After Hours Appointment? Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!

Despite all of our advertising, website and word of mouth many people still do not know our retail hours. They are Tuesday through Friday 10-6 , Saturday 10-2 or by appointment. Most of our regular customers know that those hours are guidelines. We will never be open fewer hours than that but frequently we will be open more hours than that.

Our trusty framer, Brian, arrives at the gallery at 7:30 AM Monday through Friday- meaning that if you need to drop something off, he is here. He can help pick out framing but he is not very good with the computer so he can't give you a price quote. He doesn't like to chat about art but we find he has an unerring eye when it comes to framing and fancy layouts.

Even though our hours say we are closed on Mondays one or more of us is frequently at the gallery. Having this day free allows us to make appointments without worrying about covering the gallery. I will use it to hang new shows or do some of the dirty work around the gallery. It is casual Monday for us so we will often be in jeans- or in painting and wall patching clothes. It is the rare Monday that at least one of us is not on duty. The caveat is that we tend to leave by 4 in the afternoon.

We frequently have early morning meetings which means we arrive at the gallery at 7:30. If we stop into the gallery first it may mean you receive an email that early. It gives the illusion that we work 24 hours a day!

We are also happy to make appointments to meet you at the gallery. Some people think that they will be inconveniencing us if they make an appointment, but it is exactly the opposite. We could be open seven days a week - sitting & waiting and hoping that you will show up on a sunny Sunday. Or we can make an appointment knowing that you have made a special trip to see us. We think this is a much better deal for everyone. We have opened the gallery at 6 AM, stayed until 8- or showed up on Holidays. We are very accommodating.

So..... how happy are we to make an after hours appointment? This happy:

Our Littlest Visitors

At McGowan Fine Art we have entertained Brownie Troops, Elder hostel, high school art classes, college level classes and more. They come here to learn what a commercial gallery is all about, what is art or how to be a professional artist. I have always enjoyed these groups- it is a break from my normal routine and I get to do one of my favorite things- talk about art.

I think having groups of younger kids exposed to art is very important. It teaches them to make it a part of their every day life. I think of it as teaching them to be cultural consumers.

This past Wednesday I hosted the World School from Nashua, NH. I had about 20 4-year olds in the gallery along with 8 adult chaperons. They were a fabulous little group of well behaved children- my favorite kind! I think they may have been overwhelmed by the experience but it may come back to them at a later date as having been a fun day. They really focused on the "why you shouldn't touch" speech I had given them earlier and had many questions on my reaction if one of them damaged a piece.

Hands down the most admired item in the whole gallery was my dog Henry. This is a picture of Amanda helping a young boy admire him. They tended to want to crowd in and lay hands on him all at once. He was very patient with them but I think he was a little distressed by the hubbub.