News & Property Blog

The closing date for Living Art is just one week away on 31 July.

It would be great to see as many entries as possible so we can raise as much money as possible for YPG (Young People Guernsey). There is still time to submit your entry.

It doesn't have to be a major work of art. We are looking for all types of interpretations of what Guernsey means to you. It could be a graphic piece, a painting, a photo, sculpture or ceramic, for example. We have had to apply a maximum measurement of one metre (1m) in any direction for entries. The work does not have to be framed and if you have some great digital photography, and cannot get anything printed, we have made it even easier for you and you can send in jpeg files or use drop box to submit your entries and we can get them printed at a later date.

Olympic fever has hit the office and we're looking forward to the whole thing but we're especially excited about our three home-grown talent competing.

Guernsey painter, Peter Le Vasseur, is a shining jewel in Guernsey's crown and his distinctive paintings have an international renown. Peter’s paintings depict strong images, often linked to environmental themes, and characterised by their intricate level of detail. In the past four decades he has gained international recognition. He has held exhibitions in Europe, the Middle East and the US (www.peterlevasseur.com).

During the sixties, Le Vasseur sold paintings to the Beatles, film stars Rod Steiger and Jerry Lewis, and many other well-known people, including the Duke of Bedford and Lord Porchester. Le Vasseur had a painting in the book "The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics", which sold three and a half million copies. Fellow contributors to the book were David Hockney, Allen Jones, Erté, David Bailey, and Sir Eduardo Paolozzi.

Peter has donated one of his extraordinary prints, depicting the Beatles in Liverpool, and he has hand-touched elements of the print to personalise it and make it truly unique. While his wonderful work does not depict Guernsey he has offered the piece to be auctioned alongside all the artwork entering Living Art 2012. This was a magnanimous gesture and one we gratefully received.

He has a significant following of loyal fans in Guernsey and we’re sure his work will be in hot demand once the bidding begins on 1 August in the Living Art 2012 competition.

Thank you Peter!

The Living Art 2012 competition, launched the raise funds for Young People Guernsey has certainly captured the imagination of many of Guernsey’s established, amateur and budding artists and we have been made aware of quite a few different people all working hard on their submissions for this fantastic competition.

GUERNSEY company, Blix, has won the Umbraco award for best web design at the annual Codegarden conference in Copenhagenfor the team'sdesign and development of Livingroom Estate Agent's website www.livingroom.gg.

Every year in Copenhagen designers and developers from around the world, who use the popular Umbraco web platform, gather for three days of"insight, networking and workshops"at the Codegarden conference.

Umbraco spokesman, Peter Gregory, said: "Livingroom.gg was selected because it is beautifully crafted, easy to use and mobile-friendly. We were impressed with the thought put into the responsive layout and we found it extremely intuitive to use. We also liked how current web trends were used in the correct way and not just to be... trendy."

Founded in 2001, the dynamic Blix team focuses on high-quality, class-leading website design, development and online marketing.

Blix director Dominic Bennett said: "We weren't able to attend Codegarden this year but, when we found out we had won Best Design, we were thrilled.

"It is fantastic to be recognised by our peers for the attention to detail and extra effort we put into our work."

Blix completely re-engineered Livingroom's website, providing clients with functionality not previously available in Guernsey. They introduced new technology that allows Livingroom to offer Transparent Vendor Management(TVM ™®), transforming the way vendors sell their properties through online communication about the sales process.

Blix also created a mobile website for use across the increasing range of mobile platforms. It requires no downloads or app updates. The mobile website also features another first for Guernsey with "I Want to Live Here" enabling users to find properties for sale in the vicinity of their current location.

Livingroom director Simon Torode said: "The award win is well deserved by the Blix team. We knew what we wanted to do with our website and were determined to use a local company to help us. Blix took our vision and added so much more in terms of technical prowess and creativity. They completely deserve the recognition for their work."

Wow. Isn’t Guernsey amazing? We punch above our weight in so many ways from having expert professionals across the finance sector to wonderful restaurants and now we have a festival that rivals any other.

2012 was the second year the Guernsey Festival was staged and what a year it was. Not only did the number of people who attended the two-day event reach above 5,000 (twice as many as last year) but lots of visitors from Jersey, France and the UK descended on the fields at the Rabbit Warren to experience a huge variety of artists. This is definitely not something we see in Guernsey every day and the Livingroom team turned out to support the event on both days. The organisers obviously worked really hard to get a great mix of acts to cater to all music tastes from guitar virtuosos to funk, rock to house, reggae to drum and bass. We saw Macy Gray, Maverick Sabre, Kaiser Chiefs, King Charles, Cassidy, The Charlatans, Delilah, SHY FX, Utah Saints, Albert Lee, Raising Maisie among a full list of a staggering 67 artists and acts. Street performers entertained the crowds and we had a mix of sunshine and rain and the mud on the second day gave the whole thing the true festival feel. Our very own Livingroom super star Jodie Webber and her band partners, Adam Powell and Iain Baxter, took to the Centre Circle stage on Saturday in the glorious sunshine and they were amazing. They had the crowd captivated and we were very proud.

The festival was also all about a celebration of home grown talent and there were 17 local acts and five Jersey bands that held their own beautifully with the headliners. If this is what 2012 brought to Guernsey we cannot wait to see the star-studded line-up next year. Guernsey Festival is yet another example of our little island putting us firmly on the world map and we salute the organisers for their hard work, the risks they took and the passion they have for doing something great for Guernsey.