A Whale of a Time in Old Hunstanton...

Visitors to Old Hunstanton this Christmas were in for a big surprise when a 55 foot sperm whale washed up on the beach.

Just before Christmas, traders had told local weekly The Lynn News they had never known business so bad in the town, with shops almost deserted in what should have been the busiest shopping period of the year.

But the arrival of the sperm whale, which washed up on Old Hunstanton beach on Christmas Eve, brought a fresh flood of visitors into the town.

Kevan Fleming, owner of Legge’s store, said: “It has been a godsend for us. The whale on our beach has brought a tremendous amount of business through."

Tourists from outside the area flocked down to the beach - for the rare and fascinating chance to see such a large animal up close.

Leicestershire schoolgirl Charlotte Kearn told Hatfield Hines 'Our Mum and Dad made a special trip here so me and my brother Adam could both see the whale. My Nan had seen it on the TV News!'

However, the new arrival also brought rather more macabre repercussions. Police are continuing to investigate after parts of the whale were illegally removed and allegedly offered for sale.

Within five days of its arrival, all of the whale’s teeth had been removed and there were rumours that it’s lower jaw bone had been sliced off with a chainsaw.

Police have said no further action will be taken against a juvenile who was questioned after parts of the whale were offered for sale on Facebook.

But a spokesman added: “Enquiries continue into other reports of the theft and sale of whale remains linked to the sperm whale washed up on the beach at Old Hunstanton.”

Are you King of Christmas Lights?

In the spirit of Street Art - this year the Hatfield Hines team has scoured North Norfolk for the top 'amateur' Christmas displays.

So far, we have two stand-out contenders for the accolade of 'King of Christmas Lights' - but maybe you know different?

If there is a site near you with even more Christmas curb appeal, then email us a pic!

Tribute to Charles Phillips

Hatfield Hines Gallery would like to pay tribute to Charles Phillips, our colleague and trusted friend, who passed away on Tuesday at 2pm, after a long, dignified battle with cancer.

Charles, a proud family man, was a charismatic and inspirational person.

He was much loved by our staff and customers, and had a great feeling for people and an extensive knowledge of art.

He was a good listener, well known for his distinctive personal style, his fondness for all things French and his weakness for unusual cars.

A key member of our Gallery team since his arrival in 2007, Charles was a constant source of energy, enthusiasm and ideas.

As well as his Gallery role championing the work of other artists, Charles was a gifted painter in his own right, with his pieces featured in many local exhibitions.

He was also a passionate educationalist with a strong belief in the positive talents of the local children whom he guided in his previous role as Head Teacher.

Charles was a deeply caring individual who made a positive impact on the many lives he touched.

He will be greatly missed.

For those who would like to pay their last respects to Charles, his funeral will take place at 10:15am on Wednesday 7th December 2011 at St. Faiths Crematorium, Norwich.

Santa Sails in for Wells Christmas Tide!

Wellsfolk get set to welcome in the Christmas spirit at their special Christmas Tide weekend to be held from Friday 25th to Sunday 27th November.

The weekend kicks off with Christmas Cocktails on Friday 25th, followed by a Christmas Market and Cafe from 12 noon onwards on Saturday.

Budding dancers-on-ice can triple-salco on a synthetic skating rink behind the Maltings on the Sackhouse carpark.

Father Christmas is due to arrive in the harbour on Saturday evening at around 6pm, welcomed by an Illuminated Welcome Parade, accompanied by 'Thundermetal' with fireworks by 'Booom'.

Full details of all events and timings can be found at the Wells Carnival Committee website.

Focus on - Jean Dryden Alexander

This week at Hatfield Hines Gallery we are proud to unveil our newly acquired collected works by the renowned East Anglian artist Jean Dryden Alexander.

Fifth child and youngest daughter of noted Victorian watercolorists Robert G.D. Alexander and Effie Alexander, Jean spent an idyllic childhood en plein air in the Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex countryside learning to paint and draw with her parents and siblings as well as other noted artists of their circle including H.B. Brabazon and Sir George Clausen.

Influenced by Turner and Constable as well as her parents' own art tutors Henry Tonks and Mark Fisher, Alexander's work displays her natural gift for capturing the transient moods and intensity of light of the East Anglian landscape.

To browse featured pieces, and learn more about this artist, just click on the above catalogue icon to view in fullscreen mode.

Urban Fox - Fun for Free in the City

OK - so there may be 'no such thing as a free lunch', but during the school holidays there is certainly plenty of free fun to be had on London's South Bank...

