Elvis on the Moon

On the eve of the "Greatest show on Earth", the sun has come out after nearly four months of rain. Coincidence? Have the powers that be behind this spectacle of sport and, of course, commercial extravagance been tinkering with the weather? Ridiculous, I hear you say, but it wouldn't be the first time. It was reported that the Chinese seeded the clouds during the Beijing (that's Peking to us oldies) Olympics to guarantee good weather, not to mention using CGI to embellish their firework display at the opening ceremony. With so much at stake financially it is not beyond the realms of fantasy. If it starts to rain the day after the closing ceremony it will have all the conspiracy theorists jumping about with excitement and citing Elvis Presley, the moon landings and Princess Diana, to mention but a few.

Elvis on the moon... hmm?

Still, I am not complaining, the fine weather is bringing people out in their numbers, our Summer Exhibition is well under way and it has been a fantastic week with lots of artwork being sold to those who appreciate beautiful things. So, if you have not been to the gallery before come and have a look. If you have been, come and see the new work we have exhibited for the summer, it's spectacular and not an Olympic ring in sight... I think.

There's no doubt that there is a sinister side to the commercial aspect of the Olympics and that wearing a Pepsi T-shirt or Nike trainers may get you in trouble with the brand police. Maybe that is why there are missiles on the top of tower blocks, not for terrorists but to obliterate people not conforming to approved dress standards. Fortunately in North Devon we don't have to worry about such things (I say as I nervously look over my shoulder at the thought I may have committed some Olympic crime and any moment now my windows are blown in as commandos clad in black from head to foot pin me to the ground.)

Olympic faux pax

I am not the only one to be worried. I noticed a coffee drinker was putting his liberty in danger when carelessly putting his mug down on a piece of paper. Now, I have the solution to his dilemma, a sort of get out of jail free card. Yes, for only £25 this gentleman could have invested in a set of four superbly hand-crafted glass coasters from West Gallery in a variety of unique designs.

For many more antidotes to the threat of Olympic over zealousness pop into West Gallery and chill out. Remember you are in Devon where the sun always shines, summer lasts for ever, the scenery is stunning and nothing happens too quickly. Oh, and if you are wearing the wrong thing we won't make you strip down to your underwear.

Summer weather

A little bit of a head this morning. A few glasses of wine last night at our Summer Exhibition preview evening. There was a good buzz and a good deal of interest and the sun even graced us with its presence. My mouth is dry from talking, well that's my excuse! Apologies if I didn't get to talk to you I was doing my best to meet everybody.

Now, if you couldn't make it last night don't worry, the exhibition is on until 27th August and we're open from 10am til 5pm seven days a week, so come on down and have a look at some fantastic new work from a diverse range of artists and makers.

For those of you that weren't there last night I was going to post some images of the work here but then I thought no, you need to get out more! Come and see everything for real, enjoy the experience and the feeling that art can bring you. Goodness knows we all need a bit of cheering up at the moment with this weather. (Damn, I mentioned the weather again).

Still, you might have to be quick, it's already been a busy day today, and pictures are selling fast despite the atrocious weather (sorry!). So, if you've got your eye on something pop in and have a chat, I might even put the kettle on. If you've not been to our gallery before - and why not? - then you are missing out, even if I do say so myself. Don't worry, we are not stuffy and pompous, I'm sure you've worked that out by now, and there's no hard sell. We just enjoy showing beautiful things that bring a little bit of pleasure to people's lives at an affordable price.

So whether (no, that doesn't count) you want to treat yourself  because you deserve it or you would like to find a unique gift for someone special or you just want to have a look round, West Gallery is really worth a visit.

It's beginning to clear now... that's my head not the weather! Did I mention the weather? May just have got away with it.

Summer outlook is good

It's a British preoccupation, it's a conversation opener, it's a constant source of discussion. Yes, it's the weather. As if to prove my own point avid blog fans will remember me talking about it in April, twice in fact! You may remember me deriding the so called drought after a week of sunshine in March, almost four months ago. On the day the drought is officially over (yes really), believe it or not, we have not had a week without rain since March! The hares are not only mad, they're hopping!

March hare by Beverly Madley

Now the hosepipe ban is lifted nationwide we are free to water our gardens, yeah right! Still, maybe this heralds the start of summer and I sincerely hope so. The effect on the South West region has been a reduction in visitor numbers which has been compounded by the bleak economy.


However, I remain ever optimistic that the sun will get its hat on and by the end of August the talk of floods will be a distant memory. In fairness, most visitors that I have spoken to are quite stoical and are enjoying the beautiful Devon countryside regardless of the weather. A lady came into the gallery last week from Nevada in the United States with a tan that would make Dale Winton look anaemic and found the climate quite refreshing after being used to day after day of baking sunshine back at home. Thanks for rubbing it in!


With the school summer holidays almost upon us we can look forward to wall-to-wall sunshine and thousands of visitors enjoying the balmy conditions. And to make things even better West Gallery's Summer Exhibition starts on 16th July through to 27th August with many of the artists drawing inspiration from the beautiful Devon scenery and the dramatic skies that the weather provides us with. Definitely worth a look.

Wellies by Rob Walker

Whether it be wellies or flip-flops one thing I can forecast is that we will have something to brighten your day at West Gallery, the outlook is good for the rest of the summer. Right, I'm off to water my plants, because I can!

New balls please!

Ah yes, champagne, strawberries and cream, it must be Wimbledon. Attention turns to SW19 or maybe that should be MK1...? Yes, memories of Vinnie Jones, Lawrie Sanchez, John Fashanu and the rest of the Crazy Gang seem distant with the metamorphosis into the MK Dons. What? You thought I was going to talk about tennis? Sorry!


It evokes memories of some classic encounters and none more famous than illustrated by the iconic photograph of Vinnie Jones grappling with Gazza.

Vinnie goes for the tackle on Gazza

My interest in tennis, I'm afraid, goes no further than another iconic photo 'Tennis Girl' taken by the late Martin Elliott which is the world's best selling photograph with over 2 million copies sold. The mystery of who the enigmatic girl was remained a secret for over 25 years.

Cheeky! The mysterious Fiona Butler in 1976

Some photographs have the ability to capture an image or a moment in time that are ingrained in our minds forever, I mean, who is not familiar with the two images above? A well taken photograph is about feeling (as Gazza will testify!), about capturing the mood, about what you can't see, it can tell a story. As they say, a picture paints a thousand words.


In these days of digital photography and phones with cameras everybody thinks they are David Bailey but good photography is an art that only a few can achieve successfully.


Award winning local photographer Tim Onyon captures and creates action based images covering motor sport and equestrian events throughout the South West. His often dark and subdued style invites the viewer to pause and explore further the subtle detail present in all his work. Tim uses creative techniques developed by himself which take the original imagery to an entirely new level. Tim's photographs can be seen at West Gallery at our Summer Exhibition starting on 16th July 2012.

So remember, next time you get your iphone out and give it lock, stock and two smoking barrels there's a bit more to it than point and click!


C'mon Tim!