Michael J Ashcroft At Rosso

Michael J Ashcroft At Rosso

Manchester Confidential and the Nordoff-Robbins music charity came together on Thursday evening to host an arty event at Rosso Restaurant showcasing the fine art of Michael J Ashcroft. 

Rosso was packed to the rafters with people interested in celebrating the work of this local artist,  who loves nothing better than spending time in Manchester observing the beauty of the city and transforming a blank canvas into an oil painting of beauty. Recognisable Manchester landmarks such as Rosso, The Printworks, Beetham Tower, Old Trafford, The National Football Museum and several of the local iconic drinking establishments are given his interpretation. Standing some yards away from the pictures all framed beautifully and perfectly situated in Rosso's raised dining area you could be forgiven for thinking that they were photographs taken with an atmospheric filter attachment. It's when you get up close that the brush strokes become apparent. The dark blues mingling into one another become brooding evening skies above the Beetham tower.  Rain on the road and pathways of Corporation Street take on shimmering reflections of buildings and people as they scurry home from work and shopping. The back streets of Manchester are given a spooky atmosphere as lone cars and taxis go about their business in quiet splendour. To say that I was impressed with his work as I studied every detail of the streets I love would be an understatement of the highest degree. Thankfully the painting (Dukes 92) my Wife and I fell in love with when we previewed them on the Manchester Confidential website wasn't showing any little red dot sticker on the label as many of the others were so after a swift inspection to ascertain it was even better in the flesh it was swiftly snapped up by us and given it's very own red sticker. 

Michael was amongst the crowd of people running through his inspiration and answering questions,  the bar was full of people nibbling the delicious food being passed out by the as always attentive waiting staff,  complimentary Prosecco and Peroni was on hand to keep the party atmosphere going and a two piece band was giving us all a musical treat. Rosso laid on a five course meal for those choosing to dine,  which was just as you would expect from Rosso's chefs, a culinary delight. Many of Manchester 's  restaurants such as Rosso, Artisan, Restaurant Bar And Grill and All Star Lanes donated raffle prizes to help Nordoff Robbins bring music to as many young people as possible,  which was adjudicated by Manchester Confidential's very own food loving critic Gordo (Mark garner) with his usual aplomb. 

As the evening drew on and the free booze emptied bottle after bottle there was much laughter, opening of wallets and purses in aid of such a worthy cause. The door staff were so focused on the event being a closed one that they even turned away Ricky (Hitman) Hatton OBE from the door,  much to the astonishment of myself and bewilderment of bar staff who ran outside to try and bring him back in but he had disappeared as fast as one of his right hooks. 

The event was a great success for the profile of Michael Ashcroft,  who has had to deal with a brain tumour, which cut his engineering career short but thankfully directed him toward his passion of painting the beauty of Manchester. The Colourfield Art Gallery in Poynton, which specialises in northern art put on a great show and set the scene perfectly for us to view the paintings at their best. The gallery is showing Michaels remaining paintings for another week, so if you are as inspired as we were last night I would highly recommend a visit to Poynton in the next few days to snap one up.