Yep - the oversized astro-turfed armchairs are back! From now until 11th September, The National Theatre's outdoor 'Square' venue offers a varied programme of free performances including theatre, dance, performance art, circus skills and - well - downright silliness (custard pie throwing!)

To give a flavour of what's on offer - Jacques Tati meets Harold Lloyd in the hour-long silent-caper-scape "The Station".

The innovative production, staged by circus-skills veterans Bash Street harnesses a host of 'silent' slapstick tropes (yes - there are gangsters with violin cases, a stolen Mona Lisa, a demure heroine who gets roped to the train tracks, hi-jinx with a pyramid of luggage and a hapless hero suspended from a clock face).

The silent action is knitted together by uber-accordian-player Julian Gaskell, who from behind the thicket of his handlebar moustache supplies live incidental music, steam jets and imaginative sound effects for the whole team.

The deceptively simple set is a slick machine which brilliantly facilitates the cast's physical comedy - culminating in a live train crash!

Once you've finished laughing... cool off in the 'Appearing Rooms' water sculpture outside the Queen Elizabeth Hall and check out the amazing 'Urban Fox' - a giant-sized straw sculpture from rural Cheshire which peers down quizzically towards Tracey Emin from the roof of the South Bank Centre...

Small but deadly - Lautrec at the Courtauld

A summer gem glinting in the London galleries this season is the excellent Toulouse-Lautrec / Jane Avril exhibition at the Courtauld...

This small top-floor show (tip - pack extra oxygen and wear flats, or prepare to join a long queue for the lift!) focuses on the painter's works featuring Moulin Rouge muse, dancer Avril - notorious for her skeletal frame and erratic bird-like movements.

Of Lautrec, Avril said "Without a doubt I owed him the fame I enjoyed from that very first moment his poster of me appeared."

Lautrec's intense, studied and vibrant works absorb the viewer into the skewed, bohemian world of 1890's Paris.

The exhibition includes sketches and studies for some of Lautrec's most famous paintings and poster-works, giving an insight into his creative energy and composition process.

A major highlight is his iconic 'At the Moulin Rouge' group portrait - on special loan from the Art Institute of Chicago - a dynamically composed homage to the major players in his Montmartre circle.

Speaking of Lautrec's unique rapport with his female models, which shines through in these works, Avril commented "They were his friends as well as his models. He in turn had an uplifting effect on them. In his presence they were just women, and he treated them as equals. When he ate with them, often bringing a party of friends, they held their knives and forks daintily, restrained their conversation, had the feeling of being women of some standing. Lautrec's almost womanly intuition and sympathy shone like a light for them."

There is also a portrait of Avril dancing made by her eventual painter husband Maurice Biais. This offers a fascinating contrast in view of this otherwise familiar subject - a rare and somehow strangely inauthentic glimpse of Avril smiling.

Many historical documents accompany the exhibition (including photographs, playbills and letters) which follow Avril from the genesis of her erratic style - discovered whilst incarcerated in a mental hospital, at the bizarrely conceived 'Madwoman's Ball' - through her rise to fame at the Moulin and subsequent London tour.

To read more about the exhibition click here. To read more about the life of Jane Avril click here.

The show runs until 18 September 2011. Entry: £6 (£4.50 concessions) but admission is FREE on Mondays 10am-2pm.

Behind the Scenes at Sheringham

Thank you to all the Gallery clients who joined us on Monday to celebrate the launch of our brand new art space at Sheringham Little Theatre.

Guests first enjoyed drinks in our new Gallery space before taking a VIP backstage tour with theatre Director Debbie Thompson.

Tour highlights included the hi-tech wizardry (and incredibly tidy cables!) of the lighting booth.

This was followed by an actors-eye-view walk through the set to the dressing rooms for a backstage meet-and-greet with rep stars of the theatre's current production 'Last of the Red Hot Lovers'.

We were then treated to a special performance of the play.

A great evening was had by all, so thanks for coming along and making the event such a success!

To make sure that you receive a personal invitation for our future events, register for our mailing list HERE.

Beanlands Abound

This month Hatfield Hines pays special tribute to the landscape talents of British abstract artist Frank Beanland.

A selection of new works can be viewed at our main Gallery in Holt as well as much larger works on display at our 'coastal satellite' at the Sheringham Little Theatre.

To celebrate the launch of our new show, we've also created a special new exhibition catalogue which can be viewed as an online flipbook by clicking the arrows on the image above.

