Jobs being done...

So, to summarise the main things we’ve done, or are doing, to help with the Estate:

a) Creating an inventory of Dave’s work. This is being done on Artlook software, and categorises every piece by its medium, gives a catalogue number, defines its condition and size, as well as including a photographic reference both as a thumbnail and a higher quality image. Of course, in the best of all worlds a painter would do something like this during their lifetime and bequeath their estate a catalogued inventory. I don’t think that happens very often.

b) Started the process of setting up a Trust. This means handing direct responsibility for the work to the Trust. The benefactor remains Dave’s son, but responsibility is shared by the trustees. This ensures a professional approach to managing the work and the process of protecting and advancing his reputation. There are a number of models for such Trusts and anybody interested in this approach should get legal advice.

c) I’ve created a website – http://www.dspearson.org/ – to show a selection of Dave’s work and contain some information about his life. This is not a place for selling the work, but a point of reference for anybody interested in finding out more.

d) We’re holding an auction of a selection of Dave’s work to raise money for the Trust. It’s mainly for Dave’s friends and colleagues, many of whom we believe would like to have a piece of his work. The money raised will pay for the website and domain name, for framing some of the work, and for helping with storage and the problems with the condition of the studio (see below).

e) Begun the process of writing a monograph on Dave’s life and work.

f) We’ve started looking at agents and galleries who could help us in this work. This is very much an on-going process.