London

To London. In part to visit Bermonsey Art Space, where we'll be showing a selection of paintings by Dave Pearson in April, including a number of the large multi-paneled pieces from the 'Byzantium' series (one, 'The Cafe' above - note where the panel illustrated in my last blog sits, bottom right) which he worked on during the 1990s. Also to discuss a way of selling Dave's work should any interest arise from the London show. I'm also using the opportunity of this being the week of the International Mime Festival to catch a couple of shows, as well as visiting the Anselm Kiefer at the White Cube across the way from BAS.

I met Margaret Mytton at the weekend and we decided on a designer for the exhibition catalogue, and yesterday evening I went to Dave's old studio at 54 Manchester Road, and met Julian Williams, who has been doing a heroic job moving (single-handedly) Dave's larger pieces around the building so they are now arranged series by series, so selection for the exhibition in London will now be a much easier task. 

Connect!

Not only do we now have a Dave Pearson Trust Twitter account, but there's also a Facebook page - simply, The Dave Pearson Trust, (link here) with some great galleries of paintings which are worth a good look. The ability to put up these galleries is, to my mind, one of the great benefits of Facebook and something we'll certainly expand as time goes on. 

The reason for this activity? Well, to make the most of the forthcoming London exhibition, and as a way of letting anyone who is interested know about future opportunities to visit and see Dave's work. 

Margaret and Julian tell me that their visit to London yesterday, to measure the Bermondsey Project Space in Willow Walk and discuss plans for the April exhibition with Mick Bateman of Crisis, was extremely useful. 

The planning of the exhibition is now well under way. I'm looking at the design and print for a catalogue; Julian is planning the logistics,  and Margaret is working with Edward Lucie-Smith to select, curate and hang the show. Throughout Mick Bateman will act as the main link within the gallery itself, both creatively and practically. 

All this, of course, will be expensive, and over the next week or so we'll have to plan and manage the costs of the exhibition; listing the potential expenses and selecting our priorities because our funds are, inevitably, limited. Throughout the main consideration will always be what will serve the purposes of the Trust best - namely in the enhancement of Dave Pearson's reputation as a painter.

Tweet the Trust

We now have a Twitter account - @dpearsontrust . Follow us and find out how things are progressing towards the show at Bermondsey in April; and more, of course!

Planning for the Spring exhibition

A gouache from the late 1960s, on the Van Gogh theme

I met with Margaret Mytton, Julian Williams and Jackie Taylor yesterday to plan and allocate our workloads in order to have things ready for the Spring exhibition of Dave's work in Bermondsey, London.

Margaret had prepared an agenda and list of jobs, which we went through, discussed and decided who would undertake each of them. Of course everything needs to be tightly co-ordinated. For example the appropriate paintings need to be identified and selected, then moved into position for measuring and (where necessary) photographing, in order that the designer has the details and images to undertake the design and then have the job be at the printer in time for the catalogue to arrive at the gallery well in advance of the exhibition opening. Meanwhile a designer and printer need to be found, and the gallery space needs to be measured and a plan for the exhibition drawn up so we can be certain that there's enough space for the selected pieces and, of course, that they make aesthetic and logical sense being hung together. The main issue is the lack of space at Dave's old studio, which means moving large and heavy canvases around is a time-consuming and difficult operation, with the constant danger of damaging them.

Margaret and Julian have the major part of the work to undertake. Margaret is planning and curating with Edward Lucie-Smith and Mick Bateman, as well as photographing and collating information about the works. Julian is largely moving, organising and transporting the pieces, as well as looking into publicising the event. Because of my own heavy workload at the theatre during this period I've slightly less to do, but I have agreed to oversee the design and production of the catalogue, and help with the press releases. 

The exhibition, at Bermondsey Project Space, is scheduled to open on Thursday 19th April, and run until 13th May.

A New Year

This drawing by Dave, part of a typically large set of works in graphite called collectively 'In The Seven Woods', is one of my very favourite pieces and in its richness, in its mixture of imagery that depicts both joy and darkness, it's well suited to express the feelings I have at this time of transition. 

We've a large exhibition to look forward to in April, and on Tuesday I'm getting together with Margaret Mytton and Julian Williams to begin to plan the work that needs to be done. During this period I'm going to be very busy with my own theatre work so I can't dedicate much time to the exhibition. Fortunately Margaret has been awarded research time from MMU to help curate the show (with Edward Lucie-Smith) and prepare the catalogue, and Julian will be able to oversee the more physical work of preparing and transporting the pieces from Rossendale to London. 

The Trust also want to make the most of this opportunity. It's something that we've been working towards since Dave's death and our formation into a trust and we are clear about the need to make certain that the exhibition is well publicised, and that we're in a position to use it to spread awareness of Dave's work. All this needs time - to prepare, to publicise the event, and to have in place press releases, information sheets, and anything else that will help us to put the work on the cultural map. The work starts now...