MY LIFE AS A GALLERIST...

I'm juggling so many things at the moment that I'm afraid I've let things slip a bit in the blogging department. sSo, for the floods and floods of people that click onto my site and shoulder-slump with sheer and utter disappointment you'll understand when I tell you that being a gallerist has taken over my life ...just a bit. Yet I'm glad to say, with the help of Peter (throwing me in at the deep end) I'm getting there.

A lot certainly has happened since we opened twenty weeks ago. For starters we have sold over fifty paintings - that's over half a century (whichI'd say sounds pretty incredible when you say it like that) and a pretty good innings for a brand spanking new gallery. According to our calculations that's 2.5 a week which we hope to change to one a day! But patience is a virtue and Rome wasn't built in a day and so on... 

ON TO THE LATEST NEWS THOUGH... As if we didn't have enough great artists to brag about, PETER BARKER FINE ART now has two further high ranking artists join our stable, namely the much celebrated HAZEL SOAN & LUIS MORRIS!

 Hazel Soan might not need much of an introduction, but I'm going to anyway because I love her work so much I just want to wax lyrical. The marvellously talented Hazel Soan divides her time six months in London and six months in Cape Town where she has galleries in each. Some people might remember her from television, others from her copious number of books she's had published, but for me it's her stunning works of art. She paints in both oil and watercolour, but it's her watercolours that make me tingle with delight, especially her depictions of Africa, me having lived there for several decades.In fact I love her so much Peter bought me one of her paintings for my birthday! A gorgeous big watercolour of an African woman and her two children walking through the desert. I am going to treasure it forever...
 Here are some of her mouth-watering paintings:

The Land Where Time Began: Hazel Soan

Shades of Grey: Hazel Soan

Baby Ele: Hazel Soan

                                       






Luis Morris...Runner up of the Sky Portraitist of the year in 2013 and in my opinion he was robbed and should have been first! His speciality is beautifully rendered nudes prone or standing, the quality of which is breathtaking soft, hazey blunt strokes of pastel shades in oil giving the impression of looking at the subject through a rain drenched windowpane. His work will be on display shortly, but already we have had enquiries, so watch this space for availability.

Here's a couple of his works to drool over:

Rosa in the Bath: Luis Morris

Rosa Standing: Luis Morris

That is all for now. Do try to get along to the gallery. For details here is our website:
PETER BARKER FINE ART. And remember all our paintings can be purchased on line.
Bye for now.

Janey

PETER BARKER FINE ART

Hello everyone, I am delighted to say Peter Barker Fine Art opened its doors this weekend with a flurry of curiosity and excitement resulting in nine glorious paintings flying off the walls, and now gracing the homes of mostly local buyers. There has been such an incredible buzz, people complimenting on what a great space we have, and of course the array of fine work by Peter Barker himself, John Lines, David Curtis, Peter Brown, our darling Haidee Jo Summers, Trevor Lingard, Trevor Chamberlain, Tina Morgan, Roy Connelly, Michael Morgan, Gerald Green, huuuuuh, had to take a big breath, there are more, thirty-two artists in all, and for those I have missed off it's not because I don't love you; I do, you are all of equal brilliance, it's just that I have to get off to the gallery! It's Saturday and we are hoping for another stampede!

So, come along and see for yourself, and in between viewing (you'll need some time! There are so many paintings to see!) have a rest in the gorgeous coffee shop practically conjoined to us, or visit the garden centre jam packed with lovely, healthy plants and everything your imagination can stretch to related to gardening. It's a day out, and what could be better in this jewel of a county, Rutland, especially when the sun is shining gloriously, which it is today.

Of course if you can't make it, here's the link www.peterbarkerfineart.co.uk to the website to feast your eyes upon, and since you can buy on line you might even be tempted.

PETER BARKER FINE ART WILL OFFICIALLY OPEN ITS DOORS THIS WEEKEND!

We are nearly there! Our stunning, brand new art gallery - namely PETER BARKER FINE ART - is about to go public, officially! We are opening our doors this Saturday, 23rd May with drinks and nibs, so come along and browse, or rather feast your eyes on walls pulsating with some of the best artists' work in Britain! To brag a few - Peter Barker of course, then there's David Curtis, Peter Brown, Trevor Chamberlain, Douglas Gray, Derek Daniells, Trevor Lingard, Haidee Jo Summers, Tina Morgan...oh the list goes on. Already people have popped their heads in for a sneak preview and gasped and the amount of outstanding works we have on show. So come along, don't take my word for it and see for yourselves. See you on Saturday through to Bank Hol Monday for the grand opening, or if you are a little crowd-shy, after the dust settles...

For a sneak preview and directions, here is website link to copy and paste: www.peterbarkerfineart.co.uk and a pic of the gallery in it's semi-finalized state.


Janey

PETER BARKER FINE ART IS COMING TO TOWN!

I know I have been gabbing a lot in the past about writing and books and publishing, but something else has been bubbling in the background, something ultra, ultra exciting - a brand new Art Gallery in Uppingham, Rutland. Yes! We - Peter and I - are thrilled to announce that our stunning outlet will be opening within the next week. Two whole rooms packed with THE most delectable, mouth-watering original art by some of Britain's finest! To boast just a few...David Curtis, Pete Brown, Douglas Gray, the wonderful and prolific Peter Barker of course ;) and the list goes on. Truly too many to mention. A sneak preview can be drooled over by clicking on this link http://www.peterbarkerfineart.co.uk/ We will hopefully be having a "soft" opening some time next week (phone line installation willing...)but watch this space for an official opening date with bubbly and nibbles.

Bye for now
Janey

CUTTING CHILDREN'S HAIR IS NOW SO MUCH FUN!

