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?).

Artist Focus - Alan Knight

I stood in the middle of the studio and with my mouth open, peering up onto the high walls of the mill. I did a slow 360. No space was left uncovered by Alans artwork and it was like being inside a kaleidoscope. There was art everywhere and I said, "Wow you can paint". I love the smell of oil paint and the air was thick with it because Alan uses bucket loads of the stuff. Thickly applied with a knife, it is almost inconceivable that such artwork can be created with the tools laid out in front of me.

Formerly a professional guitarist he clearly has a creative spirit. He came to painting later in life and has been refining his technique for a number of years. Only recently though has he hit on a style and technique that engages people. Sometimes I have seen it in the last hour of an artist painting where it all comes together and the piece has that added magic that makes people love it.

I get the impression that Alan paints automatically. If he produces a terrible painting (which I'm sure he has in the past) he will talk about it in the same way as a masterpiece. Self effacing and modest, Alan is unlikely to be seen pulling a gimmicky stunt to gain publicity. This only makes me respect what he does even more.

He will, and is, gaining a reputation for just being a great artist rather than for any other superfluous reason. He lets the work do the talking which in the art world takes longer to build a reputation, but it is a method that will win much respect and admiration in the long term. The people that have bought his work know that they have made a discovery.
He points out an article in a recent magazine that lists him as being an artist to watch out for in terms of investment value. I didn't doubt it and think his work will never be this cheap again.

People in the art business will never normally say the "C" word. Lest they devalue something they are desperately trying to talk up. Even "Affordable" is sometimes frowned upon. The connotations with cheap are that it is nasty but I don't have any such reservation in saying it. Alans work is worth more than its cost. It is cheap. Peculiarities of the English language have given cheap a bad name, but by definition a luxury super car can be cheap even at £500,000 and in 10 years I am sure people will consider the prices paid for his work now are low.

Alan talks me through his work, he is inspired by the surroundings. The colour and textures are outstanding and he has urban to more pastoral landscapes up on the walls and stacked up against one another. The focus is Greater Manchester and Cornwall where he spends his holidays. These are increasingly turning into working holidays as the popularity of his work is taking off but he doesn't regret this.

Leaving the studio I felt I had met a true artisan, a man who would have painted in any century he was born. I have seen a lot of artwork and it is very rare to find work of this quality painted in oil with a pallet knife. It looks like a lot of fun and It almost makes me want to paint myself.

Alan's work is on display at Mooch art in the Triangle.

The past week at mooch

I was standing in front of a small crowd introducing John Robb who was to unveil the portrait painted by Sarah Mayhew by pulling on the red silky material. Normally I'm okay getting up in front of people and speaking but the past couple of times have been slightly awkward. I said something along the lines of "So let me pass you over to John who's going to tug on the ermmm.. errr thing. My poor brain was struggling to come up with a word that sounded better than "sheet" but I ended up just looking a bit simple. Channel M were filming so it was caught for posterity.

Thursday night was preview night again. If you haven't been before it's when we unveil lots of new artwork, invite the artists/art lovers along and generally have a bit of a celebration of their work over some food and wine. It's all relaxed and mainly a chance to chat to the artist and have first dibs on the artwork on offer. Its one of the slightly frustrating things about an artists collection that there are some pieces that can be sold 5 times over. When it concerns original art you get few chances to bag the popular pieces. If you're lucky I will come over and put my foot in my mouth.

This past week has been a really busy time at mooch. Yesterday we had the EDL (english defence league) parading around Manchester. These guys weren't out for a cup of tea and a gentle stroll around the city centre. The pub opposite the Oldham street gallery was the gathering point for a big group that attracted an equivalent number of policemen. 4 vans, 4 mounted horsemen and another 7 police officers (one with video camera) had things pretty much under control. There was a huge amount of tension mostly because the the EDLs rivals the UAF (United against facism) decided to mount a counter march. The stand off was in Piccadilly gardens and there was a very strange atmosphere in the city.

I shut a little early but otherwise all was good. If anyone came to the gallery to find it closed, I apologise but didn't fancy having a run in with a fascist nutter. The city is back to normal now and the area isn't dangerous. I just hope the EDL don't make a habit of doing this sort of thing.

Buy Art Fair '09

I absolutely love art fairs. It's like the footie highlights where you only get to see the best bits from lots of games. The buy art fair at the Urbis is no different and last night I went to the preview night which is pretty much the same as any other time except the Cava is flowing and gallery owners are psyched up and fresh off the blocks to amaze you with their offering.

I did consider the fair, especially as I think there were some better deals going for late comers. The Triangle gallery is just 50metres away though and I just didn't think it worth it. There was a distinct lack of manchester galleries at the fair though and I wonder if others were thinking it just wasn't worth it either. That said, the fair had a some great work on display, I loved the work at Driftwood gallery, Castle art and Didsbury's very own Wendy Levy. We were also mightily impressed with an original Banksy and Phillipa squealed her excitement at seeing the original Antony Micallef from Comme Ca. This is the sort of artwork that the hollywood elite apparently collect (Brad and Angelina amongst others). One of my favorites was one from Mooch's own Simon Taylor. I saw it in his studio half finished. Its a landscape of a womans face taken from a 1970s porn film, nice.

I made jovial greetings with the organisers trying to redeem the fact I got a telling off last year for plugging my own gallery despite not having a stand there. It was a bit on the cheeky side but hey I run a gallery and I want to tell everyone else about it, the printed hand outs were a step too far though.

