April 2015

April 2015

prejudiceWhilst in Tuscany with my gorge wife this month, we got on to talking about first impressions and how prejudices can so easily come to the fore when meeting people for the first time.

andrew_tozerIt’s clear there’s a fine line between, say, angst of falling – an inbuilt response that is a natural safety net to guard us from danger – and a learnt behaviour that’s built on past experiences.

For example, if someone with a moustache has hurt us in someway in the past, how can we learn to rid ourselves of that prejudice when we become older, so it doesn’t cloud our view of everyone else with a moustache? My feeling is, we can’t (well, not without a huge amount of therapy).

ann_kellySo I started thinking about how we could challenge prejudice and, as always, I wonder if it’s more about making a choice not to be ruled by them that’s the key? That we have learnt to hold a prejudice doesn’t mean we have to allow that prejudice to control our behaviour, even though the instinct to do so may kick in.

mike_hindleMaybe making a mental choice not to be influenced by learnt behaviour and remaining open to having our prejudices challenged is be the best way to overcome them? Could by not reacting to those prejudices and giving everyone a chance, be the best way to reprogram ourselves…? I don’t know.

One thing that’s clear to me, though, is that personal happiness has to reside in remaining open. Otherwise we’ll risk imprisoning ourselves in a cave of fears instead of allowing life to surprise us… which, if we’re honest, in invariably does.

claire_henleyAnd after all, isn’t a happy, open and stress-free life what we’re all after? If so, challenging ourselves to not react, but to consider a situation, might be another key to that! Personally, I’ll have a go at anything for a drop of happiness! ;0-)

haidee_jo_summersAnd on the subject of surprises, our gorgeous stable of incredible talents have been dousing me with them all month long. We’ve had new pieces come in from many, and more are on the way from the rest very soon.

As promised, Andrew Tozer popped in with an incredible collection at the beginning of the month. You can see those beauties here… it’s well worth it, I can assure you.

The lovely Ann Kelly then came in with an entirely new collection mid-month so we now have not only the others as Online-Only exclusives, and a gallery full of six brand-new corkers, as well! Lovin’ that!

ben_taffinderMike Hindle followed with three superb Gouache masterpieces just four days ago. His works are always a delight, but these three… well see for yourself here.

neil-boltonAnd if that wasn’t enough for you, that smashin’ Claire Henley sent down a most bodacious cracker of the Hidden Hut, which I doubt will last the Easter break, if it’s not gone already!

The delightful Haidee-Jo Summers then posted three sublime new works to us, which have just arrived. See those here before they’re gone (is it even possible for that girl to get better?). And the supremely popular Ben Taffinder came in on Friday with another batch. Just ginger-peachy and what a talent, eh?

stephen_higtonNo, that’s not all. Neil Bolton has just sent us four incredible paintings of the Roseland that he finished only last week! And both the spectacular Roy Connelly and the giant that is Peter Wileman are painting for us at this very moment, to replace what’s sold, so that’ll be a delight when they’re in, too.

peter_wilemanLastly, Stephen Higton‘s just popped in with some newbies as well. How awesome is this man, anyway? Never ceases to amaze me!

So all in all, I’ve been like a kid in a sweet shop this month and our flyers for 2015 have arrived as well, so we’ll kick off this year’s Fisherman’s Shelter exhibitions next month with Robin Mason on May 22nd – 24th. You can see all the dates online now, too, right here.

Roy-ConnellyHave a wonderful, wonderful Easter and I’ll be excited to see you either in the gallery or to hear from you by phone/mail soon. In the mean time, enjoy the Easter holidays, me lovers… I predict a marv one!

Pask Lowen!

Mark

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March 2015

grahammooreAs my regular readers will know, hardly a day goes by when I don’t feel blessed for all the abundance my life has to offer these days. But it was not always so… It’s for this reason I was so moved by (screenplay writer of the Imitation Game) Graham Moore’s short Oscar acceptance speech this week.

Despite feeling secure when things are going so well, I understand how close we all are to reliving that chaos life can throw at us. Be it emotional or financial issues, life’s challenges can find us off guard when we least expect it. …read more.

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