May 2013

May 2013

scaryAfter sending out last month’s newsletter 24 hours early – under the misapprehension there was only 30 days in March! – I got to thinking why I scold myself so much for not getting stuff like this exactly right. I tend to be a stickler for keeping my promises to myself and so chastise myself more for it than I would others if I break that promise.

phil_johnsIt comes from my years in Berlin. After meeting an American Indian there who changed my perspective on life (I subsequently joined him in helping change countless others’ lives for the better, too) one of the many things he taught me was to be true to my word. It’s not a new concept – I’ve read many excellent books on the subject like Miguel Ruiz’s excellent The Four Agreements – and although hard, it’s extremely an effective change to help improve one’s own self esteem.

claire_henleyWe ‘give our words away’ so easily these days and seem to live in a culture of empty promises, but in the end I fear it’s not others we’re conning, but ourselves. In fact, even after my experiences with my Apache friend, when I came to write Nobel Prize nominated ‘The Scary Guy’s’ biography, (I’m his guest this Friday, actually, on the ‘Scary Radio Show’. What fun!) I decided to try his 7day challenge (to not say anything negative about another person on the planet for 7 Days and 7 Nights – the subsequent title for my book) it was incredibly hard to do! Try it yourself; I found it impossibly difficult, especially for the first 48 hours.

john_raynesI guess this is why I berate myself for not keeping promises or missing deadlines (or in the case of last month’s newsletter, being a day early), it’s my promise I’m breaking to myself, and what does that say about me? Anyway, I live and learn, so here’s this month’s newsletter… right – on – time!

robin_masonThank you soooo much for your well wishes for my first year anniversary. It’s the icing on the cake and one I am very appreciative of. And with so much going on this year, I’d better not waste any more time with my usual rambling…

So, how would you like to join us for the opening of Andrew Tozer’s year in residency at the Old Paraffin Store at St Anthony? I have a limited number of tickets, so please only apply for one if you’re truly going to be able to make it. Just email me back with the number of people who are coming with you, their names and addresses (email addresses, too, please) so I can send out the invites.

jill_hudsonAnd to give you a taster, Andrew is also my Podcast victim this month, filmed at the St Anthony as he prepares for the exhibition, so you can see just how stunning the location actually is!
Don’t worry, though; if you can’t make this one, we have lots of other dates throughout the year with both Andrew and other artists. Here they are for your diary:

May 24th – 31st – Andrew Tozer

July 26th – 28th – Jill Hudson & Robin Mason

August 23rd – 26th – Andrew Tozer

Sept 27th – 29th – Ilric Shetland & Lynn Golden

May 2014 23rd – 30th – Andrew Tozer

lynn_goldenEach one will have a lovely lantern-lit opening evening on the Friday followed by the exhibition itself hosted at the Paraffin Store by the artist’s themselves, so you’ll be able to meet them and get some great insight into their new work.

And talking of new work, we’ve had three new artists join us this month… yes, three!!! I know, in such a small gallery I should really learn to say no, but their work moved me so much I had to give them an airing. I hope you’ll enjoy the pieces we have from each of them.

We kick off with Phil Johns whose work has featured in numerous television productions. His fresh style I find very striking and I reckon it sits perfectly, midway between the brilliant abstracts of our own Ben Catt and the lovely Rachael Mia Allen’s seascapes.

ben_cattWe also have some work by Claire Henley of Portscatho for you. This naïve style is a breath of fresh air and we hope she’ll be working closely with us over the coming months, bringing more local scenes in her own inimitable style.

Finally, we should be taking delivery of some work by Caroline Atkinson in the coming weeks. She approached us last week and I was bowled over by her lovely work so had to have one or two pieces in stock. More on her next month!

rachael_mia_allenSo there it is. I’ve no time to tell you about the new John Raynes’ works we’ve just had in, nor the additional Robin Masons, Jill Hudsons, or Lynn Goldens… well, maybe I have!!! Enjoy them all on their respective pages, folks!

Here’s to a great launch of the Paraffin Store and I look forward to hearing from you if you’d like to come along.

Till then, have a great month!

Mark

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April 2013

pigsWhen I was younger I became frustrated by ‘failure’ and all the effort that went into something that seemingly crashed somewhere down the road. It’s only over the last few years or so, though, that I’ve realised nothing is wasted… especially the experiences gleaned from those ‘failures’… read more.

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