It's happened to us all - entering a gallery or shop and suddenly someone materialises beside you to ask "how's your day been so far? ". My usual response is to say hallo politely and leave !
I enjoy savouring the process of looking at things without the uncomfortable distraction of feeling pressured, and I suspect that many others feel the same way. 
If I had a mission statement for my gallery (and I don't) it would almost certainly  include:
" I want everyone who enters my studio to feel welcome to relax, sit in the chair by the fire and enjoy my paintings. No one should feel that they have to purchase - and to that end I'll leave you to have a leisurely look at my work. If you want to discuss anything or watch me at work , just ask, otherwise I'll stay out of your way".
​What do you think?

Wind! Steep streets! Wild seas! Yes to all of that :) 
No matter who you are, what you are or where you are , the place where you grow up has had a huge influence on the person that you are today. For me, Wellington was my home for the first 54 ish years of my life. 
Clinging to the southern edge of the North Island, beset by winds from every direction and squashed into a small, sometimes awkward area. Surrounded in many directions by the sea which sets the mood for the city each day, I grew up on the south coast where the sea was our weather forecast most days. We always agreed that it was a good storm if one of the fishing boats broke its anchor and washed up onto the beach.
Eventually we admitted that we were over city life and moved to the South Island, where both of our families had even earlier roots. This painting "A Quiet Moment" was inspired by the very morning we moved south... watching the container wharf slowly slip behind us as the ferry moved out. The dawn was breaking through silvery clouds above the Hutt Valley and I knew that this time we were truly saying goodbye to the place where we'd grown up and raised our family.
The other painting "Wellington Silver" is also looking up the harbour. I do miss the way those wild skies roll across and send flashes of silver racing across the sea.
Even though I no longer liver there, in some corner of my heart I still see the everchanging light of Wellington harbour. It's definitely  where I came from :)