The gallery is closing on Sunday for the Christmas holidays. I have relatives coming over to our house on boxing day so the car crash will begin. We moved into our new house in August and have sweated and bled our way to make it half presentable. There is now the pressure to sort out artwork for all the rooms. For a gallery owner my house should be an awesome showcase of artwork that has people gawping at the walls in wonder. I guess like top chefs who go home and have beans on toast, I haven't sorted even one wall out with loverly artwork.
The great thing is that i'm in the customers shoes only I have to kit out the entire house. The difference will be immense. When the builders came round to the gallery when It was completed, painted and with work hung on the walls they were stuck for words. The walls look forlorn and barren wthout any art on them and I am frequently reminded of this during changeover every 5 weeks.
So I will have to accept people into my forlorn barren house having not had the time to sort out some top art. This Christmas it will be a time to maybe get a few comissions ordered and select something to give company to the lonesome walls.
Christmas used to fill me with dread. Dread is perhaps too strong a word. Unease is perhaps more apt. A wanton display of forced festivity, totally devoid of any kind of meaning whatsoever. I used to get really drunk Christmas eve and have a lie in, a casual shower, then make my way downstairs. Christmas doesn't warrant losing sleep, Christmas shouldn't cause any more stress than any other bank holiday. What a miserable git.
My Christmas Nonchalance has been waning of late. My wife, Katie, treats Christmas exactly the same now to when she was 5 years old. She has just finished bouncing around the lounge saying how pretty the tree looks now we have all the lights up on it. On the big day she gets up at 5am, bounces around in her PJs and is exhausted by 3pm and has to have a nap.
This excitement is infectious and my hard Scrooge edge has softened. So here i go. its difficult to say and still makes me gag a little.
Merry Christmas
Wednesday 17 December 2008
Sunday 30 November 2008
Saturday 29 November 2008
Post preview thoughts - Advice for artists
So we've had the preview on thursday showing Adam Hayleys work amongst others. The level of quality is really high especially for Adam and Victoria Ashworth who are still young (24). Artists normally mature into creating great work. Most people who paint will be at a fairly average level for years and only get into the groove later on in their life.
Artists in general have a bit of a reputation for flakiness and unreliability. If a poll were conducted to find the flakiness percentage in the total population I wonder whether artists would have a higher percentage than other demographic groups.
I receive around 10 artists a week wanting me to showcase their work. One girl came in a couple of months ago and ran around the gallery looking at the work, looking at me slightly out of breath, "Yes, I am and artsit" "Errrrr" "How do you show work? Can you show my work, what do I do?"
I asked whether she had a website, "no", I asked does she have a portfolio she can show me? "eer no", Does she have a card she can give me. Of course she doesn't because she has the foresight of a goldfish and couldn't be relied on to tie her own shoelaces.
She asked me for a piece of paper and a pen, scribbled her number down and told ME to call HER. For any artist reading this, pay close attention to a few mistakes she made resulting in her not creating the best impression in the world. I sat there with raised eyebrows (if i could've raise one I would've) and Imagined her waiting by her phone, then after a couple of weeks saying "well i gave it my best shot".
For artists reading this who want to approach a gallery there are a few things to think of to create a good impression and one basic that sounds so simple but still quite a few don't do.
The one basic is that you have to show your work, whether its on an email, a portfolio or the actual pieces themselves. Not doing this straight away is like saying to someone "My best effort is still a bit rubbish and I can only be bothered to walk through the door and offer my artwork in a vague hope that someone might see the creative genius in me and proclaim me the next Damien Hirst. Don't take it out on me because I never not done nothing to no-one" Or something like that.
Reliability is key, consistently producing good quality artwork sorts out the people who have careers and those who sell the odd piece. It is highly likely the girl who gave me a scrap of paper with her mobile number on it isn't reliable.
Its a good job there are some great artists out there who do their stuff without drama and these are all showing with mooch.
Artists in general have a bit of a reputation for flakiness and unreliability. If a poll were conducted to find the flakiness percentage in the total population I wonder whether artists would have a higher percentage than other demographic groups.
I receive around 10 artists a week wanting me to showcase their work. One girl came in a couple of months ago and ran around the gallery looking at the work, looking at me slightly out of breath, "Yes, I am and artsit" "Errrrr" "How do you show work? Can you show my work, what do I do?"
I asked whether she had a website, "no", I asked does she have a portfolio she can show me? "eer no", Does she have a card she can give me. Of course she doesn't because she has the foresight of a goldfish and couldn't be relied on to tie her own shoelaces.
She asked me for a piece of paper and a pen, scribbled her number down and told ME to call HER. For any artist reading this, pay close attention to a few mistakes she made resulting in her not creating the best impression in the world. I sat there with raised eyebrows (if i could've raise one I would've) and Imagined her waiting by her phone, then after a couple of weeks saying "well i gave it my best shot".
For artists reading this who want to approach a gallery there are a few things to think of to create a good impression and one basic that sounds so simple but still quite a few don't do.
The one basic is that you have to show your work, whether its on an email, a portfolio or the actual pieces themselves. Not doing this straight away is like saying to someone "My best effort is still a bit rubbish and I can only be bothered to walk through the door and offer my artwork in a vague hope that someone might see the creative genius in me and proclaim me the next Damien Hirst. Don't take it out on me because I never not done nothing to no-one" Or something like that.
Reliability is key, consistently producing good quality artwork sorts out the people who have careers and those who sell the odd piece. It is highly likely the girl who gave me a scrap of paper with her mobile number on it isn't reliable.
Its a good job there are some great artists out there who do their stuff without drama and these are all showing with mooch.
Tuesday 25 November 2008
Fresh and tasty
Mooch is hosting another event on thursday so the invites are out and its time to get hanging. Its strange really because the mooch artist of the year is a 24 year old guy from stockport called Adam Hayley. He does portraits which are not at all what I expected to gain the judges vote.
To be honest I hadn't a clue what would be sent in by the young artists or what the judges might choose. Some of the work was bizarre and not at all commercial. One artist had used his semen to add a bit of flair to his work. This was a piece that came to the gallery and had to be framed for the judges to inspect. I would've handled hot coals with more touch. I still wonder how a small yellow stain adds to the piece or even how the artist would consider reproductions.
So Adams work has already receive a fair bit of attention. He is part way through a Clint Boon portrait and has taken the preliminary photos and met up with Wayne Hemingway for his.
Who has portraits nowadays? Its just not something that I, or the judges considered, but Adams skill and talent overpowered any misgivings they had. He overturned all the preconceptions about portraits and i believe he gives it attitude and cool.
Adam pours attention over his work and they take him weeks and often months to complete. Unfortunately this means that his work aint going to be cheap. It would be tragic to undersell his work that smacks you in the face with drama and attitude. With passion and intensity he always chats to his subjects to really understand them before he undertakes a painting that captures what they are all about.
To be honest I hadn't a clue what would be sent in by the young artists or what the judges might choose. Some of the work was bizarre and not at all commercial. One artist had used his semen to add a bit of flair to his work. This was a piece that came to the gallery and had to be framed for the judges to inspect. I would've handled hot coals with more touch. I still wonder how a small yellow stain adds to the piece or even how the artist would consider reproductions.
So Adams work has already receive a fair bit of attention. He is part way through a Clint Boon portrait and has taken the preliminary photos and met up with Wayne Hemingway for his.
Who has portraits nowadays? Its just not something that I, or the judges considered, but Adams skill and talent overpowered any misgivings they had. He overturned all the preconceptions about portraits and i believe he gives it attitude and cool.
Adam pours attention over his work and they take him weeks and often months to complete. Unfortunately this means that his work aint going to be cheap. It would be tragic to undersell his work that smacks you in the face with drama and attitude. With passion and intensity he always chats to his subjects to really understand them before he undertakes a painting that captures what they are all about.
