Quantity - and quality

This week I finished cataloguing all of the pieces that were in the December exhibition at the See Gallery, plus a handful more that have been sold recently. It takes the catalogue number to above 1000, although I think the numbering started at 100 or thereabouts (must check this). Still, it's a not inconsiderable achievement, although the thought lingers that it hardly seems to have made a dent on the truly vast amount of work that Dave left on his death and that still needs to be entered into the catalogue of his work. My guess is that there is at least 20 times the amount of work still to be catalogued - so a total of around 20,000 pieces. 

I also heard from a head-teacher I know that a Haslingden school, hence one local to Dave's studio, want to visit his studio to look at the work with a view to using a piece of his work as their choice for the National Gallery's 'Take One Picture' scheme in which primary schools through the UK are invited to 'respond creatively' to a painting. The guidelines I've found seem to suggest that this should be a painting from the National's own collection, but perhaps this is another, or an associated, scheme. Either way it's a wonderful idea and a tribute to the imagination of the school, St. James, that they have looked at the idea of choosing a painter who lived and worked in their own community. A tribute, too, to the power and ability of Dave Pearson's work to communicate itself to a wide audience.