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First ever solo art exhibition – Lyme Regis, Dorset – 16 sold!
Here’s what happened at my first ever solo art exhibition at Town Mill Galleries in my home town, Lyme Regis, Dorset.
I travelled down in a hired van driven by my son, Connor, on Wednesday 25th August, with paintings piled high, and we were met by my sister Gilly at the Town Mill Gallery, ready to help unload and set up (after a 5 hour drive).
Next day was the launch event at 10am with family and invited guests, and even the mayor to open it officially! Also pictured here with me, Gilly and Connor in the photo are my Uncle Tony and cousin Simon Hewlett (father and brother of Jamie Hewlett of Gorillaz fame). I last saw them six years ago at Jamie’s first solo exhibition in the Saatchi Gallery, London. My friends at ‘Lyme Online’ were very supportive with advertising and promotion prior to the event.
Within the first half hour I had sold the large original of Lyme Regis and 4 limited edition prints of the same piece, and by the end of Day One three other originals – Rock Pools, The Shallows, and Docklands – so 8 pieces in all. Fantastic!
The original of my Lyme Regis painting was snapped up by a local couple, which got things off to a brilliant start!
This honeymoon couple were given a wedding present of ‘money to buy a painting’ and bought this to remind them of their stay in Lyme.
The Shallows original sold on Day One.
Docklands was bought by a local couple who also have a flat in London Docklands.
Connor was with me all day helping and, in the break before the evening session, we donned Heapey Gallery t-shirts and went to the beach for a swim and ice cream, making the most of the hot sunny weather.
Over the course of the week until 1st September I sold three more large originals – Rainbow Dragonfly 2, Water’s Edge and Lyme Bay, and another five prints, making a total of 16 sales.
“We both love the picture. I’m so glad you had a great first solo exhibition, but not surprised. We got home last night and this morning it was straight on the wall!”
Water’s Edge original was bought by some Gorillaz fans!
Johanna is a local lady and has this view from her attic window.
It was a great experience and I had a huge amount of very encouraging feedback.
Not only was there a fantastic craft brewery right opposite (Lyme Regis Brewery) but a fabulous working water mill one side of me, a Tapas restaurant,The Strawberry Tree, next door and a practicing potter my near neighbour. Who could ask for more?
inside the watermill 
I’m now looking out for opportunities to have a similar exhibition locally here in Lancashire. Watch this space!
Latest pack design completed
ArtPro Normalized PDF
Very pleased to have completed the latest branding/packaging project for our good customer in the Netherlands, Focusline – their new plant-based premium dog food.
Virtual is the way forward!
Heapey Gallery can now be viewed as a VIRTUAL GALLERY thanks to Google Slides – quite easy to produce but, as always, the time goes into the preparation of content. Looks great on the desktop, but download Google Slides app to view on phone. Feedback very welcome!
Heapey Gallery is born out of lock-down!
Covid-19 has changed a lot of things this year. For me it gave me the chance to really focus on my painting and, thanks to a few posts on Facebook, quite a lot of interest was generated. To enable safe distancing with some interested clients, I used my summerhouse as a space to display some of them. It worked so well the ‘Heapey Gallery’ was born and has led to several commissions. I have lots of new ideas I want to experiment with. Paintings range from semi-abstract seascapes and florals to abstracts with an ‘industrial’ flavour and now contemporary figures in landscape. This is in addition to smaller pastel landscapes of places visited (Budapest, Athens, Venice) and the occasional pet portrait. Knowing how people like to have something ‘local’ there are of course some pieces about Chorley. The larger acrylics are complemented by a range of very different, bespoke frames – styles such as ‘driftwood’, ‘vintage distressed’, ‘concrete effect’ and many others. Commissions are welcome and visits to the gallery, by appointment. See more here
Free ’60-minute make-over’!
Primary Graphics have a Special Offer right now for branding a new business or re-freshing an existing brand image. Maybe you formed 10 or even 20 years ago and realize your branding was set up on a shoe string and no longer does you justice or expresses your vision and values? Your logo should tell the story of your business and position you correctly in the marketplace. What makes this offer even more special is that you will also get a free review of your offices by artfortheworkplace (normally £200) with ideas, recommendations and fully costed schemes, which can incorporate your fabulous new branding! All this for the cost of a standard website anywhere else! Phone 07590 459328 to discuss, with no obligation.
10 good reasons to use aftw to upgrade your workspace:
Understanding of brand, corporate image, the industry sector, positioning
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Overview of entire workspace, with additional advice (on layout, colour schemes, furniture, plants, sculptures)
Can even advise on exterior (signage, gardens/outside space)
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Option to rent art, with rotation if required.
Selection of imagery for wallpaper murals – can be personalised with branding
Guidance throughout to reach solution within agreed budget
Can work with chosen interior designer or direct
Not tied to any library, gallery or supplier – we will source/design the right scheme for you!
Office design – have you got your branding right?
Even the smallest companies should aim to maintain a strong brand identity BUT there’s a knack to designing an office without going overboard on the company branding.
It’s very off-putting when your logo is emblazoned on every spare bit of wall space.
You could create a wall mural that features your brand in a prominent part of your office, and then decorate the rest of the office in a more neutral, less formal manner.
The trick is to ensure clients know exactly who you are without compromising the general look and ambience of your property.
Pantone “Colour of the Year” 2016
So, it turns out the Pantone “Colour of the Year” 2016 is not a colour at all, but rather two colours – Rose Quartz and Serenity. For those who don’t have a finger on the pulse of colour fashion, Pantone is the leading authority in forecasting colour trends and identifying colour using a standard language.
Ordinarily, only one colour is chosen, but this year, Pantone has released the pairing and dubbed it to be a conveyance of warmth and tranquillity. Additionally, it has been described as a blurring of stereotypical gender boundaries – with the perception being that pink is for girls and blue is for boys – Pantone has eliminated this by announcing these two colours are the go-to shades for design this year, no matter who you are.
As these colours are not too imposing, they would work particularly well for those seeking a wallpaper mural with a dreamy or subdued style.