visit the gallery and purchase "nothing" and usually it is because they don't agree.

Or more to the point if it is a man and wife the husband is just appeasing his wife's strange desires.

 

Let me explain.

Imagine Gallery has the 'good or bad' fortune to be situated next to a "Gastro Pub",

the sort of place that attracts a lot of people looking for a good meal.

Sometimes this can be good for us as people discover that we exist for the first time as they pass on route to have a meal.

A few of these visitors have become friends and good customers,

But more usual.

The downside is that the majority are male and have only one thing in mind,

that of course is having a good liquid refreshment.

Maybe that is unkind as I am sure that they sometimes have other intentions.

One fact is that whenever one partner is in a rush to get to the pub the other is never allowed

to have a proper wander around our gallery.

The men usually stand close to the door [desperate for a pint]

while their partner keeps calling them to "just come and look at this".

It is obvious that there is never going to be a sale of any kind until they have eaten and drunk.

Whatever

We have recently received some of the most amazing and beautiful small objects that we have shown.

Books.

Antique books, all one of a kind,

They have words, names and symbols created by the pages being hand folded to create the words.

Each word or symbol is emotive,

plus the books are all antique, presented in beautiful boxes, each with a numbered certificate

plus they are cheap.

I have placed a few in the window display.

The display has had the desired effect,

All day long people have been stopping in their tracks, doing "double takes" and coming back to the window.

People? Of course I mean women

Most of them with a partner who has carried on walking or has been called back to have a look.

But nobody came inside to purchase one, it seems that romance is dead.

I became certain of this when one young woman called to her partner

"look at this book,

the one with the word love inside, isn't it wonderful ".

Hearing the conversation I thought "this looks like it could be a buyer".

Wrong.

He replied "never mind about that I am going to treat you to a nice meal and a bottle of wine".

"Duh".

You could almost imagine him twisting his moustache and smirking, but he didn't have one

[moustache that is, smirk yes].

I sat and felt ashamed to be a male, couldn't he see she was asking him for the book?

No,

He had a belly to fill, food and wine were waiting, his special treat for her.

Maybe he gave her a bite of his steak.

Is that how shallow and cheap all us men are, I wonderd?

 I hope not.

Or maybe it was a really good steak, her favourite!

Just before I closed my faith was restored, I learned that romance is still alive.

A man walked though the door and asked

"could I have three of those books with a heart inside please?"

As I wrapped I questioned who they were for?

"My three daughters,

Two of them have left home and I know it won't be long before the youngest is off with her

boyfriend, so I just want them to have something that reminds them

from time to time that we love them.

Something that they might keep and look at in years to come".

How lovely, good feelings and romantic intent still exist in the heart of some males.

Apart from the story about the books

the pots are some that I have been very long overdue to show you

they are by an Australian [I won't hold that against him] named John Stroomer.

They are beautiful and so well crafted and I am proud to show them.

How they came here is a story for another day.

Visits

I mentioned last time I wrote that I had also visited another artist, but I lied it was actually two.

The first visit was a "pit stop" collection from the furniture maker

James Evans.

The brief nature of my visit had nothing to do with the quality of his work, it was just that I was travelling to a timetable, or at least I thought I was.

But I will explain that in a little bit.

I will confess that I am not really a great lover of carpentry as an art form,

there are just so many things out there that are poor.

Don't get me wrong, I love things created from wood and in fact for a short period in one of my past

life's I did support the family by creating with wood and I remember that period as being one of the happiest of my life.

Thinking back I re-call my small [then] children would come to the workshop each morning

[still in pyjamas] to bring me my breakfast.

Two bags of crisps.

That was a lovely period in my life.

Sometimes, it would be nice to turn the clock back to another time and do things differently,

but of course this would mean that I would not be sitting here today writing about the gallery

I had always dreamt of owning.

Whoops! I am drifting off into different area's as usual.

So, back to James and his work.

In my opinion he is the best artist/carpenter working in the UK.

Having trained as a restorer of antique furniture, a profession that culminated with him working for the Queen for three years,

he left her employment to follow his heart and create his own work.

And this work is truly art.

We have exhibited pieces of his work that are just stunning. Beautiful designs and so well crafted.

When his pieces are displayed within sight of the gallery windows they actually draw people inside.

