Curly Bob's Art Emporium Opens Tomorrow, 1 May 2015 At Botany Bay, Canal Mill, Chorley, PR6 9AF!

Yes it's true. Curly Bob's long anticipated expansion of his Art Emporium(retail) is finally coming to pass tomorrow. Bob was very pleased to be able to offer my works for sale at Botany Bay. However he is always on the lookout for bigger business opportunities hence the migration to a different unit at Botany Bay with a 300% plus increase in display space.

Bob has taken time out from his forthcoming election campaign to attend the opening ceremony tomorrow. We hope to be able to display at least 30 works initially. It is expected that works displayed will be rotated at intervals so there should always be something different to interest return visitors. I plan to explore a range of different subjects over the coming months so the display should be eclectic to say the least.

I am always interested in all feedback from viewers especially anyone who is lucky enough to be able to visit Botany Bay, Canal Mill. I try to answer all enquiries and comments as I really do value all feedback.

Bob pondered the question of today's post. Of late, we have been posting many items from the archives. However as he is now dipping his paw into the waters of the retail world he felt I should showcase one of the several paintings I have sold recently. Therefore here is "Ferme Sur Colline", acrylic on canvas 120cm x 40cm painted in February 2015. The french title relates to our holidays in Provence, France in 2014.

The Election Starts Here on Monday!

Curly Bob was up early as our postman has changed his round and now delivers early morning rather than after lunch . Bob was sat on the stairs eagerly awaiting his rosette when there was a thud while we were having breakfast. That was followed by Bob tearing open the envelopes whereupon he emitted a cry of joy...yes his rosette had arrived  at long last!

Now his political campaign can begin in earnest. However I was forced to point out that there was a minor problem with all this. Bob has been so busy with his campaign and manifesto etc he had completely overlooked that I had been promised a much larger rental unit at Botany Bay, Chorley which is  scheduled to open this Friday. This is a much larger retail outlet which should be able to display 30 plus of my works for sale.

Clearly there was a clash of interests especially as Bob would be expected to attend the grand opening on Friday morning. It would be necessary to launch the internet promotion the same day ready for the Bank Holiday weekend here in the U.K. Bob pondered this for several minutes and then jumped into action.

The opening at Botany Bay could go ahead on Friday and his political juggernaut could be unleashed on the world on Monday.  In any case Bob believes the British public are sick of all the promises and allegations after 5 weeks of campaigning by the other parties which will give him an edge in the election.

The house is now a hive of activity(no pun intended) as Bob fortifies himself with stocks of his favourite honey to sustain him through what promises to be a very long night.

As always he finds the time to select one from my back catalogue.."Sunrise, Snowdon Horseshoe", an oil on canvas from circa 2008.

I Don't Believe It!

More wailing emanating from Bob's room told me all was not well with our world famous bear. After being told to keep calm and be patient Curly Bob had been very well behaved. Although fine on the exterior I know he has been very anxious about his rosette.

Our cleaner came today ( she is the one charged with the enormous burden of making Bob's rosette for his U.K. election campaign. He stayed in his room patiently waiting for its delivery. Being unwell I spent the afternoon dozing until awoken by the tidal wave of angst emanating from Bob's den.

I tried to placate him with promises of another rosette but all to no avail. Bob wanted her sacked on the spot. I told him if that were the case then no one would be cleaning his room any more , including the empty ice cream tubs & wrappings hidden under his bed. He accepted that and then suggested having her flogged. Would this look good in the local paper once his campaign got under way I wondered aloud? Perhaps this medieval approach to employment might cast the government's love of zero hours contracts in a better light. Curly Bob reflected on this and with the assistance of 2 tubs of his favourite "Belgian Salted Caramel" ice cream he agreed to await his rosette in the post.

A quick phone call secured a promise of having the rosette sent in the post. I expect Bob to be attacking the post man on a daily basis until it arrives. I think I, like much of the U.K. population,  am suffering from election fatigue and another 2 weeks to go...(Arghh!!! .. Ed)

To avoid the same bitter disappointment Bob requests I post "Village Andalucia #1" another oil on canvas from before 2010.

