A Whiter Shade of White

Look Closer

The last exhibition is finally down, a gallery fact coming up. It is safest to keep the work up rather than try and store it safely else where. It has slowed down the decorating process though. This is largely due to the fact the amount of dust that is created is not at all good for art. Not to mention the attractive speckling of fresh rolling. I think everyone, including me struggled with getting organised straight after the Christmas break.

I am a third of the way through the decorating, I did the worst bit first. I am going to motor on and hopefully get all of the walls finished on Monday.

As I have said before, the gallery may look closed but I am generally to be found out back tinkering with some job or another.

If you need to get hold of me then the best thing to do is just try the door if it doesn't open I am not there.

If you check out the gallery Facebook page there are regular updates of what I am up to. Big news coming very soon but in the meantime get ready for the  first exhibition of the year. Josh Hollingshead 'Revisited'. It should not be missed.

New edition of Evolver at the gallery now. Plan your cultural visits to brighten up January.

Maximising Your Own Potential in 2013

I might be ready to write this now. It is that time of year that we are reflecting on what has gone before and thinking about changes that need to be made.
For those of us who are self employed it is about maximising our earning potential. This is not as easy as it sounds. No matter how willing you are to work, if no one has anything for you to do, there is a lot of thumb twiddling and navel gazing.
This is the time for doing all those jobs that have been postponed. The ones that will put you firmly on everyones radar.
For me that means a solid programme of website designing my own and the studios but the problem is that my internet at the gallery is on a virtual go slow and uploading high res images is making the computer groan and subsequently die.
It also is the time to start all of those creative endeavours that are put on the back burner due to everything else getting in the way.
For me that means getting ready for my exhibition. Still a fair bit to do for that, I am more than half way though so that is a relief.

The fact that my neighbours have every complained about noise is crazy! If you could hear the row going on up there you would know that it should be me complaining.

Josh Hollingshead Starts Saturday 2nd February 2013

If I said 'cleaning' I am wondering if I actually need to flesh that out with any details? I'm guessing that if you are a regular reader the answer is a resounding no!

I have created a much more spacious studio for 2013. Having lived with it for two years and seen all of its shortcomings I have stripped it right back to the the bare minimum.
I want to be able to deliver bigger workshops and I think that is now possible. So if you wanted to bring some friends along and do something creative I think that I now have the space to accommodate that.

I am waiting for the rest of the Purbeck Collective to come and take their work down as the major work is in the front of house. Can't get started until the work is done as it is a long and very dusty process.

Ok, it is time to start plugging the next exhibition. I have said before that Josh is making a return visit, this is due to his very successful entries to Open Exhibitions robbing me of the work that I had selected for the first exhibition. I know it is an unusual thing to do but I am striking whilst the iron is hot. Josh is headed for bigger and better things and I want to have shown his entire body of work here first!

If you would like to come along to the Private View then please feel free to join us on Saturday 2nd February at 6.00. I have a feeling this will be a historical event, in as much as I think in the next few years it will be really difficult to see Josh's work locally. You heard it here first.

Happy 2013 May You Be Creative and Prosperous!

Fire and Ice

Happy 2013 everybody! I hope that you all had a really fantastic Christmas. I spent the holidays swimming with turtles in Egypt. They are so graceful considering their size and if ever there was animal that exuded peace they surely are fairly high on the list.

Gallery news, the Purbeck Collective Winter exhibition has ended and I would like to thank them for putting on such an interesting exhibition. It was great to have such a diverse mix in there.

I am gearing up to do the great fill, sand and repaint the walls at the gallery. Each exhibition takes it's toll and the craters that are created can only be hidden by work for so long. I have also downsized the studio so that I can run bigger classes in there. You will need to keep an eye out as I will be relaunching the studio as it's own entity in the next month. You will be able to book workshops online and pay for them. So there will be much sweating and swearing as I design yet another website.

I am in talks with a really great artist about the possibility of showing with me later on in the year. I will let you know how that pans out.

I will keep you updated about the developments at the gallery via this blog and the gallery Facebook page. Please keep reading and thank you for reading in 2012.
Picture in todays blog is one of my new drawings, hope that you like it!

Wishing you a very cool Yule!

Sorry if it has been a all quiet on the blog front but as you already know it is nearly Christmas and I might have had one twenty thousand jobs to do.

I am open today and I  have had fair few visitors which has been nice. No last minute Christmas present buyers though. Shame as I've told you before there's some great stuff here.

Well, I will be closed now as I go to Egypt on Boxing Day. I cannot wait to go swimming with the turtles.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for reading my blog whether you are new comers or old timers. I hope that it has made you smile once or twice throughout the year and has kept you suitably informed about all the ups and downs at the gallery!

There is so much great stuff planned for the gallery next year, you owe it to yourself to check in with the blog from time to time to make sure that you know what events you can get involved with. 

I guarantee there will plenty.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and very prosperous New Year and I hope that you will come and see me at the gallery in 2013 if you can.

Keep safe and dry I would say warm but the truth is that it hasn't actually been that cold. Maybe I should add down south.

Are Your Eyes Open?

I have to tell you that I had a miserable day on Tuesday, the good news is that 'that was so two days ago!'.
Sometimes I think the best defence that I have is positivity. You should try it, it really does work. Don't get me wrong I have a really good wallow for a while. Then in the words of that famous song 'Pick yourself up and dust yourself off etc'.

I do not know how I can persuade you that you should see this show before it ends. But still I am going to try. There are fourteen local artists/crafts who have put a great deal of thought and effort into their work and you should come and see the outcomes.
They are really something else, but as usual don't just take my word for it.

As you know I am closed in January as I have some refurb work to do at the gallery. If I needed something to get me excited about February then Josh Hollingshead gave it to me yesterday. I am showing the work that I originally chose. I'll explain, Josh entered several of his paintings into Open Exhibitions and kudos to him many were accepted and he won at least one prize. This meant that whilst we had a great exhibition in September there were paintings that I wanted to show that were not there. Or should I say here.
We are remedying that fact by having a second exhibition, so Josh sent me some pictures of his newly completed painting. It is phenomenal I have said it before and I will say it again he is someone to watch.
Here's a teaser!

Purbeck Collective Exhibition

Is it bad that I can't remember if I wrote a blog on Saturday or not! If I didn't, then how lucky are you?
When there is a catalogue of things that go wrong and you want to just pull the duvet up over your head and stay in bed. Nothing cures that like going to work, unless that is followed by more things going wrong.
Oh well, I'll just carry on with the day! A few more visitors to the Purbeck Collective Winter Exhibition over the last few days. Thanks to all that have braved the weather and road works, your attendance is greatly appreciated.

I am starting to develop some ideas about how I am going to approach the refurbishments at the gallery.
I'm going to work from back to front. The office needs a tart up and then the studio needs a few jobs done.
If anyone fancies doing a bit of painting then just let me know.
I will be open right up to Christmas so it is never too late to pop in and find a late present. I have jewellery, ceramics, wood carving, stone carving, paintings and prints so there really is a great variety to choose from.
I am off to do some of my own work now.
That's not true, actually I had to send an email that was asking a very big favour so I stopped blogcrastinating did that and came back to this.
Featuring two pictures from Shirley Walker. Come and see the show for yourself.