Of course I want to sell everything we show

but whenever a piece of his woodwork sells I am a little sad as I know I will never 

see the like of that piece again.

Recently, after the sale of a table [unfortunately I didn't photograph it] I started to panic

as we had so few of his pieces left.

So I have been "hounding" him for new work.

Alas, he told me that he is fully committed until the Summer [after which I can take my choice]

there was nothing available.

So the conversation started again as I was just not taking "No" as an answer.

I confess that I did feel a little guilty putting him under more pressure, but it worked.

"OK, yes, I can spare just one piece for you".

So although it was a very brief visit it was worth it.

The cabinet that I returned with I have titled the 'Cadaver Cupboard".

I can't think why.

The reason my visit to James was so brief is because I had to travel further that afternoon to visit

and collect from the sculptor Paul Harvey, or I thought I had to.

But on calling after leaving James I found that one of had got the date wrong [me].

My sculptures would not be ready until the morning.

This wasn't a great problem but it did mean that I couldn't travel onwards to Wales first thing

in the morning as I had intended.

Oh well, I needed a break from driving so I booked in very early at a Travelodge close to Stonehenge.

It was a beautiful evening and it seemed so very strange to be sitting on my bed reading a book

when I was aware that the sun would soon be setting below one of the worlds

most famous and oldest landmarks.

I was tempted to drive the two miles to experience the event, I didn't because

I knew I would only feel sad and disappointed.

To witness the sun setting behind the great monument while I was standing hundreds of metres away viewing from behind a mesh fence just would never equal the experience of standing

touching the stones as the sun disappeared.

Of course that is just "hippy" stuff and I understand we have to protect against that sort of thing,

much better to charge pilgrims for the privilege to stand behind a fence from a safe distance.

I just wonder, how has it ended up that we are made to pay to see things that no living person owns?

Maybe that was the original intention!

So instead of witnessing something amazing I fell asleep with a book on my chest.

It was a good book but I was tired, plus at times it is nice to get away from the stress of running 

the gallery and I find on these occasions my body shuts down early.

After all, whatever is happening 'back at base' is for once out of my hands.

So I was up, showered, fed and on the road early, on route to the studio/shed of Paul Harvey.

After an hour or so of driving I was soon far off the beaten track driving down country lanes

shrouded in mist. It was a lovely English country morning, which to me always means

sun, fields and mist.

Driving in the mist along narrow hedged lanes was not so much fun but it did have its moments,

like when I passed a beautiful Lodge cottage beside a pair of giant gates.

Beyond the gates was a drive that stretched for half a mile before it disappeared downhill somewhere,

on each side there was a row of trees but what was more striking were the mass of daffodils

that outlined the drive like yellow lamps.

It was the home of Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Visiting Paul is always a real pleasure.

He is one of the artists that we deal with who I regard as being a real mate, it is never about money

we work together.

Every meeting is relaxed and we pick up on conversations that have spanned months.

As I arrived he was standing holding the gate open for me,

within a minute of getting out of the van he was saying "you have got to have a look at this".

So it went on, it was a great "fun" visit.

On the day I arrived his studio looked so romantic, I think I have mentioned before what a lovely location it is set in,

beside a small fresh water lake, fed by an underground spring,  you can even watch the bubbles rising in places and as long as you make sure that watercress is not in the way you can drink from the lake.

I understand that familiarity breads contempt or at least indifference,

but just how Paul and his wife Sarah ever manage to get work done as they look from the studio windows I will never know.

I think that Paul is one of the few artists who understands what "makes me tick" or perhaps we are just similar souls.

" Come on lets go feed the fish" he said in between all of our artist/art/galleries gossip.

We walked together through a small woodland area covered in wild garlic [you could smell it]

and bluebells to a clearing beside the water where he always feeds his Trout.

"This is how I spend my days"

he told me as he threw a crust of bread that hit a Mallard duck on the head.

"Sorry".

Despite what I have just mentioned Paul is a really hard working artist.

He is a person who lives for his art.

Sure, his art supports him [and me] but that is not why it is created, he just has to create.

As I write this he is on holiday in Cornwall.

He told me that this would be a great break because he will take some clay with him and come home with at least one new sculpture.

From the clay originals he casts his work in stone and more recently Bronze.

I visited to collect some marble pieces but before I left he asked "would I like to show his bronze work this July"?

