On the Road..

...to Tarascon. The above photograph (from 1967) shows Dave Pearson taking his version of the journey made by Vincent. This from a time when Dave's work was all about exploring his obsession with Van Gogh.  

Yesterday I had my first viewing of the draft assembly version of Derek Smith's film about Dave. It arrived by post the evening before, but I arrived home late and left viewing it until the morning. Even then it was touch and go and I had a train to catch - but I couldn't wait any longer and so stuck it in the Mac. 

There are still holes in it and the end is entirely unfinished. The inserted rostra shots of images are rough and often bleached out and, of course, there are no titles or proper soundtrack yet - either the music or a proper commentary. Despite this I was deeply moved by the film. Derek has found a way of telling the story of Dave's life that focuses on his painting and other artwork; that is informative and yet gives a real insight into a driven, contradictory, wildly talented individual. I'm absolutely confident that the finished film will do justice to its subject.

Our hope is that the film will be finished over the summer months and will be previewed and then released in September. Watch this space for further updates....

A first glimpse

A photograph entitled 'Dave Wales c. 1960', given to Margaret Mytton by Dave's old friend John Waughman. 

I looked again at these photographs after Derek sent us a short sequence from the film - a first glimpse of what he has been doing. It consisted of a couple of minutes of John revisiting the old terraced house in Glyn Road, Hackney - what estate agents call 'a quiet residential tree-lined street' - where Dave lived as a school boy and during his early student years. The sequence was lovely, very atmospheric, and John and Derek were able to look inside and see the places where, over 50 years ago, Dave drew his mother and father going about their chores and work. 

The soundtrack has yet to be put down, and so what we saw was a rough cut but it bodes very, very well for the finished film. My colleague Loz Kaye is writing special music for the film and I imagine that it will soon be ready for his input. Very exciting! 

Another chapter.

Derek Smith tells me that the filming at MMU went well, and that next weekend he wants to interview Margaret Mytton and myself and after that the filming for the documentary on Dave Pearson will be complete. Today was the final day of the exhibition at the See gallery, and next week I'll take the unsold pieces back to the studio at 54. So almost the end of  another chapter. It would be nice if the Inland Revenue would resolve their issue with death duties - then we could start 2011 knowing where the Trust stands.

This year we're better prepared for the cold weather - the water at the studio has been turned off, and the background heaters are on. Important to avoid another burst, especially as the cellar (that was partly flooded last winter) now houses more work as a result of moving the pieces out of Globe Arts Studios.