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Blog....
The Green Tree Gallery Blog is a new thing for
us. We thought (possibly foolishly) that you might like to hear some
tales from behind the scenes at the gallery... So here we are! We will
endeavour to add outside events and comments to the blog, so if you've
got something simply fantastic that you'd like us to include, just
drop us a line. As yet you can't add to the blog page directly
yourself but hopefully in time you will be able to sign up to this and
add comments and events, but for the time being we'll just see if
anyone actually reads it...
Tuesday 7th April: 6.00pm
Posted by: Jules
A while ago I mentioned 'UK Handmade' in the blog. They have just
released their Spring Issue, which includes a feature on us! Click
here to see the magazine - it's well worth a read!
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On another handmade theme, I came across the 'Buy Handmade'
website via one of our artists recently. The idea is basically to
encourage people to buy handmade and you can sign up to take the
pledge. Click on the box left, to go to their website and find out
more! |
Monday 30th March: 11.44am
Posted by: Jules
This weekend we have revamped the yard at the gallery! sick of
looking at weeds and half empty pots (not because they have died but
because the rampant bunnies have eaten them all...) we decided it was
time to have a spring tidy up. We didn't have a large budget for this
(like non-existent) so we asked for donations on
freecycle,
via our customers and also dug up a few from our own gardens! We did
invest in large quantities of chicken wire in an attempt to thwart the
bunnies. Last year, before we realised quite what lengths the little
blighters would go to, we bought some lovely plants and potted them up
and they looked lovely, for about 2 days before they were razed to the
ground (or pot). In one pot we even discovered large amounts of rabbit
droppings which I now know is because they make their own loos and
come back to the same place when they need to 'go'... I for one had no
idea they could be so 'civilized'! So it's a bit of an experiment to
see what will survive... we've also set up another bird feeding
area so it will be nice to see if we attract any new varieties.
On a totally different level I have just signed up to do the 'Ribbon
walk' in aid of Breast Cancer Care. This is not a significant
challenge by any means, I will be doing a 10 mile walk around Petworth
in June. However I think most of us will know at least one person (if
not more) who has been touched by Cancer and so I wanted to do
something to raise a bit of money to help in some small way. I will be
doing various fundraising things before June but I have also set up a
just giving page so if you would like to make a donation please click
on the link below. I know there are a lot demands for worthy causes
out there but any small amount you can give will be very much
appreciated.
Friday 27th March: 8.40pm
Posted by: Jules
As you can see our website has been updated! It has taken me
all week to do it and to be honest there are still artists who are not
on there, but you can't have everything. In fact it very nearly didn't
happen at all when my husband split tea on my laptop half way through
the week, needless to say it wasn't very happy about it and is now
having intimate dealings with the laptop shop... Thankfully I didn't
lose any info but it has meant pulling together docs and images from a
total of 4 computers, 2 memory sticks and 5 CDs. So I apologise if you
find anything not working! I have thoroughly checked it and I have
noted a couple of things that need doing, but I hope that's
acceptable! Any comments on the new look will be gratefully received!
Tuesday 24th March: 8.58pm
Posted by: Jules
Some days are just such hard work I really wonder if I'm doing the
right thing, but then someone says something nice about the gallery or
comments on a piece of work and it makes it all worthwhile. Today was
one of those days. I had to work the whole day and couldn't pick up
the kids from school which meant my son missed his Gym class too, so I
wasn't all that pleased to be there. However after lunch one of our
customers made my day! He and a friend had been browsing for a while,
they didn't buy anything and then left. But about a minute later he
came back in, walked straight up to me and said that he just wanted to
say how nice the gallery is and what a lovely space it is. The very
fact that he came back just to say that was lovely, and worth far more
than him spending a few quid as it made me feel so much better! So
dear man, whoever you are if you read this 'Thank You!!'
On another note we now have a loo!! After a year of having to trek 100
yards (in the cold and rain) across to the cafe when the call of
nature occurred we now have a brand new loo. Ok, so maybe it's
not hugely news worthy but I can't tell you how much difference it
makes to us!
On the nature watch front, the birds are in abundance at the
moment. So much so that they polished off a whole feeder full of nuts
in one day, greedy little blighters. I think now it's warmer I'll have
to stop feeding them or we'll bankrupt ourselves buying bird nuts.