Now let me think about that Paul?

OK

A Long While

It seems that it has been a long time since I last hired a van and travelled around the country

collecting different pieces of art.

This has been in some way deliberate as I am often told by the various creators

"you are the only person who comes to collect."

I must admit that this has always surprised me, as one of the best "perks" of having a gallery is

having the opportunity and excuse to visit the various artist's at their studio's.

OK, that studio might just be a shed and to be honest I do prefer to call them workshops

but as it is accepted that artists create from studios, then studio it is.

Visiting these workplaces has always been a pleasure, plus also an opportunity to learn a little more about the creator.

But, it seems that every time I make a trip I lose the best part of a week in the gallery,

which means that then a few days are spent "playing catch up".

So I made a decision that this year I would spend spend less time travelling.

Like all resolutions this one is doomed to failure.

I was starting to get "cabin fever," the need to get out and meet artists was getting too great,

plus the quickest and safest way to get new art here is to get in a car and collect it.

So, this post is about two artists that I went to meet last week.

Larry Learmonth and Nicola Godden.

There was a third artist I visited but I will leave him until next time.

I had the pleasure of visiting Nicola at her home and studio but Larry I met "half way"

at a service station, which wasn't as much fun but it did save another six hours driving,

and at least we had the opportunity to meet in person for the first time.

Larry by his own admission is not a young man, he told me he was 104

but I think that was a little bit of an exaggeration by a few years or so.

He has been a very successful artist all his life, a lot of his work has been used in advertising

and I am sure that most of us would recognise some of his work without knowing who the artist was.

He was introduced to me by my best friend who used to be his agent.

My friend [who lives in Spain] called me a few weeks ago and told me

"you must do something together with Larry Learmonth, he has stopped painting,

and he needs someone to motivate him and bring him back to life

Johnny you have got to do it".

Mission accomplished.

We now have on display one of Larry's greatest paintings

'A Minor Prophet'

The painting is very 'pre-raphalite', the attention to detail is amazing, each and every blade of grass is shown. The painting is of a moonlit pool with bathers, well actually only one,

this is a pig, but as we all know "pigs can't swim"

Which gives the title.

The other pigs look on, wondering "does she know something that we don't?"

The painting is well known and was the centre of a lot of controversy, as it had been earmarked

to be the winning entry for a very prestigious.

It didn't win but the famous art critic Brian Sewell commented

"...with accomplished technical ability now rare, yhe painting combines the traditions of English neo-Romantic landscape with an eerie and enigmatic surrealism that leaves the spectator with a profound sense of unease".

I'm glab that it did not win as it is now hanging here in our gallery and I love the "sense of unease".

I hope our relationship with Larry continues until he is at least 110.

Nicola Godden

is also a very recognised artist, again an artist who we were perhaps unaware of as we viewed her sculpture.

She created the giant 'Icarus' figure that was displayed at the London Olympic Games.

Little did I appreciate while watching TV that some of this artists creations would eventually be here in

Imagine Gallery.

It is the sort of thing that you dream about.

It was by total chance that someone visited the gallery [while on holiday] and told me

"I promote a lot of artists, some I think might interest you".

He told me to "check out" the artists that he promoted, so out of embarrassment I looked.

As I suspected there was a lot of "sand," but there in the sand was one large gold nugget.

A few hours later Nicola and I were having our first conversation.

Yes!

She was prepared to let us show some of her sculptures.

A few weeks later after lots of "near misses" I collected two of her sculptures.

I say near misses because as fast as I was choosing the pieces that I would like to exhibit they were selling.

This of course prompted me to make an immediate visit.

I love to visit the workplace of any artist but with Nicola it was even more exciting

as she was just coming to the finish of a new sculpture.

Icarus

She explained to me that she was becoming obsessed with the theme of Icarus, and has more planned.

A subject I am equally fascinated with, in fact I am planning an exhibition

next year on this theme.

It was fascinating looking around her workplace viewing the many pieces in planning, construction,

finished and discarded.

By discarded I mean pieces that were no longer needed, like the wing of the Olympic Icarus

which stood propped against a wall.

To me these pieces seem almost more precious than the finished piece of art.

I felt privileged to see such things,

they all add to the "jigsaw" of what makes an artist, which I appreciate I am fortunate to witness.

