February 2015
After visiting this beautiful Art Deco bookshop in Santa Rosa on my hols, I got to thinking about the sad demise of bookshops – a sign of the times, I guess. And that, in turn, got me thinking about how one should always reassess their decisions and opinions as we change as people. After all, no one remains the same.
As a person who sells a lot of artwork online and now has launched a global website for the safe resale of pre-owned art, ArtRehome, am I also being complicit in the demise of my own ‘golden goose’… physical galleries?
It’s fair to say that if I hadn’t created ArtRehome, someone would have, and that people trust buying art online is a trend not created by me. But, given THG’s online sales, there’s no doubt it’s certainly a trend propagated by my actions.
The fact I didn’t ‘create’ the trend, though, is no reason not to challenge my own part in those changes. Asking ourselves whether what we’re doing is for the ‘greater good’ of society – at least in one’s own interpretation of it – is a healthy reassessment, I feel, and one that should have constant checks.
Admitting you’ve changed your mind about something – or now feel you were wrong to do or say something with the limited information you had at your disposal at that time – is far from admitting a weakness. On the contrary, admitting your position has changed I feel it a true sign of character.
Only this last month have we seen the results of religious ideology remaining ridged and refusing to adapt to change in an ever-changing society… and it’s damaging for society as a whole. Flexibility is exactly that; lose, free and open… and so, truly, I ask you; what other way would love (or your own personal deity) have us be?
Anyway, as mentioned, I’ve been swanning around in the US for the past three weeks so have only just got back to the grindstone. If you manage to catch today’s (Sunday 1st February) article in the lifestyle section of the Telegraph featuring a whole page of yours truly (oh, hell!) then you’ll know I’ve a busy year ahead with ArtRehome. But I want to assure you it won’t affect the quality of work here in the gallery.
In fact, we’re getting more and more requests to join THG’s magnificent stable of artists so out choice should only improve over the year… if that’s at all possible!
We’ll be getting a new influx in from all our creators over the next month or two so watch this space. For now, though, here’s just a small collection of just some of the most recent work we have in stock from our astonishing artists.
And if you have a commission you’d like to discuss, many of our artists are only too pleased to consider them. As always, I want both you and our artists to benefit from interaction and if we can get your favourite painter to paint something specific to you, what a wonderful Win|Win situation that is for all!
Have a great February, me hearties, and if you need me, you know where I am!
Mark
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January 2015
Like many of you, I imagine, my wife Susanne and I lead extremely busy lives. Home, family, and our passions (mine, the gallery, Susanne, her extremely successful floral design business), so with so much daily input from iPads, TV and social media from the early morning into the late evening, it’s so easy to disconnect from actually feeling life.
When we can organise it, we try our best to take a trip to Cardinham Woods with Totty. And when we do, something fundamental happens in those precious 90 minutes… we stop!
Taking walks like this, where we’ll meet no one we know and have no ‘connection’ with anything but ourselves, seems to have a profound effect on us both. It’s like we reconnect. Not just with each other – which is essential of course – but with our inner selves… read more.