I was very impressed by this little shop/art gallery which sells a beautiful range of photo frames…read moreand greetings cards. The gallery at the back of the store displays the artwork. Now my knowledge of art basically extends to I know what I like and I know what I don't like. Some of the paintings in Rowan I liked, some I thought were a bit cheesy. The prices were not on the cheap side but I suppose you pay for good quality.

The Rowan Gallery is definitely hitting the upper crust of Helensburgh's card shop offerings…read more This is partly to do with the fact that it's not technically a gift shop - there is a large room towards the back of the store selling expensive original prints by local artists! The gift shop part is extremely diverse and sells some exquisite ornaments and housey bits and bobs to please someone on their birthday. A lot of the jewellery, prints and housewares are all on a Scottish theme, but would be an altogether higher class of souvenir should your purpose in the Rowan Gallery be to seek out one of those. They sell some unusual designs, including a Warhol esque print of a Tunnocks tea cake on bags and aprons. They look amazing and is a nice touch for locals and visitors alike. A lot of their jewellery displays are dedicated shrines to the local creative contingency and there are some nice, cheap prints of Scotland on offer amongst the scented candles and fancy piggy banks. But the real treat of the gallery is being able to wander unwatched through to the back room to have a look at the local artists. There are a number of them on display here and the names change frequently. You may be able to stumble upon some high profile stuff if you come in at an opportunistic time; or find a new artist to adore and potentially adorn your house with. The majority of the paintings are unaffordable for the average consumer but failing finding an affordable masterpiece, it's still refreshing to peruse the fresh, white washed gallery and maybe pick up a gift on your way out.

A bored artist is sometimes a careless artist. Very talented guy. But on January 6, 2015, Gourock…read moreartist, Wil Freeborn posted a competition on Instagram, (he cascaded the offer across several social media platforms including Flickr, Facebook and his eponymous blog site). He received a respectable number of entries from around the world. He picked two winners and announced their names on Jan 16. My friend was one of the winners. Freeborn is a professional artist, working on commissions and media projects. From what I can piece together he received an artist in residence invitation soon after he posted the competition and lost his appetite to provide work for free. My friend, a longtime fan, was beyond happy about winning. Today I found out that after only the second email inquiry about the promised prize (a watercolor painting) Freeborn threatened to cancel the prize because he didn't want to be bothered by further email contact seeking the prize. Shocking. Freeborn is a well known artist and it has been almost four months since the contest ended. Honesty, that he had a change of circumstance and/or change of heart would have been the best strategy here. Instead he lost a fan and customer (my friend had purchased a few of his pieces over the past year) by sending a rude email in response to a person who was only excited by having a promised piece of his work. A sad but true story.

Acorn Art is a small picture framing shop that also has a comprehensive selection of art supplies…read moreto purchase. They also have a small gallery area where you can admire or purchase the work of local artists. Unfortunately it is rather on the expensive side, and although I haven't used the framing service myself I've heard that it can be a little slow. The staff are adequate, but not especially helpful unless, of course, they think you're there to spend rather a lot of money. All in, it's a nice little shop but nothing outstanding.

I bloody love this place!…read more Completely forgot about it until a trip back home saw me passing the front door of the Museum and flooding back came the memories! The Museum and Art Galleries is an absolute asset to the Inverclyde area. The museum itself has some seriously amazing exhibits. Everything from Stone Age artifacts to ancient Egyptian relics and a preserved mummy kept in a climate controlled viewing cabinet! The building also plays host to some beautiful British and Scottish art but my favourite section depicts the history of the Clyde from Shipbuilding to the present day. Wondered what all those place looked like that your grandparents talked about? Well you'll get a good feel of them by seeing all the old pictures, the little bits of history people have kept and by reading the stories as you walk around. The also offer classes during the holidays for school children but these are extremely popular! One or two day events they usually revolve around art and gives your kids the chance to be hands on in a number of different art projects! Highly recommended!

I used to come here years ago when it was mainly a natural history museum in the upstairs part of…read morethe building. It has had a huge face-life and undergone extensive work and now it is a small but beautiful museum with extensive displays of many kinds. There are collections from many cultures across the centuries, industrial, marine and local history, and there is still a fine natural history section too. A nice little shop is found downstairs too where you can buy books on the area, gifts and small toys. There's free internet access as well. Highly recommended. Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQFanSNgg18