I read a fantastic book called 'Notes on an Exhibition' by Patrick Gale. This is my comment posted on his website

Just wanted to thank Patrick for postcard of Sainte Lisant (a girl reading!) it came the day after I finished reading my second book by him called Rough Music (Notes on an exhibition being the first). I believe strongly that things have to be in the open so once again want to thank him for writing about a woman loosing her mind. I believe I may have read in the above book or imagined that some believe there may be a connection between Alzheimers and a sad life. For the past ten years the passage of divorce has and still makes me so very very sad at times. Rough Music was like a lantern making me want to step back into the light again and try my hardest not to be sad anymore so as to increase my odds of holding on to my beautiful mind. Finding this website and seeing Patrick's joy of the arts and music only fuels my desire further to step in to a sunny future. You postcard said you could not write more as your hands were cold please Patrick buy a muff or get heaters in the pottery studio. Wishing you much happiness in your life so that you hold on to as many grey cells as possible to write more books that touch, open, aid the healing of reader's macrame minds.
Posted on 26 Mar 2008 10:08 am

At the back of the books are beautiful prints by June Hicks Patrick's mother-in-law. I am currently exhibiting June's limited prints in the gallery the private view is on Tuesday. June liked the idea of exhibiting with 8 other print makers from Penwith in Cornwall. I drove down to Cornwall recently to pick up the prints from Jess Leroy Smith a very exciting artists who recently exhibited at the Royal Academy. He has three great pictures to view. I will photograph them and paste them soon on to my website and blogg page.

I want to share some other info. Whilst heading down to Cornwall. I dropped in to my son in Plymouth who has just finished a degree there. He took me to an exhibition of Robert Lenkiewicz work. I have consequently purchased three books on Robert who sadly left us in 2002. Robert painted himself a lot. I share this not for ye bloggers / Narcissus (self-Admirers) but because of so many things, his studio in the Barbican filled with books and paintings, he produced 10,000 paintings and acquired an equal amount of books on philosophy and theology. Robert was seen to be rare, valuable, eccentric and lived and worked in a physical environment of great artistic and intellectual richness basically what I would call / say 'he was seemingly charged' he also left millions in debt. I can't express my point here. All I can exude is that by sharing this passion for him I am stumbling across some red hot fuel to carry me through the struggle of a new business. It sometimes feels in Henley that there is no room in the inn (Town) for the rare and slightly eccentric. One needs a brand name. The high street seems to becoming a place were teenagers can walk and buy very expensive crumpled style clothing, prewashed tired looking jumpers and flip flops even though we are miles from the beach (tongue in cheek). Of course we have the arts we have the Music Festival I am going to see the Gypsy kings £48 on the promenade (I understand this to be standing). I did ask if I could paint the Gypsy Kings as I understand we will be visited by someone doing like wise, the idea was met by what I shall describe as a kind of petit grand mal a choking fit. All I am saying is that by opening this topic it is opening opportunities for me. On Friday I went to Camden to a 1920's Tango dance. There was an artist called Fielding who paints Tango dances and he lives in Cornwall just the other side of Plymouth over the ferry that I took to get to Cornwall. I told him about Robert and he was taught painting by Robert. WOW!!!!!!!!!!! So for those that drop in to Venus you may well see one of his prints soon. Plus do come on the 24th to our life drawing class 7-9. We are having a really good looking young bloke, who has been working out for us so we have lots of muscle definition.

The Enchanment Exhibition is underway not all pictures are for sale some are for your interest only. SPAJ the artist of the above picture used butterfly wings from a 100 year old butterfly collection. SPAJ made the works of art that were sold in Harrods 100 years ago. Beverley Emans found one picture in Camden and her mother found another in the Cotswold neither mother or daughter have been able t find other pictures by the artist or indeed find out anything further about the artist himself.

Life Drawing class Tuesday the 15th of April 12-2pm £12 plus tip for model. The Gallery will be closed for those two hours. Please bring charcoal and large sketch pad.

Exciting news!! In colabaration with Henley's on line healing magazine Aaah http://aaahhh.org/  

I'd like to  Invite you all to ENCHANMENTS PRIVATE VIEW on Tuesday the 6th of May (all day 11-9pm) 

From the first of May for a month Venus Gallery will be holding an ‘ENCHANTMENT EXHIBITION’  featuring ANGELS, FARIES, MYTHS AND POETRY. Any one can enter work the cost is £1 A WEEK PER PAINTING, 50p PER PRINT TO HANG I just need the pictures the week before ring or just pop in to find out more. Tuesday – Friday 11-6pmSaturday 11-4pm54-56 Bell St, First Floor, HenleyOn Thames01491 579634. Please make sure works of art that are framed have string at the back to hang them.