What was more exciting is that I was allowed to see her latest sculpture

before it went for moulding and bronze casting.

Another Icarus.

It was hard to appreciate the making process, until I understood that the mesh

that supported the wings would be removed from the plaster mould

before any casting was started.

I find it hard to understand how sculptors are able to work with rods, wire and cables protruding from

their work, yet are able to look beyond this to the finished piece of work.

The next time you or I will ever see this sculpture again it will be made of bronze.

A piece of art that will last for generations.

How it will look, what "patination" the bronze will have I just don't know.

At the moment that is all locked in the mind of the artist.

I just understand that I was very fortunate to witness seeing a piece work at such an early stage,

in fact the clay was still damp.

Thinking about my visit to see Nicola,

perhaps what stays in my mind the most is that in her home there was very little of her own creations, almost everything displayed was by another artist or sculptor,

artists she admires, sculptures she loves.

Like all good artists when it comes to her own art she can only see faults,

while others see only the beauty.

..................

The 'Bird Boy' image by Larry Learmonth image shown at the top of the page

is from a limited edition of ten signed prints exclusive to our gallery.

We are hoping that interest in his art will encourage Larry to wash his brushes and start painting again.

What Next?

Whenever we have an exhibition in progress or new work on display I am in a constant state of worry.

It seems that I am unable to really enjoy the art that we are showing

as my thoughts are constantly turning to "just what will we have arriving next"?

What can I show people?

I suppose I am one of those people whose "glass is half empty"

never half full.

I suppose I am a serial worrier, after all if there wasn't something to worry about what would I do?

[Irene said, "decorate the house"].

What I really mean

is that I am constantly concerned with thoughts of "how do I follow up a display like that".

Yesterday a customer was talking to me and he remarked

"what I love about this place is that it is different every time I arrive, I never know what to expect

it changes so much".

This was interesting for me to hear because my constant fear is that I don't change enough.

   

Well I suppose I do, but I think that what I mean is I don't diverse from what I love,

I am very content to show more and more by artists that I love.

Even if they are artists that are new to us there work will never be a dramatic shift away from

the art that constantly moves me.

At times I get carried away and think that I really do own everything that is on show

and that this is my own personal collection that I allow the public to view.

Which in a way I suppose it is,

It is not owned by me but it is a collection of things I love.

Because updating the Blog was well overdue I started to think about what hadn't been shown to you.

Ten minutes later I had a list so long I decided that I would make this post

a small one.

I started to think to myself

"by the time I have written about and shown 'those' I will have to write about 'that',

but I haven't even shown 'them' yet..................." 

I had forgotten how many lovely artworks I have not got around to showing everyone

and as I will soon be making the first of many journeys to collect new art

I thought it was time to start catching up.

What better way to start than by showing our latest additions by

 George Underwood?

The picture at the top which is titled

'The White Rider'

It has never been shown as it was purchased by a very famous person as soon as it was completed.

The version we have is the first print that has ever been produced

an Artist Proof.

There may be others produced but at the moment it hasn't been decided.

Of the other pictures?

One sold as soon as the painting was hung on our wall,

another is now displayed in front of me,

and the last?

Well! Perhaps I had better go and start framing that right now.

There is so much to do it is little wonder I have no time to show you anything.

Must dash........

Catching Up

Even with the best intentions it seems that I am always behind with writing about what is happening.

On the last post I showed some sculptures that were not part of our new exhibition.

What did it matter? I had plenty of time to show what was going to be included,

but as usual time just slipped through my fingers like sand.

Like with every exhibition that we hold things seem to run up to the wire,

There just seems like an endless list of jobs to be completed, not least showing the new work

to its best advantage, which I admit can sometimes be difficult when the art

isn't here and is only expected minutes before the opening.

I should be used to the stress and I suppose I am but it doesn't make me feel any better.

Anyway.

Here are just a few of our latest exhibits.

The paintings by Gwen Fulton which form a part of this exhibition

I have already given you a "peak" of before so now I will show a few of the other exhibits.

These pieces are by Mark Oliver

who describes himself as the 'Urban Entomologist'.

Which is his bow of respect to the Victorian tradition of insect collecting.

His work is anything but Victorian, it is created from the household objects that we discard on a daily basis.

When this discarded "litter" is transformed by Mark into objects of beauty

it makes me wonder where we have all gone wrong.

