Dave Pearson's self-portraits

The critic Edward Lucie-Smith wrote in one of his essays about Dave Pearson's work -

"(his)...own series of self-images exceeds both Van Gogh and Rembrandt in terms of number. They show a huge range of stylistic flexibility, with each change of style reflecting a change of mood."

When the Dave Pearson Trust existed it took the decision to limit the number of self-portraits sold, in part because the family were uncertain as to which they were prepared to sell. More recently we've held a small exhibition of self-portraits at the Studio, and not surprisingly there is growing interest among collectors in these pieces.

There are over 120 self-portraits in the catalogue of Dave's work, and it would be interesting to look more closely at these and see what are the main stylistic variations. Then to see how they reflect and portray the mood of the artist, as suggested by Lucie-Smith.  

Self-portraits: a showcase

We're holding a Special Open Day this Sunday, 1st July from 11am until 7pm. We've remounted the gallery areas in the old studio at 54 Manchester Road in Haslingden, BB4 5TE, and we're showing a selection of over 40 of Dave Pearson's self-portraits. 

You are invited to join us for this informal showing of some of Dave's least exhibited works - an intimate collection of paintings that reflect a wide range of moods and styles. Light refreshments will be available - access is up stairs, and sadly with no wheelchair provision.

This collection is in complete contrast to the exhibition currently showing at the Turnpike in Leigh, which is exhibiting a number of the huge Byzantium paintings from the 1990s. Many of the portraits will be contemporary with the Turnpike paintings, yet show a totally different side of the artist's vision. 

Also showing will be a small collection in the Apna space at 54 Manchester Road. These are fabrics created by local South Asian heritage women, and until recently they were on show at Manchester's Whitworth Art Gallery. 

New exhibition at the Dave Pearson Studio

Running parallel with preparations for the large-scale show at the Turnpike Gallery in Leigh, which opens on Thursday 21st June, we're busy mounting a much smaller scale show at Dave Pearson's studio in Haslingden. The contrast between some his biggest and most ambitious works and the small and intimate self-portraits on show in Haslingden will demonstrate Dave's unusually wide range as an artist.

We're letting the dust settle on the Turnpike show then having a whole day opening at the studio on Sunday 1st July, from 11am until 7pm. So put the date in your diary and drop in at any time for a drink, nibbles, and a close look at over 40 self-portraits which have never before been shown outside of London. 

We've also been busy in other ways. In conjunction with Apna, who share the old studio with us, we've installed a new kitchen. Apna have also been awarded a small grant by Marks and Spencer to improve the back yard, and we hope that by the opening we'll have plants and possibly seating gracing the rear of 54 Manchester Road. 

Portraits uncovered

I had an interesting email last week from a Tony Lane, from Wales. Tony sent along photographs of two portraits he bought in a mixed exhibition in Liverpool. He remembers it as being in the late 80s or early 90s. He pointed out that he had no intention of selling them, but simply thought we would be interested. 

They are lovely paintings - quite small, roughly 10" square. I mentioned that I thought they might be self-portraits, as they fit in with other pieces we have that include similar paintings that clearly are self-portraits. Tony instead thought they had similarities with the early (1960s) Van Gogh work. They clearly are rather later than that, and would probably have been painted shortly before the exhibition in which Tony bought them. I would say that they were self-portraits, but not in the sense that Dave would have sat in front of a mirror to paint them. From the mid 80s and onwards he began a series of paintings with autobiographical themes and I think these might well fit in with those works. 

Thank you, Tony...and if anyone else has  work by Dave Pearson please let the Trust know so we can add them to the catalogue.

Selection

Spent a lot of yesterday at the See gallery looking at the work that Julian and Jackie had selected from the 500 or so pieces of work that we removed from Globe Arts studios a few days ago. With Jackie and Margaret Mytton I helped title, price and place the pieces of work. 

Particularly notable are the series of Bestiary paintings, influenced by the strange and mythic creatures found in medieval bestiaries, and also the series of dark, mask-like self-portraits that Dave painted during this period in the 1990s.  

The exhibition, which opens next weekend (private view Friday 22nd) has a special intensity and integrity probably because, unlike earlier exhibitions at the See, the work in it covers only a decade or so of Dave's output. There is nevertheless a wide range of work - from harrowing wood, nail and string constructions, through the series of small (almost miniature) oil paintings, to the comic and strange 'Christmas Fair' creations made for the Globe Christmas exhibitions.