You may have seen on the website that I often have live poetry, music and art workshops. During the month of the exhibition I would love to encourage a diversity of people for example healers, drummers anyone from or connected to the on-line Aaah magazine or indeed if you have similar interests to use the space FREE OF CHARGE on a day to day or hourly basis booked with me.

Until then it may be of interest to you to know that Venus Gallery currently has a SALEon and there are also artists painting works-in-progress on the themes of WATER, BODIES and DANCERS please drop in and browse. There is a veryuplifting ‘HEADWAYS OF TOWNLANDS HOSPITAL EXHIBITION’ (adults with head injuries)  up the stairway, the art on display was produced when Myself, my son Nick age 21 and Martin Newman dropped in as volunteers to help the group with drawing and painting, cartoons, a still life and music inspired works of art.

There may well be a magical sale of prints from Cornish Print Makers in June.

The gallery is currently an open studio please come and browse the artist at work.

Please see events in and out of the gallery. Thank you 

Thank you to those that came to the pole dance demo see links / my videos.

Thank you to all those that came to the Kenton please go to 'Links' to see the video.

Martin's cartoons end this Monday the 4th and Amaritas Zen drawings start for three weeks.

On the 12th we have the shoe / photo workshop see details listed previously and the same for the 13th of Feb when we have a cartoon workshop in the evening from 7 -9pm.

We have Amaritas end of show private viewing on Thursday evening of the 21st of Feb.

Flamenco Demonstration as a Preview to the next Venus Gallery Exhibition
Amarita Vargas will dance flamenco in front of her projected images on the 29th of January at 7.30pm at the Kenton Theatre, Henley. This demonstration will be followed by an exhibition of Amarita's artwork at Venus Gallery from  5th-22nd February.
Venus Gallery tries to make art an experience - In addition to drawings and prints, the exhibition will feature a projection on to the gallery walls of Amarita dancing flamenco in front of her images at The Pegasus Theatre, Oxford, in 2007.  Amarita's short flamenco-kathak film 'The Journey' which was produced with the support of Oxford Film and Video Makers will also be shown during the exhibition. Postcards and artist's books will also be on sale.
    The National Art Library at the Victoria and Albert Museum has two artist's books of flamenco sketches by Amarita and  wrote of these works: "the drawings mark a very fine line between the completely abstract and the evocatively figurative, sufficiently suggestive to create the sense of a dancing figure. I like the sense of progression - which one can only get through the particular format of a book - and movement, and also the contrast between predominately serpentine lines in the one and straighter lines in the other (suggesting  female and male respectively."

Following Venus Galleries first art work shop the feed back was that it is nice to not be committed to several weeks of classes and those that came are coming again to work in the mediums and styles that they liked. I am consequently offering individual, with a friend or in a small group classes with any medium you would like to try watercolour, oil, drawing, pen and in any style contemporary traditional, still life or abstract at £12 per person. And will endevour to do the art work shop to the time or day that suits you. 

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Relax in our intimate bohemian enviroment, lunch time music, poetry and preformance often available. Are you interested in exhibiting work, being an artist in residence from one day to two weeks, or being a lunch time / evening entertainer; musicians, poets, dancers are encouraged to come forward. Perhaps you would like to preform one or two songs from your up coming musical / amature dramatics?

This is a self managed site made by ''phase 2'' for me Gaye Ilston. Sorry for any spelling and grammar  mistakes but I have the wonderful gift of dy 

Cartoon Work Shop with Martin 13th of Feb 7 -9 with Martin the cartoonist for the Henley Standard £12.00. Please bring felt tips and drawing pad.

Knitted Donut Workshop with Lynda Hopkins £12.00 February 13th 7-9pm (you may need some materials please ring or write to find out and book place as limited spaces)

Photo workshop February 12th 12-2pm a Valentines Special.

LOVE YOUR SHOES?Just bring your favourite shoe or shoes. Steven will assist you to take the best shot of your shoes and Venus Gallery will print and stretch the canvas print on to a frame during your visit £30.00 

Tuesday 19th Feb 2008 
12 -2  £12.00 Drop in art class You will require a large and or small sketch pad paints of your choice but not oils (external classes available for oils)