By Andy Spearman

It’s not all doom and gloom on the retail front in Drogheda. New shops thrive if they have something special to offer.

That’s certainly the case for Big Moon Records which opened in Laurence Street in April selling “pre-loved” vinyl albums which are in great demand both by collectors and DJ’s.

A feature of vinyl albums is the often brilliant artwork featured on their covers which back in the day spawned a whole new genre for graphic artists. Often the artwork was more memorable than the music but when both aspects were right it was sublime.

Big Moon proprietor Jason Mahon made good use of the album covers, some of them very famous and the work of the world’s leading artists, by displaying them in his shop window.

Now he has gone a step further in his quest to use pop art to attract attention to Big Moon by asking his friend Baz Sheridan to paint murals around his shop window.

Baz is well known in Drogheda for his fine art portraits and other work but this “outdoor work” as he refers to it, is entirely new to him.

He has been working on the shop front for a couple or three weeks now, and says he made mistakes aplenty at first but now he has a clear vision  of what he wants and has found the correct techniques to achieve it.

Painting on walls is a completely new experience for Baz and it brings with it completely new issues not least of which is that he shares the pavement with other people. 

The painting itself is very intricate and colourful and has obvious rock music references but there are also local characters and nods to local organisation. and events in the work.

Even before Baz has finished his work, the move to decorate the shopfront has paid off because people are stopping to admire the work all the time.

Jason told Drogheda Life that he has always admired Baz’s painting and he is delighted that he agreed to take on the commission.

“It’s certainly attracting interest and adding life to the street” he said.

Jason said that opening Big Moon Records was a dream come true as he had always wanted to open a record store.

He said that he looks upon it as a community, a refuge for like-minded souls who appreciate vinyl, a kind of sanctuary for collectors of vinyl recordings.

He’s delighted with Baz’s artwork which he says is brightening up the street and providing people with a talking point.