Monday 10 November 2008
Crunchy credit and luxury goods
One thing I have realised in the past 6 months. Credit is crunchy. Its brittle and fragile; its no longer cheap or perhaps no longer there. The mounting bad debt meant the banks tightened their purse strings in line with their sphincters. Cue stock market crash, rising unemployment and a global recession. What a great time to open an art gallery. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't.
What I know from buying and selling stocks is that you should never run with the crowd. You're already looking at the ground rushing towards you with the other lemmings if you do that. By the time you have sold, the losses have been realised and you are likely to have lost on the rebound. The art industry at all levels has not been immune to the crash in the FTSE and DOW.
On November 6th Christies had a load of lovely paintings by Picasso, Monet, Renoir and Braques up for sale. The whole lot was expected to sell over £10 million. Of the 10 pieces auctioned, 6 were returned to their owners and the ones that sold brought in less than £1 million. Okay so this is at the top end and features buyers whose jewellery alone could feed Africa for a year. If the past masters are struggling to sell, what hope is there for other contemporary artists?
Well there is good news and more good news. Firstly companies (even art galleries) can change what they sell and how they sell it. Tesco has changed its product mix to include more of their basic range. Supermarkets have also started to inform customers of how their products go together. Genius, feed your family for a fiver. Like Tesco, mooch has changed its offering. Introducing the "Collectibles" means people can buy original art from £30 which is less than a print from a high street store. We still focus on original artwork but see it as an introduction to buying into the artist. I see it as a trip to the cinema to see whether it takes your fancy rather than blowing a fortune on a posh meal or a holiday. The second bit of good news is that the economy will recover, as will peoples bank balances. It is always darkest just before the dawn. Maybe what people need is something to brighten up their day and inject some life into their homes.
What I know from buying and selling stocks is that you should never run with the crowd. You're already looking at the ground rushing towards you with the other lemmings if you do that. By the time you have sold, the losses have been realised and you are likely to have lost on the rebound. The art industry at all levels has not been immune to the crash in the FTSE and DOW.
On November 6th Christies had a load of lovely paintings by Picasso, Monet, Renoir and Braques up for sale. The whole lot was expected to sell over £10 million. Of the 10 pieces auctioned, 6 were returned to their owners and the ones that sold brought in less than £1 million. Okay so this is at the top end and features buyers whose jewellery alone could feed Africa for a year. If the past masters are struggling to sell, what hope is there for other contemporary artists?
Well there is good news and more good news. Firstly companies (even art galleries) can change what they sell and how they sell it. Tesco has changed its product mix to include more of their basic range. Supermarkets have also started to inform customers of how their products go together. Genius, feed your family for a fiver. Like Tesco, mooch has changed its offering. Introducing the "Collectibles" means people can buy original art from £30 which is less than a print from a high street store. We still focus on original artwork but see it as an introduction to buying into the artist. I see it as a trip to the cinema to see whether it takes your fancy rather than blowing a fortune on a posh meal or a holiday. The second bit of good news is that the economy will recover, as will peoples bank balances. It is always darkest just before the dawn. Maybe what people need is something to brighten up their day and inject some life into their homes.
Saturday 1 November 2008
Affordable art show
Mooch art is putting some really affordable work on its wall. Its all going off on the 15th November. A saturday when we should all be thinking about getting prezzies for our friends and family. I go from last minute christmas frenzied shopping one year to a mass blitz in one session a month before the next. Without a highly specific list I just wander aimlessly drifting in and out of shops that make me feel like I don't belong. It ends in a strop, frustrated snap at my partner and a mature stomp off to the car.
The pressure is to buy something thoughtful, memorable and make someone smile. Even now I receive lists that specify the item, the size, the colour which leaves nothing to chance. Why not go onto amazon, order the lot and do a bank transfer from relative to relative at the end of it all. Where's the surprise, where's the thing that makes people smile because its just something they would never have even considered, but love it all the same.
