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.

Christmas decoration

I met this woman once in the gallery who got me thinking about the line between art and commerce. We get a lot of artists coming in and coyly dance around the subject before they ask "how do I get my artwork into this place?". It's so obvious but we need to be patient and play out the routine.
She came to Oldham street and said she supplied artwork for new housing companies. 20 or 30 at a time, big bold splashes of colour done in no time at all. She said she sells them for pennies but would like to sell them for more and she could really churn them out. This was the the epitome of decorative art and to be honest made me cringe. A shameless sell out display of sub standard work with little or no thought applied to it except the aim for it to fill a wall, have the right colours and sell. Like an X Factor cover song, fatuous art like this has its place but not in a gallery like mooch.

I used to work for a large catalogue company who went through a huge change and a new CEO who gave us a big presentation at the Odeon cinema in the Printworks. This guy highlighted the products on sale that make a mankini seem like a great choice of beachwear. A sculpture of an elephant with a glass table on top came up onto the cinema screen which was greeted with giggles from everyone. The buyer I was sat next to sank into his seat, saying "but they are my best seller". It was truly crap.

Some stuff is rubbish to start with but also when something or someone starts becoming popular there is always a bit of a backlash against their popularity. They are accused of selling out and lose a bit of their credibility if they find out their parents are into them. I was in M&S last week and picked up a jumper, I was lying it against chest when a doddering pensioner came and picked up THE SAME JUMPER. We even made eye contact and he gave me a knowing nod. Mortified, I vowed to shop in places where this kind of person was not. With original art you realise you won't have this issue.

So I ask where should you draw the line in an art gallery? We see lots of art which is impressive and of good quality but its not the kind of thing people will want to buy. It feels bad especially when you know they have talent. People would just look at the work like they would a transvestite. Curious, but not really interested in being a part of it.
I guess the dividing line is when people look at the art and consider whether the work will fit in with the colour scheme of the room they are wanting to hang it in. Its not a problem if people look at work with a view to it fitting in. That makes sense but It shouldn't be the overriding factor.

Fine art should be created purely for their imaginative, aesthetic or intellectual content.
Collectors come into the gallery and people have bought art and then decided where it should go. It's one of the best moments of this job when someone completely and totally falls in love with a piece and buys it with absolutely no idea where it will be hung. To own a piece of art for love rather than its function is a beautiful thing.

Tis the season to be jolly

I was starting to really sweat when the numbers looked like topping 500. I was shopping for the drink when a mildly nervous Phillipa called to say there was another influx of people asking to come to the Danny Cawley preview. What do we do? Tell people they can't come and risk turning away potential customers? Aaaaaaargh the vein in my forehead was starting to pulse and it felt like an almighty cock up was heading our way.
Someone please correct me but I really don't think anything like it has been done in Manchester before. John Bramwell set up a stage in the gallery and played a 45 minute set to a growing crowd in the gallery. It was an art event with a difference.
Needless to say we filled the gallery. With 68 pieces of art it is a whopper of an exhibition and all credit to Danny who nearly burnt himself out getting it all finished. Transporting it from his studio in east manchester It looked great then, but awesome when hung on a white wall. When we had cleared out all the work he had one piece left on the floor. Like a muppet I managed to tread on this piece but in my defense it was kind of camouflaged against the floor. It survived so these things are pretty tough.

Getting it all into the gallery its like Christmas morning. Phillipa gets all giddy and bounces around for a while laying claim to a few of her favorites. She genuinely had a mardy face on when the first piece to sell was one of these favourites. A clear winner and it could have sold 5 times over. Its weird how people think its a cheap selling tactic to get people to buy when you say it will be gone the next day. They only make that mistake once.
We had the task of hanging which generally involves us placing stuff around the gallery. Hand on chin, standing back, ponderous and aimlessly carrying artwork and me and Phillipa disagreeing on where it should go. Once decided though its all about getting it on the wall and endless fine tuning.
The sound guys came to set up the stage and speakers, Ryan came to set up the projector with the film. John came to bring his guitar and amp. I met him 20 metres from the gallery in the triangle completely oblivious to the gallery (is the signage that bad?). A really sound guy it was a chilled out afternoon of him doing his sound checks. Smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee inbetween him rambling into the mic trying to get the reverb into the sound system to create that John Bramwell sound.
Danny Cawley wise, Plenty of his work sold, loads of people came and everyone seemed to have a good time. I spoke to quite a few people and think it came across as a reasonable together guy. I can't help but feel I had the face of someone who is grossly constipated, worried about his own very well being. If I did then it was only towards the beginning of the night.
We got a few emails thanking us for it which is something which is rare for an arty event. Of course the dust has settled and we are still trying to rearrange the gallery space to fill the pieces that are being picked up and being delivered.

It has really done my nut in today and trying to get the right balance of work in the space sometimes is much harder than you think. The pieces that have sold have left a big hole in the exhibition which needs to be filled with other art. Its a good problem to have so I shouldn't complain. I feel like ramping up these events. It can only get bigger and better and next time I reckon I may be able to put on my regular face.

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