I also had a good chat with Wendy Levy, one of the established players in the Manchester art scene. I generally go and chat to anyone and often speak to other gallery owners. Sometimes the responses can be amusing, frosty or just downright rude. One gallery owner (no names) had a complete personality transplant when I turned from a potential customer to competitor in front of his eyes. I wasn't digging or involved in any kind of espionage but he may as well have challenged me to a duel. Alas, there was nothing I could do to turn his charm switch back on.

At the fair the 1st floor is where the bulk of the art is located and where the best galleries have set up. The second floor floor, in my opinion, starts to lose its way a little. It became clear that the not for profit organisations have set up there which means a few very stark and strange exhibition spaces more fitting of an alternative art fair than the Buy art fair. Phillipa was disappointed not to see the 3 animatronic heads by Nathaniel Mellors, did we totally miss it or was it not ready?

The range of art is wide and I think it covers most bases. It is unlikely you will go along to not find anything that you like. Having said that, I am a big fan of the affordable art fair in Battersea and next to this, it looks tiny. Manchester needs to start somewhere though and the Urbis is a great location in the heart of Manchester. It also has an amazing gallery called mooch just opposite. www.mooch-art.co.uk

Manchester Pride

This week I've taken a lesson from a spanish girl who's working at the gallery on placement from an International language school. Yesterday I came in from the rain and had a bit of a moan to her about the fact we had small ponds collecting on the adjacent road. Bego said she likes the fact it rains a lot in manchester, "It's always so fresh". Her English isn't good enough for sarcasm and she wasn't being at all ironic. This made me smile.
She loves everything about Manchester which initially baffled me. She comes from Barcelona but raves about the architecture, the music, the people, the bars and just about everything else. One the way walking to the Triangle we passed the Urbis and the cathedral when she said how much she loved the buildings. "But the buildings by Gaudi are amazing in Barcelona" I said. Yes she said, "But its only Gaudi, Gaudi, Gaudi"
Manchester is still the underdog though, and that's what makes people defend it so fiercely. My best friend who now lives in London commented on the magazines dedicated to Manchester and how great it is. I agreed that some press felt a need to justify Manchester as a great city which smacks of insecurity.
Bego is right though, it is a cool city. A creative one that can't and shouldn't compete with London. The largest student population in the country is one of the reasons it's at the forefront of fashion, music and art. Being at the forefront though means people can get it horrendously wrong. I've been to enough degree shows to know that the majority of the work is dross and can sometimes be slightly worrying places to visit when you consider that for 3 years a student has been working towards a video of them drawing lines on the ground around people when they are stood at a bus stop. No amount of academic posturing can justify the crap art that is produced for these shows.
I'm keeping going though, and I'll keep bleating on about how great the talent is around here. My international customers clearly agree. If nothing else I know I work in a superior city to Barcelona.

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.

Artist focus - Malcolm Croft

I met him 20 minutes late. I had been waiting at the opposite entrance to the mill feeling like a bit of a lemon. The security guard was eyeing me suspiciously, trying to suss out whether I was up to no good.
Malcolm came round the corner and said he had been waiting at the other entrance. We both apologized, an innocent mistake. We climbed the 4 flights to the studio floor of Vernon mill in stockport. I have been to dozens of old textile mills in the northwest but Vernon mill is in better shape than most. They all have a smell that is unique to old industrial buildings. Its kind of a fusty old wood/oily smell that I really enjoy in the same way I kind of like the smell of petrol (in small doses).
On the 4th floor the artists have all made an effort to display their work on the corridor walls. It all looked okay but I was here to see the work from one man alone.
Malcolm unlocked the padlock and led me into his small windowless studio. He brewed a cup of tea and we made small talk.
He is relatively new to painting and briefly tells me his story of how he was knocked of his bike 13 years ago and that left him with chronic back pain. It made him housebound and he had to give up his job as a freelance press photographer. With no formal training he realised he had a natural talent.
We talk through the paintings that are vivid and bright. With no natural light the studio doesn't feel that much worse for it. His paintings are all set within a window frame like wooden surround. Who needs windows anyway, Malcolm's view on the world is what he makes it.
He is frank and open, for someone who has only exhibited professionally for a couple of years he is remarkably clued up on the art industry. Despite what I first thought, he isn't an accidental artist and he is well aware of the pitfalls of the art industry.
His work is bold, simple but carefully considered. He uses oils and thickly applies them in technicolour. It's all still life and is a reflection of his role as a house husband. The table with pot of tea and plates set references family life. The table is set, the daily ritual about to commence. The coffee pot and lemon links to a sunday morning relaxing with the paper. With hints of Van Gogh the simplicity of his work is something that is homely, family oriented and in many ways comforting. Many of the objects are retrospective. The cornishware and coffeepot are memories from Malcolm's childhood in the 70s. For Malcolm these objects from his childhood evoke feelings of strong family bonds, a comforting and homely environment.
Meeting Malcolm is a good experience and he is a very easy guy to get along with. There is no unease, no pauses in conversation and no bullshit. There is an underlying confidence that says, "This is what I do, like it or not". His work comes from within and is very personal so when I met him for the 1st time commissions seemed impossible. He has since found that he can still find his own meaning in a commission.
I left the mill having been there about an hour longer than I intended. My car was ready and I was late for opening the gallery but I felt it was time well spent. If nothing else I've got a new respect for cars when cycling on the road.