Creative wonder

I am just sat next to my 2 month old son. I have tied a helium balloon to his cot and watching as if I had just provided the most fabulous entertainment there is. His face is of total wonder at the movement and shiny patterns reflecting off the balloon. I think he will probably be the sort of kid who will play with the cardboard box and not the fancy go-cart in Christmasses to come.

I've had his kind of face the past week or so. We are having our biggest inflow of new artwork from different artists for a very long time. My eyes wide, mouth slightly open, a bit of drool coming out. Well not the drool but it is strange how artists and galleries go through cycles. Seasonal changes have meant that many artist have picked up their brushes and gotten painting again. Maybe its the look of the new gallery above.

We have been putting the new work from Alan Knight, Steven Cooper, Caroline McManus, Julie Dumbarton and Emmesse up on the site but there is still more to come from Charles Willmott, Jenny Hirst as well as a further 4 undisclosed new artists. This is a mixed exhibition and we wanted plenty of choice for people coming in over the christmas period.

This amount of work coming in has meant we are having to change things around more frequently. If we had a gallery 8000 sq ft we would easily fill it just like if you take a massive suitcase on holiday you won't let it go half empty. The changes are a good thing though and customers have been giving some very positive comments. Its a better reason to stop by more often when you know the artwork will change week on week.

Our framing service has also been a big hit. Because of this we have increased the number of moulding we have on offer and the pieces coming back look very professional and hugely enhances the work. We've found that many of the block canvasses have much greater impact when framed. Its a personal preference but a decent frame can make or break a piece of art. Its the easiest and quickest way to add visual impact and value to your work. When you see the difference it makes, you will know it's worth it.

We had our teething problems with the move. British Telecom caused no end of problems when we had no phone or broadband for the 1st 3 weeks of October. I know other people have had bad experiences with them before but this was a very serious and difficult problem to deal with. However we are back on the art trail and back in full flow with some great artwork coming in. We still have great artists who are the ones to watch so come along and prepare to adopt your "Just seen a bobbing balloon" expression.

Inside out episode - March 8th BBC 1 @ 7:30

A program on the creativity in mills featuring mooch artists, Caroline McManus,Victoria Ashworth, Sean Caherty and Alan Knight. See earlier blog for some more pics of them filming, it was ever so exciting.

Artist Focus - Caroline McManus

Another manic monday. It was last year on the 11th August I first met Caroline and as usual I had overdone my meetings for the day and was running late. I wanted to see 3 artists in the mill, Caroline wasn't one of them.

In a rural mill in Mosley on the 4th floor, the dark corrugated metal lined corridors had a mad max feel to them. Each of the padlocked doors a route to another world of light and colour.
I had come to see Chris Cyprus but found that he shared a studio with Caroline. In this mill in particular everyone had gone to great lengths to personalise the space around them. Luxuries like rugs, carpet and sofas were commonplace and so walking from the corridor was like stepping off the plane at your holiday destination when you walk into a wall of heat.

We made our greetings, I accepted the obligatory cup of tea and sat on a stool in the section where they both work. The studio was one of the better ones. The highly sought after corner units where you get two sides of windows that fill the space with light. The studio itself was an impressive example of artists ingenuity in furnishing a space in the most functional, cost effective but homely way.

Caroline sat and chatted with us as I asked Chris about his work and told him of my plans for the gallery of dreams. Chris was a nice guy but ultimately sceptical about what a gallery could do for him. I come across people like that every now and again who think they can do a better job of selling their own work. The truth is that all the well know artists in the country have only been able to achieve long term success through a network of established galleries.

After looking through Chris's work I was intrigued by what Caroline was painting. I find out Caroline is an art teacher and she paints in her spare time wherever she can. Chris is full time, it is largely his studio and Caroline merely makes cameo appearances. For this reason, and in this space, I didn't take her as seriously as I do now. Lesson learned.

They had sensibly sectioned off a small gallery area and Caroline's work was leant against the wall. When I saw Carolines Work I liken it to a humble X Factor contestant giving their first performance. All the evidence would suggest an uninspiring performance where Simon Cowel would lambast the mediocrity of it all. In truth it was a moment where in a couple of seconds it was clear she had serious talent, blasting out an operatic performance that makes you gasp.

The colours hit me as if I had chomped down on a piece of lemon. Sharp, bold and confident. I looked at a large painting of a cow in a bright, almost flourescent green background. I loved it immediately and knew that others would feel the same.

Cows have always held a fascination for her. Their large lumbering forms and inquisitive nature is something she loves to photograph when she is out walking around Saddleworth. She told me she likes to think of food when she paints. Some of them are flavours of ice cream and some are fruity. She had some portraits too and we are now looking at bringing some of these into her collection displayed at mooch.


Since this meeting Caroline has become a best selling artist and her confidence has increased. People love her work and when they have one, they just want to buy another. Her work has universal appeal and always makes people smile. I can imagine people buying her paintings of cows in India where they are sacred or in Argentina where they just like cows for another reason.

Caroline delivered another 5 pieces a few days ago for the current exhibition. They look the business.