Blog Week 44

We are now only a couple of weeks away from our Fabian Perez exhibition and we are excited to welcome Fabian back to the gallery.  Fabian’s last appearance at the gallery was unfortunately curtailed due to illness so it has been a few years since he has been physically with us to meet collectors and showcase his amazing paintings.

The exhibition will include a series of brand new and never before seen original paintings along with some incredibly rare and sought after previously sold out limited edition prints.  Whether you have been hunting all over for a rare copy of Untitled II or are excited to see Fabian immortalise James Bond in one his paintings, there will hopefully be something for everybody.  Do drop us a line to confirm your attendance for the 16th November from 7-9pm and we will have a selection of Argentinian wines on offer too!

Introducing Jamie Ashcroft

October saw us launch the debut collection of original paintings by local contemporary artist Jamie Ashcroft who has got us excited by his dynamic and vibrant street art inspired compositions.

Coming from an artistic family, it was almost inevitable that Jamie would be drawn into the arts and it is great to see his independent spirit and individuality shine in his work.  We have a selection of his original paintings on show at present and with the debut original collection selling at under £1000 each, we hope they will prove prudent purchases for those lucky enough to capture this young artist at the early stages of his career.

 Frogman Stock

Following on from our successful Frogman exhibition, we have just received our first delivery of sculptures since the show so we have new works in the gallery now.  With lead times from the foundry currently running at 2 – 3 months, if you would like to secure a sculpture in time for Christmas we would recommend coming along sooner rather than later to have a great choice of artworks.

Rare Editions from Todd White

With Todd White’s High Spirits collection being released in October it has been a busy Todd White month.  In addition to the brand new releases, we have also acquired two rare editions from his debut UK collection which were released almost 15 years ago.  Both Girl Party and Piano Bar proved to be popular pieces at the time so it is nice to have them available briefly again once more.  Please note that we only have one of each though so don’t delay if you would like to secure either piece.

What’s New in the Northern Art Lounge?

Along with the most recent contemporary works, we are continually searching for the best works by famous Northern artists to inspire collectors in our Northern Art Lounge which is dedicated to painters from the northern school.  One of our most local and current artist’s in the lounge is Michael Ashcroft who although originally from Croston, now lives in Leyland.  Michael’s artistic journey has been inspirational having initially only taken his art seriously having been diagnosed with a brain tumour at the age of 28.  Now in his mid 50s, his career has gone from strength to strength having featured on the BBCs ‘Show Me the Monet’ and having also exhibited at prestigious galleries including the Royal Academy and Mall Galleries in London.

Michael delivered some of his wonderful Manchester scenes into us last week which have proved one of his most popular subject matters throughout his career.  His ability to capture the essence of his home city on a rainy and dreary day is second to none and brilliantly demonstrated in these new arrivals.

One of the fascinating elements of studying the northern artists is to examine the changing face of the northern landscape and cityscape and view it through the lense of different artists.  This next new painting is a wonderful contrast to the current Ashcroft works, depicting the city 47 years ago and further influenced by a painting much older again.  This latest arrival is a tremendous small oil painting by the late William Ralph Turner which was influenced by Lowry’s teacher, Adolphe Valette.

‘Valette’s Square’ was painted in 1976 by the famous northern artist Turner and depicts Albert’s Square in Manchester, a scene which Valette had himself painted decades before prior to his return to France where he died in 1942.  Valette’s painting of  Albert’s Square currently hangs in the Manchester City Art Gallery and we are delighted to have the Turner painting here in the gallery and available to purchase.

Diverse in subject matter, Turner painted scenes from the North of England to the continent but Manchester scenes such as the above are some of his rarest and most collectable.  Complete with the original gallery labels from the Pitcairn Gallery in Knutsford, this original by Turner is a true joy.  Full details are available here whilst stock lasts.

Also new in the lounge in the last couple of weeks are three new oil paintings by the late Wigan artist James Lawrence Isherwood who has become one of our most popular artists over the last decade.  The first of the two is a vibrant and bustling beachscape of St Ives which bursts off the wall in vivid oranges and blues.

The second of the new Isherwood paintings is a dynamic horse racing painting by Isherwood entitled ‘Racing Horses’.  This particular painting has been in one family since the 1970s when Isherwood first sold it and is executed on canvas.  Canvas was typical for a brief period around the mid 1970s for Isherwood when his partner Pat was able to buy artist canvas’ for him rather than having to rely on hardboard which was typical for most of his career.

Theodore Major in the News

Also in the last couple of weeks you may have seen coverage on the regional news of the ongoing refurbishment of Haigh Hall in Wigan which is currently being undertaken.  The coverage discussed all of the work to the site including the permanent exhibition space which will be dedicated to the late Appley Bridge artist to showcase his amazing masterpieces.  As a passionate Lancastrian, Theo wanted nothing more than the local people to be able to see and enjoy his works rather than have them hidden away as assets by wealthy collectors so we are sure he would have been delighted.

Also this month we have seen further evidence of Theodore Major’s appreciation in the wider art market with an oil painting coming up for sale at Christies auctioneers in London.  Hanging alongside the greats of twentieth century art including L S Lowry, Dame Barbara Hepworth and Sir Henry Moore, Major’s Industrial Landscape sold in excess of £30,000 to a collector based in New Jersey.  We continue to sell Major’s paintings and currently have four oil paintings for sale in the gallery.