A forthcoming exhibition in Rossendale

This week I've been working with Julian Williams of the See Gallery in preparation for a new exhibition of Dave's work - DAVE PEARSON: WORKS ON PAPER. This is to be part of the Reveal Open Studios weekend on the 22nd and 23rd September, although it will continue until the beginning of November. 

Julian and his partner Jackie have selected the work, which is currently being framed, but I've been helping them with the publicity - including mailing lists and the press release: 

"2012 has been a year in which Dave Pearson's reputation has been seriously enhanced by an important exhibition in London; the publication of a catalogue containing major essays on his work by the noted art historian and writer Edward Lucie-Smith, and others; and coverage of his work by BBC TV.

"Interest in Dave's work has never been greater, and to follow up that interest the see gallery in Crawshawbooth has used its unique access to Dave's output to put together an exhibition that traces the artist's development throughout his 50-year career by focusing on his work on paper. Starting with drawings from the 1960s relating to his obsession with astronauts, and then the life and work of Van Gogh, through to the tremendous drawings of the 1970s based on English Calendar Customs, the Byzantium poems of WB Yeats that became his major inspiration throughout the 1980s and 90s, and then culminating in his late drawings and collages exploring his periods of ill-health. 

"This is the first exhibition to look at the artist's long career in this way and it will be a fascinating opportunity to follow his development through the graphic work on a long and always stimulating journey of discovery."

Opening times will be, for the Reveal Open Studio Weekend,  

Saturday 22^nd September 10am – 4.30pm

Sunday 23^rd September 10am – 4.30pm

After this the gallery will be open on Thursday and Fridays 10 – 4; although other times can be available by appointment. The exhibition finishes on the 2nd of November. 

The address is - the see gallery, Oddfellows Hall, Crawshawbooth, Lancashire, BB4 8AA.

Almost there

Despite Margaret's work last week there still appears to be a lot still to do. Julian Williams (See Gallery) has been in Bermondsey these past couple of days sorting the final arrangements before Margaret returns tomorrow for her final check. 

Sourcing print has been a problem for us, familiar with Lancashire prices, with London print-shops charging 250% more than we are used to, and Julian has been charging all over London to find a good deal for jobs such as information boards, titles and other support material for the exhibition. His gallery experience has proved useful in sorting drinks and nibbles, as  well as chasing up last minute lighting and tidying jobs. But my last phone call with him, an hour ago, was far more relaxed - at last we seem to be on top of things.

The catalogue, we're told, will arrive on Thursday morning - let's hope this isn't another nail-biter. Ric, our designer, has seen the finished book and says it 'looks fantastic'. Hollie from Cork Street Open Exhibitions has told us the iBook is complete too, look great and we're jiust waiting now for confirmation from Apple that it's on the iBookstore.

So something else to look forward to, along with all the people who are ringing or texting and - on the whole - telling me that they're going to be there. Roll on Thursday evening!

The pack...

I visited the studio in Haslingden an hour or so ago where Julian and Jackie, helped by Andre and Mariana, our Portuguese theatre students here on placement, were busy wrapping everything in sight in bubble-wrap. Tomorrow Julian and Chris Pearson load the truck and then Julian drives down to Bermondsey with the exhibition.  

Mick Bateman has emailed to say that everything is in place at the Project to receive the work, and when Margaret arrives on the 10th the hang will begin. Meantime, I'm off for a short break in Cascais (where Andre and Mariana are at theatre school). Mick has also listed the publicity that Crisis have been undertaking, in addition to my own efforts. This is all very encouraging and the fact that the Bermondsey Project is also expecting to launch its own website in a few days time is also a boost to our effort to publicise the show.

Not especially related to anything current are the three very tiny oil paintings of Mummers done by Dave in the 1970s when he was researching English calendar customs. I really like these little paintings, and they show a very different side to Dave's work than the pieces we'll be showing in Bermondsey. 

Almost ready to go

Julian Williams has the artwork ready to leave Rossendale and head for the Bermondsey Project gallery in London next weekend. One room (above) at Dave's old studio in Haslingden has all the paintings selected by Margaret Mytton and Edward Lucie-Smith stacked, ready waiting to be wrapped and then loaded onto the truck for delivery. There are also halogen lamps in case we require additional lighting, protective packaging, hanging plates, and touch-up paint (for the walls - not the paintings). 

Margaret and our designer Ric are on to the last stages of preparation for the catalogue before it goes to the printer, and I'm working on designs for the invitation and collating, with Julian, the up-dated mailing list so that everyone who needs to gets an invite. 

Sifting through...

Over the past two Mondays Julian Williams of the See Gallery has been at 54 with a collector friend going through the many unsorted files, folders and cases of works on paper that neither Margaret Mytton or I have had time to check through. In the course of doing this he has put some work aside, either because Dave, our collector friend, was interested in buying them, or because he considered that we might be particularly interested in them for a variety of reasons.

Above Julian is looking at some work from Dave's student days including a self-portrait drawing and a drawing from the Astronaut series (from, probably, the late 1950s).