The woman looked at me and apologized for not knowing anything about art. It was a few weeks ago, just before she bought a couple of paintings based on the fact that she absolutely adored them. I have heard this hundreds of times and still wonder why it is that Art, makes people apologise for not swotting up on the latest and greatest artist in their spare time.
Most customers aren’t art collectors but just know what they like, and that’s fine with me. Imagine going into Marks and Spencer and apologising for not knowing anything about clothes. It's absurd, and the more you think about it, the more ridiculous it seems.
I try to make it accessible and not to intimidate people but art has a reputation that can’t be undone by one gallery.
Prices at mooch are not out of reach of most people, starting at £65 so Its not that it has to do with the price. Omega watches are expensive but your won’t find anyone apologising for not knowing anything about their history or reputation. Similarly you won’t find Ronaldo apologizing for not knowing the racing pedigree of his Bentley. If something looks good and makes you feel special then surely you don’t need to justify it with technical speak.
Most people who buy art from me, do so using gut instinct rather than knowledge of other artists or past exhibitions. That’s not to say you shouldn’t read up on an artist. If you love the work its useful to know how well they are doing as the art can also be considered as an investment.
If you are reading this then perhaps you will change your approach to buying art. Stick up for what you like. Don’t be afraid to say what you think. Don’t apologise and don’t feel intimidated because there is no need. The bottom line is that art consists of very basic raw materials of paint and canvas, and that’s as uncomplicated as it gets.
Sunday 29 March 2009
Thursday 26 March 2009
Opening a new gallery - looking back
The picture here is a map of manchester from 1650. 
The Electrician looked at our simple faces and said "You've got your work cut out for you".
I normally hate painting with a passion but the new gallery is making me change my mind. Creating big solid blocks of white with immaculate edges is curiously satisfying.
If art is any substance, arranged to make a statement then mine is "Clean white walls are gallery nirvana". Ugly brick walls are transformed into glorious white textured surfaces. It's clean and fresh and like a little piece of heaven, only you don't have to be good to get there.
I need to be involved in painting the new gallery for me to feel a part of it. I need my shoulders to ache and my scruff jeans to be encrusted with paint. I even put up with curious white bogeys and paint getting caught in my ring (wedding). I need to do this because as with many parts of this gallery I want to stand back and say with confidence that we did that.
I appreciate that there aren't too many people who have opened a gallery before but let me say.. Wow it's hard work. I mean, really it is. At opening events, gallery owners will smile and play down the shear effort that has gone into showing other peoples artwork. But trust me when I say that every one will need a holiday afterwards.
In June Last year Mooch art, Oldham street, opened to a receptive crowd. Perhaps people would have been more impressed had I have put the before pictures of the gallery up on the wall. There was a monumental effort involved by workmen and myself in getting it ready in time. Pure graft and passion went into that gallery.
Mooch is expanding sooner than expected and this effort is being repeated in the Triangle. We are in Unit 17, and we have already figured there is a great community in the triangle as there is in the northern quarter.
I had a chat with the guy who runs the Titchy coffee company and its fascinating to find out the history of the building. The triangle used to be the corn exchange "For many year's, (up to the time of the bombing), the building acted as a covered market hall, a Mecca for students and specialising in "alternative" produce - vegetarian foods, numerous "New Age" and Occult shops, palmists, tarot readers, books, aromatherapy prerequisites, music and clothing. Well worth a browse, even if nothing takes your fancy." But now the triangle is one of the most underrated retails spaces in Manchester. Glorious Victorian architecture houses a modern light spacious interior. Go through the fairly well hidden opening into a triangular courtyard. Calling the triangle a "shopping centre" is like calling Charlize theron a "tasty bird". It's just not classy enough. The gallery's doors will open inside to the interior but also onto Cathedral street. A beautiful cobbled street runs between the Triangle and Manchester cathedral that should be the biggest drawcard of the "Shopping Centre". Many shops for security reasons haven't utilised the best looking street in Manchester. I'm serious, it's picture postcard stuff and having lived in Manchester for 8 years kept wondering why I didn't know about it.
I have yet another spell of 12-13 hour days to get it ready and looking pristine, white, and as good as possible. The satisfaction is immense, the artwork will speak for itself. Great quality original art always does. Mooch art is passionate expression concentrated onto a canvas and I love it. If you want to come to the soft launch of the new gallery e-mail info@mooch-art.co.uk with the names of who wants to come. We are pinning in tuesday the 14th April but this may change. It will be fairly low key until the proper launch will be sorted out.
