Wednesday 1 December 2010

Thorhnill Late Night Shopping

Santa rides into Thornhill this coming Monday December 6th for the village’s ever-popular Christmas shopping night. There’s a whole host of shops open late, including Thomas Tosh, with a huge amount of ideas for those special festive presents.

As well as Santa on his sleigh, there’s lots of entertainment. Daffy Dill the Clown will be raising a laugh around the village, on stage will be Sanquhar Silver Band, the Buccleuch & Queensberry Caledonia Pipe Band, and a performance from pupils of Wallace Hall Academy.

There’s fair rides, and a wide range of market stalls many raising funds for local good causes. Come along and join the fun. The evening lasts 6pm-9pm.

Friday 5 November 2010

CLARE MELINSKY AT TT FOR HARRY POTTER SIGNING


It's Harry Potter Saturday at Thomas Tosh tomorrow (6th November 2010). Local illustrator Clare Melinsky is joining us from 10.30am-12.30pm to sign copies and box sets of the new Harry Potter Signature Editions. Clare illustrated the new covers, and as well as this local connection, there are other Dumfriesshire links on a number of the covers. For example, here's one connection unearthed by today's Dumfries and Galloway Standard.http://www.dgstandard.co.uk/dumfries-news/local-news-dumfries/local-news-dumfriesshire/2010/11/05/clare-melinsky-s-harry-potter-illustrations-were-inspired-in-dumfriesshire-51311-27602220/


There's a special discount of 10% on the cover price of the Signature Edition books and box sets bought in store at TT tomorrow as well. So you can make your Harry Potter Signature Editions that little bit more special with the signature of the cover artist.


And there's also a special Harry Potter section in our gallery, where you can find out more about how Clare brought her artistic magic to J.K. Rowling's world popular series. Entry is free. And it is all happening at Thomas Tosh, the Old Parish Hall, 19 East Morton Street, Thornhill, Dumfries and Galloway. DG3 5LZ.

Monday 11 October 2010

The Salon Returns tomorrow night (Tuesday 12th October)

Local poets Betty Tindal and Doug Curran will be at old parish hall at 19 East Morton, Street, Thornhill, tomorrow ( Tuesday 12th October). They are the guests for Thomas Tosh’s second Salon night. They will be performing poems from their Source to Solway set, which plots the journey of the River Nith through Nithsdale, on its way to the sea.

The poems, written by Betty, are read by the author and Doug, and are rich in detail gathered from locals and fishermen alike. The readings have a musical accompaniment provided by Doug on an Appalachian dulcimer hand-crafted in his workshops at Crawick, Sanquhar, and will feature the slow air 'The Winding Banks o' Nith', specially written by Doug to accompany the set.
Betty will also recite a selection of poems themed around 'Time and Tide’. These works are inspired by the author’s experiences around the coast, and on various islands which she visited as a volunteer with the Scottish National Trust Archaeology projects.

And Doug will also perform his wide ranging poetical observations of life in places as far apart as rural Galloway to the Far East. His poetry will have you wiping away a tear one moment, before his wry sense of humour reduces you laughter the next.

The Salon starts at 7.30pm and entry is free.

Wednesday 6 October 2010

Robert Leighton talks photography this Saturday




Photographer Robert Leighton will be talking about his craft this Saturday (9th October) at 3pm, as part of the 5x5 exhibition. Robert’s photography features in the exhibition, which shows off five works from five artists.



The exhibition has been going really well. And Robert's work is a good counterpoint to the paintings and drawings of the other artists who are exhibiting.



The techniques he uses means that these photos can justifiably be seen as fine art in themselves.



Entry to Robert's talk is free.



Written by Paul O'Keeffe

Friday 1 October 2010

5 x 5 exhibition October 2nd-October 30th




Our latest exhibition 5x5 starts tomorrow (Saturday 2nd October 2010). It features five local artists each exhibiting five pieces of work and is organised by ThornhillArts. Anne Butler (that's her painting Farm Cottage above), Brian Lord, Louisa Scott, Robert Leighton and William Spurway are the five with contrasting styles. Photographer Robert will also be talking about his art a week Saturday (9th October 2010) at 3pm. Thomas Tosh is open Monday-Saturday, 10am-5pm. We’re at 19 East Morton Street, Thornhill, Dumfries and Galloway. DG3 5LZ. Entry is free.

Wednesday 1 September 2010

The Salon launches Tuesday 7th September



Thomas Tosh is launching a new evening gathering celebrating great local writing here in Dumfriesshire.

The Salon will be held on occasional Tuesdays and opens with a clutch of award-winning poets on September 7th at 7.30pm.

Hugh McMillan, Vivien Jones and JoAnne McKay will be reading from their latest works.

Vivien Jones will recite from her newly published collection of poetry, About Time, Too. She’s fresh from the success of winning the 2010 Poetry London Prize last month.