That said it is always a delight to see them and today we had a new
visitor, in the form of a very cheeky Greenfinch. He started
the day pecking at the moss on the windows and by the afternoon was
sitting atop the front door and looking in at me!
Friday 6th March: 11.05am
Posted by: Jules
Julie is a Granny!! Her daughter Genny gave birth to a little girl on
5th March. This is her first grandchild so she is very excited and we
are all really happy for Gen & Anthony.
One of our artists has asked if we know of anyone who is interested in
sharing a studio space. She is looking for premises in Horsham or the
Haywards Heath area. If anyone is interested let me know and I'll pass
on the details.
Monday 2nd March: 2.45pm
Posted by: Jules
So, we have been open a year (well almost...) I can't believe where
that has gone... We've been thinking for ages about what we should do
for our 'first birthday' and so, rather late in the day we decided on
a party (of sorts...). There have been times in this last year that I
thought we wouldn't see the next month let alone a year. It has been,
frankly, bloody hard work but in the same vein I love it.
My mornings usually start with an hour and a half of panic. From
dragging myself from my bed when I've usually been up 'til goodness
knows what hour the night before, doing accounts or checking stock or
designing the latest invite..; to persuading the kids that going to
school in PJ's is not going to go down well with the teachers; to
forcing breakfast down their necks and then running out the door
leaving behind at least one lunchbox, glove, book, insert relevant
item here; and then trekking (or sometimes running) down the
hill to school and back again. After all this I get in my car, crank
up the volume on the stereo and head to the gallery. This bit I love.
It's a short cross country drive to work and then I open the door into
what seems like an oasis of calm, especially first thing! I love
looking around at all the pieces we have (and then dreaming of them on
my walls at home) and looking at what our hard work has produced. I
don't mean that to sound like I'm blowing my own trumpet, it's just
that a lot of heart and soul goes into the gallery too, it's not just
a business, I've always wanted to do it and to be able to and to still
be here after a year makes me feel quite choked!
Ok, soppy stuff over... as part of the celebration we've asked our
artists to be involved by putting together some limited edition gift
bags each containing a piece of art. Over 20 artists have donated
things to go into these bags from actual paintings to greetings cards,
from earrings to ceramics. It has been so great to get everyone
involved and I've been really heartened by the response from our
artists, so a huge thank you to them.
If you want to know more about our birthday celebration click
here.
Wed 11th Feb 2009: 12.02pm
Posted by: Jules
So I've made it to the second post...! and a few people have commented
on the fact that we are now doing a blog so at least someone is
reading it...
This weeks drama is the ever present pesky mice in the gallery.
It's a side effect of working in a rural area that there is a lot of
wildlife. Mostly this is great, but these little blighters are
beginning to annoy. Last week they ate through 3 fair trade fish
strings that I had foolishly left out of their box and I suspect that
was just breakfast. As a bit of an animal freak and a veggie I don't
really want to set a mouse trap, although I have to admit to buying
one, I just can't bring myself to use it! Any ideas for ways to
discourage them without resorting to the dreaded traps?
This week I met Anna from UK Handmade, she is an artist and we
will be selling some of of her work in the gallery but in her other
life she helps to put together this fab online magazine. If you
haven't seen it - check it out:
www.ukhandmade.co.uk
It's a rather funky look at arts, crafts, handmade bits and bobs, all
sorts really and it appeals to all, not just artists and makers. I
like it! And what's more Anna has asked me to submit something as a
possible piece for the mag, so fingers crossed they like it...
1st Feb 2009: 5.12pm
Posted by: Jules
Ok, so here we are, the first blog in the Green Tree history.... There
are lots of quirky things that happen at the gallery and sometimes
some snippets of info that would be nice to tell our lovely fans about
but not quite fascinating enough for our monthly mail out, so we
thought a blog would be a good idea. You the reader can of course tell
us if you agree!
The big news for this post is our Affordable Art
Sale, which began on Friday. Now I know I am biased but there are
some great bargains to be had in the sale. If you've always wanted a
lovely painting for your lounge wall or a great sculpture for the
sideboard but just weren't sure about shelling out, well now is the
time to have a look!
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