But of course we don't have his vision.

Vision or history? It is hard to say which as his influence came from sitting with his father in the garden shed.

Like many many of us remember our Dad's were great hoarders of treasure.

Old tobacco tins full of "nuts, bolts, cogs and watch parts".

All of those things that "you just didn't know when you might need them".

It is this influence that makes the art pieces created by Mark so very endearing,

he is very much an artist of our time but with one foot set firmly in our recent past.

His 'Litter Bugs' are both beautiful and very nostalgic.

I was first introduced to his work by a fellow 'blogger' who once showed a little of his work

she had seen on show somewhere but she didn't tell us who he was.

For about two years this work stayed in my thoughts.

At last he is here in the gallery, and his work really has to be seen to be appreciated.

The third artist to share the space with Mark and Gwen is 

Rachel Talbot.

Her work is an absolute delight, it is so well crafted and is cast in bronze, yet even though it is

made from a very expensive material it is treated without reverence,

it is so very gentle and childish, I suppose mean childlike not childish.

For me it invokes so many memories of being a little boy.

As a child being read stories like 'Wind in the Willows' it seems so very natural to me that wild animals would dress in clothing.

Why not?

I just love the thought that such a talented sculptor is so "young at heart"

and doesn't take herself too seriously.

In her own words she says

"like Peter Pan I strive never to grow up"

As an artist she is an absolute delight.

With every conversation I have shared with her I have put down the telephone

down afterwards with a big grin on my face.

You may understand by now that I like to tell stories, or as I would describe it

"paint pictures with words."

Whenever I speak with Rachel I feel we have both been painting pictures,

in fact I find that we are both almost whispering, like children do.

When her sculptures were delivered by her husband [also a sculptor] we took a break for a coffee.

It gave me [and him] the opportunity to talk of her.

I explained to him how much I admired her and how lucky I thought he was to have such a partner.

"I would not exchange her for a 'Golden Pig' he told me.

I have no understanding of what he meant but when I told Rachel I could feel her smile

[is that possible]?

He also told me that her "drapery" was becoming first class,

"look at it when you go back to the gallery, the detail is incredible" he said.

I explained that I had seen that instantly.

"The trousers on the Hare are so lifelike, the way they are tight around the crutch is so realistic."

I told him.

"that required a lot of "dressing up," he replied [with a grin].

I didn't believe him.

But it was true, like my favourite illustrators of all time 'The Brothers Hildebrandt"

Rachel and her husband create the costume and pose for photographs

just to see how things would look in 'real life'.

She uses these photographs as the starting point for her sculptures.

I loved to hear such things,

only a serious artist would do such a mad exciting thing.

Which makes the innocence of her work even more delightful.

I like Rachel and I hope she never grows up.

Had to show.

Although we have a new exhibition almost on top of us.

In fact days away 

But I just couldn't resist showing you these new sculptures that arrived a few days ago.

They will not be a feature of the exhibition but they will be on display somewhere in the gallery.

They are by a wonderful French woman named Sandra Courlivant.

I discovered her work by accident,

I was following the progress of an artist that we had shown a long while ago,

he is an English potter who lives and works in France.

I was just wondering if he was going onto the bigger and greater things I felt he was destined for.

He is, I must call him before he becomes too big.

However what really surprised me was that amongst the many French galleries that are exhibiting

his work there was one called Imagine Gallery.

Not us, the French version.

What was even more strange was the fact that their artists were people I would love to show.

None more so than Sandra.

At a glance I fell in love with her sculpture and I understood that I would have no peace

until some of it was on show here in

Imagine Gallery 'Angletaire'. 

   I confess, my "parlez vous" days were left behind long ago in the school classroom,

but there is nothing like desperation to sharpen the memory.

Unfortunately Sandra must have attended the equivalent of my school,

so her English was as good as my French, pretty bad.

But we managed.

It might have been easier if we used 'Skype', then we could have at least used sign language,

although after putting up with a little of my 'Francais'

I'm sure she would have used the international sign language.

One finger.

But we both persevered and I think that we understood from the very first conversation we would

work together at some time.

Since that first day we have spoken many times,

with each correspondence things have progressed a little further, and become more of a reality.

Neither of us has improved our foreign language speaking but it became clear to

us both that the transport was going to be a problem.