JoAnne McKay will be reading from her new work, Venti. JoAnne is part of a growing band of Dumfriesshire-based poets creating illustrated and hand-sewn pamphlets. Venti is a booklet that can be seen as a piece of art in itself.

Hugh McMillan will be bringing his award winning poems and his performance skills to underpin what will be a great evening.


Entry is free. Coffee, tea, cake and refreshments will be available. The Salon will be held at Thomas Tosh in the Old Parish Hall, 19 East Morton Street, Thornhill, Dumfries and Galloway. DG3 5LZ. Tel: 01848 331 553

Friday 18 June 2010

Carol Taylor at Thomas Tosh 19th June


Artist Carol Taylor is back at Thomas Tosh on Saturday 19th June. She'll be at our Old Parish Hall Building, 19 East Morton Street, talking to customers about her exhibition Beauty and the Bog. Visitors really appreciated meeting Carol during Spring Fling weekend. So if you fancy seeing science and art fuse in some great pictures, it's really worth a visit. Carol will be around from 11am until 4pm.


Written by Paul O'Keeffe.

Thursday 27 May 2010

Carol Taylor and Spring Fling films this weekend at TT

The Vernon and Lee Arts Festival gig ( see blog below) has kicked off a busy few days for Thomas Tosh. It's Spring Fling weekend and there are special films showing on Sunday as part of the event here at Thomas Tosh in the Old Parish Hall on Sunday.

The films are by Glasgow-based artist Henry Coombes. The films are: Gralloch & The Bedfords. The big local interest here is that they were filmed locally at Capenoch, Penpont.

Each screening lasts around 20 minutes. There are three screenings: 6pm,6.45pm and 7.30pm. The screenings are free. If you definitely want to attend one particular screening, just give us a bell and we will reserve seats, otherwise just turn up on the door. If one screening is full you can get into the next one. Our phone number is 01848 331 553.

As well as the films, artist Carol Taylor will be at Tosh over Spring Fling weekend--Saturday, Sunday and Monday. She will be delighted to talk to customers about her exhibition in the parish hall: Beauty and the Bog. It's been getting a lot of attention and Carol is great at explaining her work and the scientific research around Scotland's wilderness that's inspired her.

Vernon and Lee's great night out at Thomas Tosh




David Vernon (he's on the left) and Dick Lee (right) played a great gig last night (Wednesday 26th May) at Thomas Tosh in the Old Parish Hall, Thornhill, as part of the Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival 2010.


The accordion player and clarinettist promised to take the audience on a world tour of musical styles and they didn't disappoint.


They have a mass of experience and musical influences. From Jewish to French, Scottish Reels to Tango, with familiar tunes such as the theme from The Godfather thrown in for good measure.


The duo managed to make the old parish hall feel like there was a whole band playing rather than just two people. And they won the audience over completely.

They got us participating in the proper Scandinavian manner during their Norwegian set. "Just think that you are sitting in the pub and someone has just walked off with your pint. What would you say?"questioned Vernon. That got the right Nordic intensity of "Oy!" coming from the audience for one tune.


David Vernon hails from Dumfries. He says that the duo's aim is to get everyone leaving a gig with a smile on their face. That they did in spades. A great night for music and the Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival 2010.


Thursday 20 May 2010

Beauty and the Bog at Thomas Tosh in Thornhill




Here's our window at our shop at 55 Drumlanrig Street in Thornhill celebrating our newest exhibition Beauty and the Bog in the Old Parish Hall. It's a Bold and Big exhibition from Carol Taylor, the Biggar-based artist who hails from Dumfries and Galloway. Carol worked with rural land researchers at the Macaulay Institute in Aberdeen for the exhibition. And she's created fascinating images from terrifically impressive large-scale pieces (the biggest works we've had in to date) to small intimiate works.


Carol will be here to talk to customers about her work on Saturday and Sunday, 29th and 30th May, Spring Fling weekend. She's got loads of fascinating stuff to say about her work; from her use of scanning electron microscopes to create images to the antiseptic powers of moss. As always, admission is free.


written by Paul O'Keeffe at Thomas Tosh

Monday 15 March 2010

Why Doesn't Gucci Make Zimmer Frames


Visual artist Jo Hodges is into the second week of her residency here at Thomas Tosh. Jo is in our upstairs gallery looking at the thorny issue of how designers, in particular, and society, as a whole, deals with ageing.


Jo's been getting objects that are stereotypically associated with old age and thinking about how top design houses might approach them. And Jo's been talking to TT customers about their thoughts on all the issues involved.


It's been really lively, and Jo is with us until this Friday so it's worth giving her a visit here at TT. This week Jo is working on more concepts and hopefully getting people involved in making finished objects or pieces of work for display.