Both Margaret and I are going through busy periods at work, so Trust things - following the Bermondsey show, the One Show appearance and the publication of the catalogue - are running on automatic. Julian and Jackie of the See Gallery are continuing to deal with a trickle of sales and requests, and I grab an hour or two each weekend to catalogue work, so we're not exactly a stand-still, even though it's notably quieter than the period leading up to the exhibition in London. 

Things to do on a Jubilee

I've  spent a wet Jubilee cataloguing the many small paintings and work on paper that have been sold during, and after, the Byzantium and Beyond exhibition (two examples above). These sales have mainly been dealt with by Julian and Jackie of the See gallery, here in Rossendale, and I'm very grateful to them as otherwise these sales would never have happened - with me completely engaged in the 'Angus' theatre production. 

It looks as if the sales of these paintings will more than cover the cost of mounting the exhibition in London. This is something I never expected, and although the three members of the Trust took a calculated gamble that the cost of the show would be worth it in terms of enhancing Dave's reputation as a painter, we were also aware that the cost would be significant, and eat into our reserves of money. The catalogue alone cost us more than £8000 to produce - and these costs were only kept as low as they were by Margaret Mytton's super-human effort working on the publication and the hang. 

But it now looks as if we will end up financially pretty much where we started - and of course we've gained tremendous publicity and have a wonderful catalogue to show for it too. 

Finally, another good slot for Derek Smith's film Dave Pearson : To Byzantium on the Community Channel - Friday 9th June at 20.00.