A glimpse at 1967

The photographer Paul Brown (http://www.paul-brown.com), who I knew during the 1960s, recently got in touch as he has been scanning in some old negatives, and came across a few from visiting Dave Pearson, probably in 1967. 

These were taken in Dave's house at 14 Burgess Street, Haslingden, now demolished and turned into the car park at the rear of the library. 

They take me back to a time when I was student of Dave's. Shortly after these were taken I moved to Haslingden myself. Dave generously put me up for a period of several months before I finally found myself a home of my own in Snig Hole, Helmshore. 

Dave is working on a larger-than-lifesize replica of Van Gogh's Bedroom, which I slept in some of the time. 

Rossendale Art Trail II

We had exactly 100 visitors to 54 Manchester Road over the weekend. People enjoyed both Dave Pearson's work and Ashfia Ashrif at Apna in the ground floor room. We made a few sales too...

Thanks to Dave Smith for his help on Saturday, and to Ella Cole on Sunday. Yasmine Choudry produced lovely food throughout...It was exciting to talk to so many people who were enthused by their visit. Some regular faces of course, but also many people who were here for the first time. 

On visitor wanted to track down the mysterious shopper who used to come along regularly to the art shop he worked at in central Manchester, and buy 'armfuls' of inks. This happened so often that they started having to order larger and larger quantities. He wanted to find a photograph of Dave to see if he was indeed the mystery shopper. And yes, he was! 

Andy Holt visited too; the first time for a couple years. Andy had advised us, a few years back, on our presentation of Dave's work. Some of his suggestions had been quite radical and made us rethink our attitudes to curating Dave's legacy. Anyway it was encouraging that Andy was very enthusiastic about what he found on this visit. He particularly liked the way that the Apna space and the presence of local Asian women, and Islamic inspired art, gave our building a new sense of life and identity.