The Run up to Christmas

Crowded steamy shops and ice covered pavements with tottering shoppers clutching masses of bags. The city was manic and yesterday I could've normally done what I wanted to do in half the time. The commute has turned into over an hour of sliding around in an icy 10 mile queue. The ingredients are all there for a miserable git rant of Dickensian Scrooge proportions.
But for the fact it feels like a proper Christmas. I would skip through the snow coming to the gallery should I not, a) fall flat on my arse and, b) look like a girl. The Manchester markets are brilliant and a few nights ago I sat chatting drinking a beer slowly losing all sensation in my fingers. But it was a discomfort suffered for the greater good of experiencing a country that is exciting and cultured and outdoorsy and ermm german. They have banned outdoor heaters because of a ridiculous notion that they are bad for the environment.
The view out of the gallery is pretty much the same as it would have been in Victorian times and the people coming into the gallery have all been in good spirits. So despite the ball ache of the rush to consume, I'm, in festive cheer. Phillipa was let out of the gallery especially so she could play in the snow she was that excited. She eventually got the teenagers to put down their cider and cigarettes to have a snowball fight. Okay the last bit I am joking but I kind of wished I was a kid again.

I opened up briefly to pick up some artwork for delivery and a few people came in. One of them looked and sounded like Guy Garvey. Bit of a strange one and I'm not even sure it was him but would never come out and ask directly. That's not particularly cool and I like to think of myself as cool in front of celebrities. That way I am more likely to become their best friends.
I hadn't even opened properly and the lights were off but I put them on while they were there. The woman said she had one of Danny Cawley's pieces of art. The conversation didn't go much further than that other than he said the space was great and where was the UGG shop. Guy Garvey likes the gallery, take note people.
We are open till 2m on Christmas eve and there are still people who are buying presents who come into the gallery to buy for themselves. It takes great judgment to buy art for someone else and that's why we offer gift vouchers for the unsure.
Feel free to pop into the gallery and experience the Christmas cheer of the city.

Sign of the times

I'm very conscious of not talking to the point where peoples eyes glaze over. Being a sophisticated male, adept at noticing changes in mood, I know this is likely to be a bad sign. I love cars and motorbikes but know that if I bleat on about it too much, you will leaving thinking "What kind of freak learns that kind of stuff". In a gallery it is especially important because art still has the air of elitism that leaves casual shoppers feeling like a philistine should you not know the work from Tom Roach for example.

We like to be genuine about our artists and its really important to not get too hung up on artspeak. Concerning art, there is a real need to minimise the outrageous and baffling statements that seem to accompany fine art. The last thing I would want is for someone to have the same disbelief my wife did on hearing Natalie Cassidy is a size 12 on Strictly.

I have a friend who Brands companies (He branded mooch in fact). I have genuinely good conversations with him on fonts. Admittedly I wouldn't talk to anyone else about this lest they feel that time has stopped and they are trapped in boring conversation hell. Everyone has their expertise and interests and everyone has a geek inside them that they are reluctant to announce to the public.

So here be the most mundane post of all. Signage. The look of the gallery is really important so I got really excited when new signage went up the other day. It's an effort to reduce the number of people that stumble on the gallery having walked past every day and not sussed out that we sell art.

The piece de resistance is the white "mooch art" on the counter which looks like a work of art in itself. When my friend sees it he will reach a climax of helvetican proportions. People will flock to see what extraordinary visions of loveliness they can behold when drawn in by some simple lettering that promises artistic nirvana.

When you get there it will be Phillipa who will engage you with riveting conversation. And in coming to mooch art you will definitely familiarise yourself with tom roach (get it?).