Colour matching and design

I've been working away in Glasgow but the Inbox is full of mails between Margaret, Ric (the designer) and Julian. Clearly things are moving fast - selection of the final few paintings, agreeing on the design for the catalogue cover (so I can use a version of this on any e-mailouts) and putting together a mailing list so the first notifications can go out to followers of Dave's work. 

Matching the colours of paintings with their printed versions is one of the many important things to get right in the catalogue, and Margaret and Ric are working closely together on this. The design is at the stage of devising page plans and producing a rough draft of page layout. The 64 page catalogue will include three illustrated essays, a chronology of Dave's work, and plenty of colour photographs of key paintings by Dave. 

Julian and Jackie have been busy at the studio; their work has made it much easier for me, and especially for Margaret, to select work and make decisions in preparation for the London show. 

Margaret has been given time from teaching at MMU to undertake this selection and curating as part of her academic research. As well as selecting work she is preparing photographs for the catalogue and collating the written pieces for the same. David Maclagan has already written a very interesting piece on Dave's 'unseen' drawings, and Edward Lucie-Smith is developing his initial article on the exhibition into a catalogue piece. Lucy-Anne Hunt was at the studio earlier in the week, holed up in the gloomy basement (a lightbulb had gone) searching through Dave's old books for evidence towards her piece on influences relating to the 'Byzantium' series. 

Byzantium and Beyond

We've chosen this self-portrait (with arms, fungi and fishes) as the 'signature' image for the Bermondsey exhibition - now called 'Byzantium and Beyond'. It's a favourite painting and was also used on our 2009 brochure. Now it'll be on the catalogue cover, invites and any other artwork such as posters. It's featured in this blog before now, too, but I think deserves a second - or third - showing. 

We're also working on a Press Release and a Press Pack, a mailing list, and Margaret more specifically is working towards the production of the catalogue. 

Selecting work

Yesterday Margaret Mytton, joined by Edward Lucie-Smith and Julian Williams, spent the day choosing paintings for the forthcoming exhibition in London.

Above Margaret, Chris Pearson and Edward look through photographs of paintings from the two enormous 'Byzantium' series to select paintings for the Bermondsey show. 6 pieces were selected - although these would each be in the form of large diptychs or triptychs - one is made up of 5 large canvas panels. 

These paintings will make up the core of the exhibition, but decisions were also made to include a group of self-portraits, some of the work Dave made during the period of his hospitalisation and treatment for cancer, and other examples of his wide-ranging and prolific work, including some playful assemblages and constructions Dave made for the Globe Arts Studio Christmas exhibitions.