Red and Blue Horses...

The Red Horse is the left hand panel of two that make up a single painting. I mentioned it in the blog on 13th February, and you can see how it looks with both panels together in that entry. But both panels are worth looking at in more detail, and I've enhanced them here (click on them to get a bigger image) - they're large, each nearly 2.5 metres high and over 2 metres wide. Its right hand companion, The Blue Horse is below:

Dave loved Virgil’s story of the Trojan Horse from the Aeneid, and this may be part of the derivation of the imagery of the Red and Blue Horses. The painting was part of a big series called Sailing to Byzantium, inspired by the poem of the same name by WB Yeats, and included the ways in which Dave imagined preparations might be made for a very long sea journey. Some of the paintings showed boats being constructed with many people labouring with various tools, and others show the boats being made ready to set sail - and then, in others, starting to set forth. You can see references to the boats and the journey underneath the horses. The Red and Blue Horses, as part of this series, might also simply be part of the huge team effort to construct the boats.

Together these make a masterly painting, I think one of Dave Pearson's very best, and it's this painting that two head-teachers of local schools, St James C of E Primary of Haslingden and St Nicholas C of E Primary of Newchurch, both in Rossendale, have wisely chosen as a source and starting point for a project by each of their classes. The project can go in any direction; it may start as an art project may may end up as history, geography, science or fashion project. I'm really looking forward to seeing the results of an ambitious and inspiring project that starts next month.

The stag on the ceiling

It has been an eventful week; on Thursday I took two head teachers from local junior schools around Dave Pearson's studio. One of the heads had participated, at her previous school, in a scheme organised by the National Gallery called 'Take One Painting'. A painting from their collection was used as a source for exploration by the school-children. This could simply turn out to be a week of art lessons, or it could be a term of study researching something that developed out of looking at and studying the artwork in depth - perhaps a history project; research on costumes; or looking at customs from another time or from another culture. Anything that the children might wish to discover from the painting and follow in their own way, guided by the teachers.

This had been so successful a project that she wished to follow it with something similar in her new school - which happens to be in Haslingden. Dave Pearson's work had been mentioned, and so the visit was arranged in order to look at his work in the context of the studio, and discuss how we might choose a piece of his work and work together on such a project. The heads were very excited - it's early days yet, but I know this is the kind of thing that Dave would have loved and applauded. 

Then yesterday I met up with a collector I've got to know through his enthusiasm for Dave's work. Over the past couple of years he has bought a good number of pieces from the Trust - always well chosen and considered. Having visited his house I know that wall-space is now at a premium, so he had the idea of mounting a largish piece on the ceiling of his bedroom. Unconventional, and something I couldn't quite imagine - so I was presented with a pen-drive full of photographs of the piece in situ. He has even developed his own hanging system with specially designed slotted plates, and screw fittings with washer heads to hold the painting securely in place. Our collector friend is delighted at the result, and is now considering adapting another ceiling - and an even larger painting!

Finally, I also met with Julian and Jackie at the See Gallery to sort out the finances of the recent exhibition. Along with the proceeds from other recent sales, I'll now be able to pay another cheque into the Trust account. The Trust feel that we can use some of this income to help further the work in local schools.