To access fullscreen option, hover your pointer over a page, wait for the fullscreen tab to appear, then click.

The Art of 'Come Dine With Me' - Norwich!

Addicts of hit Channel 4 reality show 'Come Dine With Me' might have noticed a few empty picture hooks over recent mantlepieces...

If you've ever been intrigued by this 'missing picture' phenomenon, Hatfield Hines can now reveal the reason...

Before shooting, the production team have to research and contact the copyright holder of all artworks which are likely to be shown in the programme to obtain explicit permission for them to appear. Without this, the artworks must be removed from view.

How do we know this..? Hatfield Hines can also exclusively reveal that 'Come Dine With Me' are shooting in Norwich next week, at the home of a Henry Holzer collector, hence we've been contacted on this very issue!

To learn more about Henry Holzer, see our artist profile.

To try out some of Come Dine With Me's magic/tragic recipes for yourself, see their website here.

Hatfield Hines goes Coastal at Sheringham...

This month Hatfield Hines goes coastal with a brand new show opening at the Sheringham Little Theatre...

Get ready for drama with a selection of major new panoramic pieces during June - making the most of the size and scope our brand new coastal art space!

Norfolk poised to catch Royal Wedding Fever!

Whether you are mad-keen to waggle a flag at the TV this coming Friday, or you're planning to carry on regardless you'll be hard pressed (it not potholing) not to catch Wills & Kate fever in Norfolk - with more than 80 celebratory events planned!

These range from Prince and Princess dress-up parades to 'knees-up' street parties to Punch and Judy shows (that's the way to 'I do it'!) to an elegant celebratory Tea Dance with local dance teacher Niall at Northrepps Cottage Country Hotel (£9.95 per person - booking essential on 01263 579202).

Or for the strictly sentimental there is the option of a 'Trousseau Tea' at Starston (a French wedding tradition where the bride's family show off all her new things) organised by the local WI. All the guests plan to don posh frocks and bring along pics of their own 'big day'.

Big screens will abound across the county - even at Carrow Road, where for £55 per person 'wedding guests' will kick off with coffee and pastries before the celebrations move to the top terrace for 'all the traditions of a wedding including champagne and canapés, a four-course wedding breakfast and wedding cake.'

A 'match' made in heaven? Only time will tell..!

For full details check out the EDP's comprehensive listing...

Coast to Coast at Hatfield Hines

Throughout the bank holiday period Hatfield Hines Gallery will be celebrating East Anglian coastlines, with works from 1900 to the present day.

This will be a diverse show, with a few surprises..from fresh takes on some of the most well known coastal views by Gilia Florentin-Lee, David Baxter, Geoffrey Chatten, Derek Inwood and John Tookey, to some slightly rougher seas painted earlier in the 20th Century by accomplished seascape artist Rowland Fisher (1885-1969).

Easter Ahoy!

In keeping with Hatfield Hines' April theme of 'East Anglian Coastlines', this Easter we thought we'd focus on special seasonal events and activities with a watery connection...

Friday 22nd April - Easter Egg Hunt at Salhouse Broad - a 1.5hr trail of clues to follow around the Broad along with arts & crafts and Easter themed games. Cost: £3 per child / £5 for two children. Further info tel: 01603 722775.

Friday 22nd April - Easter Special River Trip at Wroxham Broad - Discover this magical waterland with children's on-board nature quiz, egg hunt and colouring competition whilst the Skipper will point out nesting birds and young. Cost: £7.50 adult / £6 child / Free for under fives. Book on: 01603 782207

Saturday 23rd April - Dawn Otter Spotting Canoe Trail - Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden - Ideal for early risers who will join 'The Canoe Man' at 6am (!!) on this guided paddle, meandering down quiet, undisturbed tributaries to see the elusive otter - we hope! Cost: £25 adult / £15 child. Booking essential on: 01603 499177

Sunday 24th April - Otters for late-risers - For those - like me - who fancy a Saturday lie-in - there is also a later - and more extended - Otter-Canoe-spotting session available on Easter Sunday, departing from Honing Lock at 10am, at the higher price of £40 per adult and £25 per child.

Thursday 28th April - 6pm onwards - Powerboat Racing at Nicholas Everitt Park, Outlon Broad. Something completely different for those who prefer speed to Simnel cake! Cost: Free. Information: 01603 881112.

Saturday 30th April - Birdsong for Beginners - Nope - not a flashback to Johnny Morris or Doctor Doolittle - but a special RSPB guided walk around Strumpshaw Fen Nature Reserve, to learn the distinctive calls of woodland and water birds. Suitable for adults and older children. Cost: £5 adult / £3 child. Booking essential on: 01603 715191.