This Is Not A Time To Be Unwell !

Bob & I returned from holiday on Thursday. I was scheduled for a minor surgical proceedure the following day. This required I rest my leg and keep it elevated for 48 hours. Due to a piece of abysmally bad planning I came down with a very bad chest infection on the way home from Wales.

Bob was horrified..not by my illness but by my being too unwell to operate his vast publicity machine. I hoped he might possibly  begin to appreciate my value to his impeding electoral campaign(A quick reality check....This is Curly Bob we are talking about is it not???....Ed) Sadly my hopes were dashed when Bob gave me a long list of jobs I could do from my sick bed. One of these was to post "Winter Storm, Black Point #2", oil on canvas from 2011.

I have to tell you that if his rosette doesn't arrive by tomorrow, as planned, I am moving out!

It's On Monday(honestly..)

Bob has announced that his party manifesto will be announced on Monday, with or without his rosette. He feels that he can wait no longer before launching his electoral juggernaut.( Is this a solitary bear standing for a single seat what we are talking about here?...Ed).

In a bid to staunch our anticipation over the coming weekend I am bid to post "Sunrise, Glydyr Fach" an oil on canvas from way back. It was inspired by the numerous trips we have made to North Wales in general and Snowdonia in particular. It is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful parts of the U.K. It is also renowned for home made fudge, local honey and ice cream which do much more to attract Bob's attention than the  castles and scenic areas of North Wales.

We hope Curly Bob's loyal fans & followers world wide will enjoy this over the coming weekend.

He's Still Waiting!

Curly Bob's rosette has still not arrived. I passed him this morning as he sat on the stairs looking balefully at the letter box. The post man came and went but there was nothing for him. He was looking a little dejected so I explained that his manifesto would be published after every one else's, which meant that people would remember it best when they came to vote. That seemed to perk him up a bit.

(There is also the small matter that Bob's party is only fielding one candidate i.e. himself. Given the state of things in Rotten Borough I would say Bob has a fairly good chance of being elected...Ed) Still we have to go along with his aims for the moment. Pending the arrival of his rosette Bob has asked that I post "Storm Snowdonia", oil on board based on one of my sketches that I did on a holiday in wales in 2010. As always any feedback welcome.

Curly Bob & I both wish you all a great weekend.

Wot No Rosette!!

I was woken this morning at an early hour by cries coming from Bob's Room. I know Bob has been on the wagon regarding alcohol. He thinks I haven't noticed the odd empty carton of ice cream or jar of honey sent by one of his many fans, lying around his room during cleaning it. (Bob is far to professional to do it himself and the dust is bad for his fur or so he claims... Ed).

Anyway discounting him getting his snout stuck in the aforesaid jar I feared some dreadful trauma had overtaken him or a nightmare perhaps. Resolving not to read him any more Edgar Allan Poe for his bedtime stories I made my way hastily down the hall to his den. When I entered he was sat shouting at the TV screen showing a rerun of the U.K. Election Debate. After some effort and the odd bar of chocolate I calmed him down enough to ask him what was the problem.

It seems whilst penning his manifesto he had been listening to the debate. ( I suspect there is some rewriting here based upon what the other parties have published in theirs...Ed). When he looked up the penny finally dropped...they were all wearing rosettes and Bob was definitely without in that department! I suggested a mutual friend could make one for him which could be made to measure just like his special "Lifeboats..R.N.L.I." jumper of which he is so fond.

I resolved to ring to place the order after the sun had risen. To calm him further I mentioned we hadn't posted anything for a couple of days and this worked as a distraction. Bob asked me to post "Spanish Harbour Sunset", an oil on board from circa 2006. Meanwhile the fate of the U.K. election result hangs by a thread literally as Bob cannot begin his campaign until the rosette arrives.