The Electrician looked at our simple faces and said "You've got your work cut out for you".
I normally hate painting with a passion but the new gallery is making me change my mind. Creating big solid blocks of white with immaculate edges is curiously satisfying.
If art is any substance, arranged to make a statement then mine is "Clean white walls are gallery nirvana". Ugly brick walls are transformed into glorious white textured surfaces. It's clean and fresh and like a little piece of heaven, only you don't have to be good to get there.
I need to be involved in painting the new gallery for me to feel a part of it. I need my shoulders to ache and my scruff jeans to be encrusted with paint. I even put up with curious white bogeys and paint getting caught in my ring (wedding). I need to do this because as with many parts of this gallery I want to stand back and say with confidence that we did that.
I appreciate that there aren't too many people who have opened a gallery before but let me say.. Wow it's hard work. I mean, really it is. At opening events, gallery owners will smile and play down the shear effort that has gone into showing other peoples artwork. But trust me when I say that every one will need a holiday afterwards.
In June Last year Mooch art, Oldham street, opened to a receptive crowd. Perhaps people would have been more impressed had I have put the before pictures of the gallery up on the wall. There was a monumental effort involved by workmen and myself in getting it ready in time. Pure graft and passion went into that gallery.
Mooch is expanding sooner than expected and this effort is being repeated in the Triangle. We are in Unit 17, and we have already figured there is a great community in the triangle as there is in the northern quarter.
I had a chat with the guy who runs the Titchy coffee company and its fascinating to find out the history of the building. The triangle used to be the corn exchange "For many year's, (up to the time of the bombing), the building acted as a covered market hall, a Mecca for students and specialising in "alternative" produce - vegetarian foods, numerous "New Age" and Occult shops, palmists, tarot readers, books, aromatherapy prerequisites, music and clothing. Well worth a browse, even if nothing takes your fancy." But now the triangle is one of the most underrated retails spaces in Manchester. Glorious Victorian architecture houses a modern light spacious interior. Go through the fairly well hidden opening into a triangular courtyard. Calling the triangle a "shopping centre" is like calling Charlize theron a "tasty bird". It's just not classy enough. The gallery's doors will open inside to the interior but also onto Cathedral street. A beautiful cobbled street runs between the Triangle and Manchester cathedral that should be the biggest drawcard of the "Shopping Centre". Many shops for security reasons haven't utilised the best looking street in Manchester. I'm serious, it's picture postcard stuff and having lived in Manchester for 8 years kept wondering why I didn't know about it.
I have yet another spell of 12-13 hour days to get it ready and looking pristine, white, and as good as possible. The satisfaction is immense, the artwork will speak for itself. Great quality original art always does. Mooch art is passionate expression concentrated onto a canvas and I love it. If you want to come to the soft launch of the new gallery e-mail info@mooch-art.co.uk with the names of who wants to come. We are pinning in tuesday the 14th April but this may change. It will be fairly low key until the proper launch will be sorted out.
Saturday 21 March 2009
Probably the best new gallery in the world.
Mooch is opening a new gallery in the triangle shopping centre in Manchester city centre. I opened the Oldham street gallery in June last year so this is an exciting time. Mooch is growing fast and the additional gallery offers a huge amount of wall space to exhibit.
I have always know that people need to see the artwork to appreciate just how good it is. More choice from online galleries mean that the quality is patchy at best. The key to a great gallery is representing fewer, higher quality artists. The bottom line is that with fewer artists, a gallery can focus and boost their career more effectively which means the artwork is much more likely to rise in value.
Mooch has relatively few artists but even with the 20 artists, it is impossible to show all their work. The Oldham street gallery is a light and airy space that is in the creative heart of the city. However it's a bit of a walk for those shopping in the arndale or Deansgate so the Triangle will be a great location for more customers.
The gallery in the triangle will be open in 3-4 weeks so we have plenty of work to do in order to get it up to standard. Think of the amount of work you think is required and then triple it. Many galleries need a monumental effort for every opening and change of artwork. It's time to pull out the stops and make the new mooch gallery the best in Manchester, dare I say, the best in the country.
I have always know that people need to see the artwork to appreciate just how good it is. More choice from online galleries mean that the quality is patchy at best. The key to a great gallery is representing fewer, higher quality artists. The bottom line is that with fewer artists, a gallery can focus and boost their career more effectively which means the artwork is much more likely to rise in value.
Mooch has relatively few artists but even with the 20 artists, it is impossible to show all their work. The Oldham street gallery is a light and airy space that is in the creative heart of the city. However it's a bit of a walk for those shopping in the arndale or Deansgate so the Triangle will be a great location for more customers.