Mum's the Word - Post-war Pioneers at Pallant...

This week sees the opening of 'Robin and Lucienne Day: Design and the Modern Interior' at Pallant House in Chichester.

The retrospective features distinctive interior works by the most celebrated British designer couple of the post-war era.

Working alongside each other in their shared studio, the Days pioneered the introduction of modern design in furniture (Robin) and textiles (Lucienne) during the 1950s and 1960.

Their designs gained mass recognition after the Festival of Britain in 1951, in which they played a major part.

For an extra special treat - Pallant House Gallery are offering free entry to the exhibition and afternoon tea (worth £13.95) at 'Field and Fork' for all Mums (accompanied by fee paying offspring) on Mother's Day this Sunday.

There will also be the option to indulge in a celebratory glass of bubbly on the day for an additional £6.

How very civilised!

To pre-book for teas, contact the Gallery on (01243) 770827.

April Flowers...

This week - at last - it has been possible to venture forth in North Norfolk coatless!

To celebrate this outbreak of sunshine, we highlight some of the county's best upcoming nature walks, to help you seek out some secretive species in sublime places...

Telegraph Walk of the Week - Salthouse (self-guided)

Monday 11th April (10am to 12.30pm) Reptiles, amphibians and mini beasts. a mini beast hunt at 10am and at 11am with Wild Frontier Ecology. See exotic snakes and tortoises with our local expert and help with an ecological survey. £3.00 per child Under 3s £1.00. No booking required

Monday 18th April (10.15am to 12.30pm then 1pm to 3pm) Eggs of nature. Learn about eggs in nature from reptiles, birds, insects, amphibians and plants. Easter egg story and face painting. Each child on trail receives prize (chocolate egg). £3.00 per child Under 3s £1.00. No booking required.

Wednesday 27 April, near Thetford, (10 am) Spring Flowers in Breckland. An expert guided walk looking out for Breckland's three special speedwells (Breckland, Fingered and Spring), Wild Grape Hyacinth and a good variety of other spring flowers. £15 (children under 12 free acompanying an adult)

Thursday 28 April, (10 am) Spring Flowers at Holt. An expert guided walk visiting a delightful site with a mixture of habitats that hold beautiful plants such as Bogbean, Lords-and-ladies and Wood Anemone. £15 (children under 12 free acompanying an adult)

Urban Dynamic...

During March, Hatfield Hines explores the art of Street Scenes...

Thoughts turn townward in our March exhibition, with urban landscapes ranging from the picturesque pastoral towns of Rowland Fisher and the working harbours of master muralist Henry Collins to the dynamic lines and evocative twilights of Gordon Hales' contemporary London.

Happy New Year from Hatfield Hines

For all those art lovers who also love fireworks, but weren't lucky enough to get to Cromer seafront's spectactular 14 minute display on New Year's Day, here's a little treat...

Spotlight on Rowland Fisher

For our first blog of the New Year, Hatfield Hines is delighted to spotlight new acquisitions by noted marine and landscape artist Rowland Fisher.

Rowland Fisher, ROI, RSMA (1885-1969) was an artist noted for his coastal and marine subjects in oils. In his earlier years he worked frequently in watercolour. He was also an accomplished painter of landscapes.

Fisher was born at Gorleston, a small town to the south of Great Yarmouth. He lived at 3 Upper Cliff Road in from where he had a superb vantage point for all the activity of the harbour.

His neighbour was Campbell Mellon, also a well known and much loved Norfolk artist.

Fisher was a founder member of the Society of Marine Artists in 1939, and showed there from their first exhibition in 1946 (delayed by reason of the War) until his death in 1969.

He also exhibited at the Royal Academy and with the prestigious Royal Institute of Oil Painters (ROI) of which he was a full member.

Fisher also worked extensively in Cornwall, and became a member of the St. Ives Society of Artists alongside fellow Cornwall contemporaries Stanhope Forbes, Sir John Arnesby Brown, Sir Alfred Munnings, Sir Stanley Spencer, Sir Frank Brangwyn, Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson.

Happy Holidays from Hatfield Hines!

By popular demand, we've made you an updated video (courtesy of ace cameraman Olivier) showing Holt Christmas lights 2010.

Sorry there's no snow but we couldn't get up the hill with the camera when there was!

Merry Christmas from all at Hatfield Hines and our very best wishes for 2011.