Art is thoughtful, actually art can be anything you want it to be. For presents though we don't want to blow the bank. So here cometh the affordable art show from Mooch origin. When we say really affordable its from £30 to £300. We are selling mini canvasses still lovingly painted by our artists and set upon a tiny easel that makes a great original desktop work of art. We are also selling wall art that you can buy for others with the assurance that you can return it if it isn't quite right after a 6 week period.
So come along to Mooch on Saturday the 15th you just might find a present to treasure.
Mooch Art
88 Oldham Street
Manchester
M4 1LF
The pressure is to buy something thoughtful, memorable and make someone smile. Even now I receive lists that specify the item, the size, the colour which leaves nothing to chance. Why not go onto amazon, order the lot and do a bank transfer from relative to relative at the end of it all. Where's the surprise, where's the thing that makes people smile because its just something they would never have even considered, but love it all the same.
Art is thoughtful, actually art can be anything you want it to be. For presents though we don't want to blow the bank. So here cometh the affordable art show from Mooch origin. When we say really affordable its from £30 to £300. We are selling mini canvasses still lovingly painted by our artists and set upon a tiny easel that makes a great original desktop work of art. We are also selling wall art that you can buy for others with the assurance that you can return it if it isn't quite right after a 6 week period.
So come along to Mooch on Saturday the 15th you just might find a present to treasure.
Mooch Art
88 Oldham Street
Manchester
M4 1LF
Saturday 18 October 2008
Mooch art - running a new art gallery in manchester
If anyone is curious what it is like to be in the art industry, work in a gallery and meet up with artists then this is your lucky day.
Whether you think art and the industry is pointless, poncey, frivolous or flawed I want to just tell it how it is. Clearly from a gallery point of view, art is the what drives creativity in this country. Without it we would be stuck a rubbish environment, Orwellian and bleak with little colour or style.
Mooch art is a gallery in Manchester (England) and we opened on the 26th June 2008. Things are still pretty new and we are still building a name for ourselves. As soon as the gallery opened its doors, a flood of artists came by to show their appreciation for the gallery and to try and get me to sell their stuff. Hopefully some artists should read this because some of their approaches would've made Gareth Gates sound smooth.
I have had some brilliant characters through the doors. I will be talking about some of these weird and wonderful people that seem to gravitate towards the art scene. I want to tell people about these characters partly because after they have left I am left thinking it could be me who has gone mad. If nothing else It may change the way other artists approach to galleries if only by learning what not to do.
The sorry thing is that similar to acting and publishing, the art industry is very unfair in rewarding the top artists with most of the money. This means that for every artist who makes a good living, there are 100 hopefuls. Art though is appreciated in the doing as well as the viewing. Artists often do it as a hobby so I don't mean to paint a bleak picture.
Saying that there are loads of great talented artists who haven't yet made a name for themselves and are just starting out. Thats where we come in.
Halleluja
Whether you think art and the industry is pointless, poncey, frivolous or flawed I want to just tell it how it is. Clearly from a gallery point of view, art is the what drives creativity in this country. Without it we would be stuck a rubbish environment, Orwellian and bleak with little colour or style.
Mooch art is a gallery in Manchester (England) and we opened on the 26th June 2008. Things are still pretty new and we are still building a name for ourselves. As soon as the gallery opened its doors, a flood of artists came by to show their appreciation for the gallery and to try and get me to sell their stuff. Hopefully some artists should read this because some of their approaches would've made Gareth Gates sound smooth.
I have had some brilliant characters through the doors. I will be talking about some of these weird and wonderful people that seem to gravitate towards the art scene. I want to tell people about these characters partly because after they have left I am left thinking it could be me who has gone mad. If nothing else It may change the way other artists approach to galleries if only by learning what not to do.
The sorry thing is that similar to acting and publishing, the art industry is very unfair in rewarding the top artists with most of the money. This means that for every artist who makes a good living, there are 100 hopefuls. Art though is appreciated in the doing as well as the viewing. Artists often do it as a hobby so I don't mean to paint a bleak picture.
Saying that there are loads of great talented artists who haven't yet made a name for themselves and are just starting out. Thats where we come in.
Halleluja
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