The gallery in the triangle will be open in 3-4 weeks so we have plenty of work to do in order to get it up to standard. Think of the amount of work you think is required and then triple it. Many galleries need a monumental effort for every opening and change of artwork. It's time to pull out the stops and make the new mooch gallery the best in Manchester, dare I say, the best in the country.
Monday 9 March 2009
Photography and art, Digital trickery?
I have had more than a few photographers approach the gallery in the past week and have recently taken on another 2. For some reason there has been a big influx from people who are all keen to show off/sell their images. I have to be the bad guy and tell them that their work is tough to sell and isn't valued much by the people that come into the gallery.
It begs the question why we don't appreciate photography the way we did even 5 years ago. Have we seen too many mind blowing images that have desensitised our appreciation. I love photography, take photos myself and really rate the good stuff as art in its own right.
Digital cameras have opened up the medium to anyone and everyone. It has lowered the barriers and everyone is a photographer who can instantly show the world their work. There are billions of images out there and online imaging websites like FLICKR show that the standard is high. Worse for photographers is that if they do have a unique style, it is relatively easy to copy. By contrast the painter takes years to hone their skill with a paintbrush, the strokes akin to your own handwriting that are extremely difficult to reproduce.
Cameras with incredible spec are cheaper than they have ever been. There has never been such a level playing field in the world of photography. In many ways photography is going the way of the music industry where there is a proliferation of images that devalues each and every photo.
There is also the question of image manipulation. How much is too much? Where should we draw the line between photography and digital art? Magazines are being questioned for thinning and airbrushing their models but it is also prevalent in landscapes. The pristine white sand and perfect blue sky in "Wanderlust" is unlikely to be straight out of the camera. Colour will be boosted, distractions eliminated and you have to question how real the images you are seeing are.
The truth is that photographers have always used artistic license in their work. Before photoshop they would use different shutter speed, aperture, coloured filters or lighting. Post capture they would use different methods of developing the film and for example use silver selenide to give it sepia toning. I have to hold myself in check before I bore people too much about this stuff.
The fact that this manipulation has been taken to a new level doesn't make the images less worthy. I think its a great liberation where you can have anything you want. It also opens up the possibilities that have previously only been open to artists of the painterly kind. Work with photoshop gives that point of difference, that advantage over other photographers that may be thinking they can copy the style.
And this brings me to the photographers that are represented by Mooch art. We only show artwork that hopefully people recognise are by exceptionally talent people. This usually involves digital work that gives them the edge. If you want documentary images then watch the news. If you want outstanding art, come to mooch.
It begs the question why we don't appreciate photography the way we did even 5 years ago. Have we seen too many mind blowing images that have desensitised our appreciation. I love photography, take photos myself and really rate the good stuff as art in its own right.
Digital cameras have opened up the medium to anyone and everyone. It has lowered the barriers and everyone is a photographer who can instantly show the world their work. There are billions of images out there and online imaging websites like FLICKR show that the standard is high. Worse for photographers is that if they do have a unique style, it is relatively easy to copy. By contrast the painter takes years to hone their skill with a paintbrush, the strokes akin to your own handwriting that are extremely difficult to reproduce.
Cameras with incredible spec are cheaper than they have ever been. There has never been such a level playing field in the world of photography. In many ways photography is going the way of the music industry where there is a proliferation of images that devalues each and every photo.
There is also the question of image manipulation. How much is too much? Where should we draw the line between photography and digital art? Magazines are being questioned for thinning and airbrushing their models but it is also prevalent in landscapes. The pristine white sand and perfect blue sky in "Wanderlust" is unlikely to be straight out of the camera. Colour will be boosted, distractions eliminated and you have to question how real the images you are seeing are.
The truth is that photographers have always used artistic license in their work. Before photoshop they would use different shutter speed, aperture, coloured filters or lighting. Post capture they would use different methods of developing the film and for example use silver selenide to give it sepia toning. I have to hold myself in check before I bore people too much about this stuff.
The fact that this manipulation has been taken to a new level doesn't make the images less worthy. I think its a great liberation where you can have anything you want. It also opens up the possibilities that have previously only been open to artists of the painterly kind. Work with photoshop gives that point of difference, that advantage over other photographers that may be thinking they can copy the style.
And this brings me to the photographers that are represented by Mooch art. We only show artwork that hopefully people recognise are by exceptionally talent people. This usually involves digital work that gives them the edge. If you want documentary images then watch the news. If you want outstanding art, come to mooch.
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