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MY grandson Remi finally having his hair cut!

PS FREEBIE ONLY STARTS TOMORROW...SORRY

Free read for a few days!

With spring in the air, and the countryside full of gorgeous daffs, and because I feel so happy and generous and exhilarated by it all, I decided to run a freebie on my "Walking on Marshmallows". So for those that blaze through my blog and haven't read it yet, get downloading! It starts tonight.

Big smiles
Janey

Litter

Is it me, or have I been in such a fog of newly found love for the last three years and a bit years - but is the litter on our roads and bi-ways mushrooming? Recently I've been noticing an unprecedented amount of trash and ghostly plastic bags fluttering on the trees. I don't know; in my youth I'd sooner walk down the street naked than release something of waste from my hands, so hounded were we by stern playground monitors ready to cuff an ear, and bins boldly embellished with signs stating "KEEP BRITAIN TIDY". Good lord, I don't want to sound like my dad, but it really is a crying shame that nobody seems to care or respect our beautiful countryside. Does anyone else have any comments on this awful state of affairs?

I haven't blogged for a while and there's a reason for that: I'm in love! With my brand new grandson, Tom along with his brother Remi, a very gregarious and delightful three year old. I'm afraid I'm smitten and have been back and forth to London since the 8th January so much so my writing has suffered. But I will get back, very shortly back to the anchor of my laptop.

but here's a little taster of my current-work-in-progress book ; ))


CHAPTER 1

You’re mad, and you drive me mad, but guess what? I’m mad about you…
Happy Anniversary Sleeping Beauty...

A delicious shiver shot through Angie as she thought back to earlier – Matt kissing the tip of her nose as he tried to wake her and then the way her eyes drifted sleepily open and locked with his, and then their mouths seeking out each others, and then kissing spongily, and then frenziedly like a couples of duelling daggers, and then...the inevitable.
Angie giggled, and tried to cross her fingers but they were all numb and clammy from the heavy pile of try-ons draped across both arms, and that she’d been carting about for the last half hour. Please God maybe just maybe this time they might have hit the jackpot. After all the temperature chart said she was bang on, and she had this feeling inside, a real gut feeling that this time she might, just migh—
‘Stop! For the love of God, stop!’
There was a pause, then a split second of confusion during which Angie let out a hideously girly scream, did a dithery pin-toed cha-cha, and then finally let go and slammed with wild abandonment into the well-padded contours of her mum’s arse.
‘Mum! Jesus Christ!’ she staggered about like a drunken fool, tripping over something squashy that had slid from her arms. ‘What the hell are you doing?!’
‘I can’t!’ wailed Bridie dragging a theatrical hand up to her quivering mouth.
‘Can’t what?’
‘Bear it!’
‘Bear what?’
‘This place, it’s horrible, it’s like Dante’s Inferno.’
By this place Bridie meant Oxford Street’s, multi-levelled Top Shop, bursting-at-the-seams-with-every-conceivable-item-of-outerwear-and-accessory, frenzied shoppers and grating music blaring from every orifice.
‘But you wanted to come here,’ said Angie, trying to remain calm as she bent down to pick up the spongy thing she’d nearly gone A over T over – in this instance a pair of bright red, elasticised slacks for the fuller figure (i.e. size 18 masquerading as 12).
‘I know, but I feel sick!’ The hysteria began to mount again. ‘I think I’m going to faint! Oh God, luv, you have to get me out of here!’
Get her out of here.
Angie gripped a handful of fabric until her knuckles turned white. Did she just say: get.her.out.of.here? Where the hell did she think she was on I’m a Celebrity. Jesus wept, this was unbelievable, un-bloody-believable. Less than ten seconds ago she’d been swanning up and down the aisles inspecting labels with her pretend glasses on as if she was bloody-bleeding-pissing Kate Middleton’s personal shopper.

Hope you enjoyed!!!

Christmas is over : (

Yes, over! And I wonder how many years, months, hours, minutes are spent looking for the end of a roll of sticky tape. I contemplated this during my second day of Christmas present wrapping. Every year I think to myself I'll get more efficient and buy one of those sticky tape dispensers, but like new year resolutions (i.e. brisk walk every single day, in bed by ten, up at six for second brisk walk, join a pilates class, wean self off chocolate, never eat chips in any state or form again, clean windows at least four times a year as opposed to every two years, never get cross or grumpy with annoying people but rather smile serenely and imagine them naked)just goes down the plug hole. So the cursing under the breath continued, until about seven-eighths through wrapping my darling Peter appears rested and smiling from his studio at the end of the garden, looks inquisitively at me and then says "Darling! Why don't you use my dispenser, it'll make it so much easier."

.........Argggh!

Anyway, that aside, and the fact that I feel at least a stone heavier, it was all so magical. I had all my girls over for the first time ever and we ate, drank and made merry as a complete family.

It is therefore, after such heavy imbibing, time to get back into some serious writing. I've made a conscious decision to do a part 2 Walking on Marshmallows, but perhaps in the form of a Novella which is about a third of a book. And then perhaps another and then another.

We'll see.

Fingers poised over the keyboard, I am still trying to decide. A lot of people say it isn't a good idea, but I say go where the heart is telling you, and Angie, Bridie and Hazel are calling me to resurrect them.

So for all you people who loved the escapades of my last book, watch this space! And for all those that haven't read Walking on Marshmallows One then get downloading! I can promise you an absolute gas, and just the ticket after the mad, whirlwind of the festive season. Just click on the book to the right of this page and voila. It's on a countdown special at the moment too!

Hope you all had as fabulous a Christmas as me, and on that note shall say Au Revoir and Bonne Annee.

Janey of the Walking on Marshmallows