In the end Sandra asked would I be prepared to accept just small pieces as she feared that

her larger pieces would not make the journey.

Of course I would, I was desperate to have anything she created.

We agreed that if things worked out with the first pieces that next occasion one of us would make the journey across the channel to ensure the safety of the sculpture,

plus we would be talking about a full exhibition.

Although there could still be problems, because if there is one thing worse than my spoken "French"

it is my ability to drive in a foreign country.

So after our last conversation I was staggered when she wrote to me saying

"the sculptures are on route and here are some pictures of what you will receive,

And if their are breakages please don't stress".

She was sending all of the large fragile pieces that I had yearned for,

the sculpture she was frightened to send

What would happen, would they survive?

Two days later a large truck parked outside the gallery, then the driver proceeded to unload

a VERY large container, so large he couldn't get it inside so it was left outside.

One hour later the gallery was filled with boxes, wrapping, French newspapers, and foam chips.

Plus, of course five beautiful sculptures.

Here they are above.

Her work is so unusual and so innocent.

The sculptures we have are of children, Mongolian children from the Steppes.

I love both them and this wonderful woman who took such a risk for us.

"Merci beaucoup, Sandra".

That's it, I can't speak any more.

Unexpected

I imagine that like all gallery owners I am constantly searching for artists whose work I feel

will sit harmoniously alongside the other art that we show.

It seems strange that without ever having given conscious thought

to the art that we show, like everywhere else we have established a gallery "style".

I suppose what this means is that we show the various different artworks that I admire which reflect my own personal taste and understanding of what is good or bad art.

I appreciate that there are many, many good artists working in various mediums who

are really successful and who really sell well,

on occasions they approach the gallery,

introduce themselves [knowing that I must have heard of them]

Then ask would I like to exhibit their art.

Also of course the same thing happens more frequently with artists

who have never shown in a gallery before,

I hate these moments as it puts me in a position of appearing to be disinterested or aloof.

The truth is I don't want to offend anyone, especially if it is someone approaching a gallery for the first time

I really don't want to dampen their enthusiasm, plus I understand that it probably

takes a lot of courage to approach a gallery for the first time.

But time has taught me that the only art that works for us are the pieces that I love and admire.

Be they from established or unknown artists.

These are the works that of course fit in with everything else.

This is how galleries establish their own identity.

I regret saying "no" to anyone,

of course especially when it is a known artist, but I feel it is better to be honest rather than

let them and myself down.

On occasions this will happen, even when I really believe in an artist and their art,

but then it never bothers me because I loved that art and I feel that someone has lost an opportunity

to own something wonderful.

I would regret it a lot more if I wasn't sure about the artwork.

So, as I started off by saying, I am always searching for the artists who I feel will

work for us and us for them.

I search almost everyday and then maybe write to one new artist each month.

In the past I have been really fortunate and have received replies

[followed by art] from people that I highly regard.

Well, lets just call them famous

Although that is not how they perceive themselves, that is our perception of them.

Usually, they are the nicest of people

Some [very long] while ago I sent a letter to an artist who I felt would really fit with the gallery.

'Gwen Fulton'.

I had looked at her art many times and wished that we were showing it.

Like many successful artists she was very hard to find

so I found myself writing to her on a "contact" form, something that I dislike as it seems so

impersonal but I appreciate that

More and more artists need to do this rather than spend hours each day reading unsolicited emails.

Everyone, especially artists likes to escape now and again.

Off went my message to Gwen.

I heard nothing again, which was no surprise as she is a really sought after artist.

Months later,

I received her reply, she was becoming concerned that there was nobody had been contacting her

via the 'contact' page,

It wasn't activated and nothing was being sent onwards to her including my small letter.

"Yes," she would very much like to show some art with us, "How do we progress?"

Gwen is now part of our forthcoming exhibition.

I love her paintings, they have such a narrative which has me wondering for hours

What is the story behind this?

She explained to me that this is what she want's to achieve

because there will be so many different stories in so many different minds, each different to her own.

But what is really special about these paintings is that they "overspill".

She paints the frames which become a part, a very important part of the finished painting.

I can't imagine anyone asking "could you re-frame this in a black moulding."

Gwen's beautiful, unusual paintings have become a part of the jigsaw

that is our gallery.

I will tell and show more of this exhibition very soon.

