NEWS
DEMAND FOR BOB DYLAN’S ART
SEES CASTLE GALLERIES IN KENT
RELEASE NEW WORKS
FOLKESTONE HOTEL TO BE
TRANSFORMED INTO FOUR-STAR
DESTINATION
The building formerly known as The Salisbury Hotel, in Clifton Road, is
undergoing a major renovation to transform it into a stylish addition to
Folkestone’s leisure and hospitality offer.
With a projected completion date of July 2016, the project will create two
brand new venues – The View Hotel Folkestone and The Cliffe Restaurant
and Bar – which will provide elegant accommodation and dining for locals
and visitors alike.
The new owners are a family-led business and the project is being overseen
by brother and sister team, Dave Mellish and Ann Grundy.
Co-ownder Dave Mellish says: “When we first saw this beautiful building,
we knew it was the one we’d been looking for. Everything about it is perfect
– the wonderful views, the amazing location on The Leas and the impressive
architecture. We’ve also fallen in love with Folkestone itself – the town is
in a hugely exciting phase. It has a great feel and all the regeneration projects
that are going on here, such as the Creative Quarter and the Harbour Arm,
convinced us that this is the place to be.”
Aiming to attract a broad variety of guests, The View Hotel Folkestone will
offer four-star boutique accommodation that embraces the best of modern
design, while also reflecting the building’s timeless sophistication.
Open to non-hotel residents, The Cliffe Restaurant and Bar offers a traditional
British menu concept that encompasses classic favourites and seasonal
specials. Dave and Ann hope that the new restaurant and bar will become
a popular place for locals to socialise and relax. There will also be rooms
available for the local community to hire for private functions and meetings.
You can follow the project’s progress on Twitter @ViewFolkestone and
@TheCliffeFolkes
A series of striking paintings from cultural icon Bob Dylan have been released
as signed limited edition graphics by the UK’s leading fine art
publisher, Washington Green.
Following unprecedented demand for The Drawn Blank Series – which was
first translated into limited edition graphics in 2008 – Washington Green
has published six of the most iconic images from the collection in never
before seen colourways. Released in an edition of 295, each piece is
individually hand signed by the artist, and will be available to buy at Castle
Galleries in Bluewater Shopping Centre.
As one of contemporary culture’s most influential and ground-breaking
artists, Dylan, now 74, continues to reinvent and inspire. His contribution
to music is well documented, having released 36 studio albums, wining 11
Grammy Awards and selling in excess of 125 million records worldwide.
In recent years, his work as a visual artist has furthered his popularity and
acclaim. Dylan dates the origins of his work as a visual artist to the early
1960s – drawing throughout his music career to "relax and refocus a restless
mind".
Dylan explains the importance of the collection to him as an artist: “The
Drawn Blank Series is something near and dear to me. To see them being
widely circulated reaffirms my original belief that there was something to
them all along.”
Peter Gilby, gallery manager for Bluewater’s Castle Galleries – Washington
Green’s network of high street galleries across the UK – said: “These
expressive works capture Dylan's chance encounters and observations –
providing a rare insight into his life. This carefully selected collection of
paintings, published as signed limited edition graphics, will enable collectors,
and art lovers throughout the world, access to Dylan's works of art. They
illustrate the skill and imagination not only of Dylan the artist, but also of
Dylan the man.” www.castlegalleries.com
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