I'd taken a wrong turn in the maze of terraces even though I had sat nav. It was a dark, rank night and I was heading towards Michael Gutteridge's house in Gorton. It was the end of a full day of carting artwork around and I was knackered but knew I had to fit this in.
We had met a couple of times before and I needed to see how his new work was coming along. The large open plan lounge was dark and he had brought his paintings down from his studio upstairs. He had a couple of pieces on the wall and had brought a few more down. All the same size, painted on board they really stood out.
Michael's colourful and surreal paintings are at odds with his reserved character. I keep thinking of a media trained premiership footie player whose post match interview doesn't event slightly reflect the amazing skills he has. It's the paintings that matter though, and they are absolutely fascinating.
The few he completed since I last saw him showed the same twisted, distorted and vibrant view of Manchester. He has his own style and doesn't pander to the latest trends in art. I have a lot of respect for this and can see that perhaps he has chanced upon something that people really love.
He has had some great publicity being interviewed by the BBC and plenty of other local magazines and newspapers but this doesn't seem to have affected his work or his attitude. His influences are clear. The simplified casual figures set within Mancunian cityscapes have hints of Lowry. More than that Michael has "let his paintbrush off its leash" taking influences from Chaim Soutine in the warping of reality. His influence from Matisse have injected bold and vibrant colours and generally give his work a positive feel regardless of its content.
He showed me one of Shambles square, laid it on his sofa in the dark lounge.
When presented with a painting I always try to get a good impression of it from a distance. You always get a gut reaction when you first view artwork but always need to get up close to see the brushwork and the finer detail of the piece. I became engrossed in the stories within each piece. It's set after work with the guys wearing ties, its sunny and people are sat chatting with friends. People on mobile phones, raising their glasses and enjoying the warmth. The surreal distortion looks like it has given the man on the left in the red tie a drunken swagger. The man in the blue shirt slumped on the table also seems to have had his fill. The sandwich boards dotted around the square all make references to the ales available and it is full of people sampling it.
It became clear why collectors hold Michael's work in such high regard. It is extremely well thought out and it has a totally unique style that is modern and yet timeless.
Meeting Michael is an experience that makes me realise what incredible things must be going on in peoples minds. We all have our own perspectives and artwork can give us a glimmer of what is going on inside an artists head. If we could all paint, what kind of world would we show?
"All that Jazz" Exhibition featuring work from Michael Gutteridge and Dai David
Preview: Wednesday 3rd February: 6-8pm
Exhibition continues until March 1st.
Free entry come along to have a chat to the artists over a glass of wine.
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