The Irishman

Very recently I made a journey to Ireland the reason for the trip was to meet with the sculptor

Christy Keeney.

It is a visit that has been intended for a long while but one that has been delayed and put off several times.

The reason was to interview Christy for an article I am due to write

about the exhibition that he will have with us here in May.

This was to be my first visit to the North of Ireland,

he doesn't live in the part that is linked with the UK, he is just across the border in the real Ireland,

but it was strange to be visiting a place that has names that we are all familier with from

the "troubles". I was interested to see this area that we have heard so much about,

but I was really more interested to learn more about the artist I was to meet.

We have shown his work for many years,

Ever since a customer came into the gallery and asked did we have sculptures by Christy Keeney.

"No, but I will contact her", I replied.

The strange thing is that many people [like I did] think that Christy is female.

I can assure you all that he is very much a male, plus one of the nicest artists that I have met.

Although now I have known him for several years I didn't feel that I actually knew the man

and with our exhibition in the near future and the promise of a five page article about him and his art 

I decided that it was time to try and learn a little more about the man and where

the ideas behind his sculptures come from.

Christy is a well collected artist, his work can be found in galleries in many parts of Europe

but nobody seems to know much about the man himself.

This isn't really surprising as he is one of those rare people who "listens" to others

and speaks little of himself, his art speaks for him.

He collected me from the airpot in the morning then we set off for his hometown
'Letterkenny'

where we stopped to have breakfast in a traditional old Irish cafe.

"Costa Coffee"!

Just what is the world coming to?

I wanted to see Ireland and what did I see?

That's progress for you.

Fortunately after our "Irish coffee's" we headed off for his home and a taste of his Ireland.

His home and studio.

The location was high up in the hills and the view was spectacular, within minutes I understood why

this artist had left London to return to the place where he had grown up.

It is beautiful and peaceful.

I can imagine that the only distraction from his work is the stunning views from every window.

I arrived with the early morning sun dazzling the windows and left with the same sun

now more gentle but still lluminating the same rooms.

From his home you can see the sun rise and set without leaving the spot you stand on.

This unexpected beauty wasn't why I had travelled so far, I had to get inside the man.

Something much harder than I had imagined.

The reason for this is because Christy doesn't know himself where his art comes from.

It is just him, it comes withought thought.

I suppose for an artist to analyse too much about that would end up with them killing the source.

He did urge me to question him but I was happy just to observe and absorb everything that 

he said and what I saw.

I wanted to just take in a little of his world.

With a little prompting he did tell me many stories.

The most enjoyable of these was how he came to be an artist for Royalty,

Prince Charles was once a model for him.

Well, that's not exactly the whole story, that involved him being a "bit drunk" and a little outspoken,

but as a result he ended up at Kensington Palace, getting Charles to stand on chairs,

pulling funny faces while he snapped away with his camera.

He showed me the photographs which few people will ever see,

they are fantastic and show Prince charles as he has never been seen before.
At ease, relaxed and obviously enjoying the event.

They were also bloody good photographs and I am sure that to someone they are worth a fortune.

But they will never be seen by the public as they are private,

it was just a moment in time for them both.

He told me that he was never really happy with the sculpture he created for the Prince,
as he was trying to create something which he felt another person would be happy with,
it wasn't being made just to please himself.

I agree, Christy is much better creating his own sculptures that come from?

He doesn't know where.

They are made to please him, they also please many others.

He spoke of the few people he admires and who have influenced his work, and this gave me a small understanding of where his creativty was born,

but in reality it is from somwhere inside him, a place he doesn't question.

I enjoyed my short visit to see him perhaps more than any I have had to meet an artist,

I felt that I returned home with a friendship and I look forward to our next meeting.

There is so much to tell about my short visit, too much to tell now,
maybe I will manage to fit it into the article,
I hope so.

A little "footnote" to the visit.

On my return to the airport in Derry

Christy had to stop at the post office to send off a sculpture to France,

He came out laughing, talking with a woman,

getting back into his van he explained that she ran the post office,

they were laughing because she had been telling him how she had just been robbed at gunpoint.

"She told me, it goes with the job", he said.

It was so strange to hear a story that fitted with all of the news that we have been told about the North,

but it didn't fit with the beautiful places and the lovely people that I met.

None nicer than Christy.