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.

The end of the rain is nigh. Schwelching round Manchester for the past month has made me feel we will have a great September. Surely It can’t be any worse. However, the world has conspired to create great conditions for painting. Where many galleries have taken breaks and closed down, we have taken in and sold more work than ever. It has also brought it a fair share of artists who just aren’t quite right. More than a few had some success in the past and were indignant at our decline to show their work. Normally most artists accept rejection gracefully but some make it very difficult no matter how nice and tactful we are. These are artists who are stuck in a style rut, rehashing 1990s work in the hope that people will suddenly become nostalgic for dated looking artwork.

On the whole though, the extra time off, the long days and the rain I think has helped artists create some great work. Last weekend we took a trip to Bristol to pick up work from Dan Parry-Jones. The only option to me was a sunday trip with the heavily pregnant wife, Katie, just in case she dropped that day (she didn’t).

I bribed her with the potential of a McDonalds. This went down well although I must stress that this is a very rare occurrence for we not of the kind who partake in this kid of behaviour regularly. I sometimes think that eating dirty fast food is something that can create slight disapproval and is one down from smoking on the finger waggometer. We settled for a Burger King in a service station mostly out of sight of the obese family who would have put us off our food.

Sundays are my only day off so this was kind of sacred but the other option was expensive couriers and battered, delayed and uncertain deliveries. Do you get the impression I don’t like couriers? Our local courier is a super jovial cheeky chappie who you can’t help but like. But even he managed to dent an expensive piece of artwork transporting it within greater manchester. He was lucky to escape my wrath which manifests itself as a tut and roll of the eyes.

Dan was away camping so his wife let us in and kindly let us pick up the work. She; hungover from a night out because of the kids being away, us; feeling mildly intrusive at picking up work on a sunday. All was good though and Katie was already picturing his work in our house. We left with a car full of great art I knew wouldn’t be damaged in any way.

A successful day in all. There are periods in the gallery when you don’t see any decent artwork. These are frustrating times, like when you miss out on your cup of tea or coffee of the day. I now need to see artwork that inspires me otherwise it feels like we aren’t getting anywhere. Now though I can have my cup of tea and a nice piece of cake on the side.

Shop front with the new signage

It’s all a bit hectic at the moment, hence the sparcity of blog posts. I bought a little art shop in Manchester a couple of months ago called Blyths and my feet haven’t touched the floor since. I have put my finger in another pie and it feels a little hot for now at least. According to Phillipa I have reached Ian Beale like status which I took as a slight. How could anyone aspire to be a small time, middle aged cafe owner in a tawdry soap opera I ask.

From art gallery to art shop, from art buyer to artist buyer it has been like crossing over the divide within an industry that seemed so familiar beforehand. I thought I knew about the creation of art but boy was I wrong. Mooch is all about the end result and the emotional appeal of a piece of artwork. Blyths has meant I have to get all technical with the products. Customers pour over the colour and gram of paper and the concentration of pigment in the paint.

A couple of weeks ago we had someone who bought a large amount of art materials in one go. A couple of hours later a psychiatric hospital rang the shop apologising and asking to return the goods. I heard what had happened when they rang again, Tim came and delicately told me the “The woman is on the phone about the mental guy”. Tim and Lyndsey recognised in hindsight that buying art stuff for his friend Van Gogh is not the norm.

Phillipa has the same issue with a particular guy who walks into the gallery every day, yes every day, and asks her if she is okay? A brief and daily one sentence conversation that left her feeling she was being stalked until realising he did this to lots of other shops too. A ginger man with 50s style quiff, leather jacket and tight jeans, he reminds me of a northern version of Disneys Chipmunks. He is equally as irritating although harmless enough.

All in all Blyths is a brilliant company to run with amazing potential. For mooch it means we can cast a wider net and find more talented artists. Mooch has the summer show on and the gallery is looking better than it even has. We are still changing and updating the website and looking at new artists so you will be able to see new work every 2 weeks even if there isn’t a show on.

Oh and if you fancy taking up art or need some art materials, check out H.Blyth & Co in Stevenson Square. Its really rather good.