Activity

All around Dave's old studio drawings, prints, gouaches and other works on paper are appearing in small piles. This is the result of Julian ongoing selection of pieces for the September exhibition 'Dave Pearson: Works on Paper' which the See Gallery will be holding during the Open Studio weekend and the surrounding month or so. 

Works are also being set aside for a possible London exhibition, of which more as the story unfolds. Finally house-keeping is taking place - security shutters have been installed at the rear of the building, and dripping taps have been fixed. Suddenly, the studio is beginning to see a lot of activity again after the quiet summer. 

Works on paper

I'm back from a (partly) working holiday and straight into a meeting at Dave's old studio in Haslingden. Julian and Jackie from the See Gallery want to discuss their plans for an exhibition of Dave's work on paper as part of the Reveal Open Studio weekend in September. This will also mean the re-opening of a re-vamped See Gallery, and a great opportunity to show examples of the often overlooked output of Dave's drawings, pastels, gouaches, and prints. 

Julian and Jackie had already been through some of the folders and drawers that Margaret and I haven't found time for; and they have unearthed some gems. These will all need to be framed, and as the number of pieces are substantial the chosen works need to be at the framers by this weekend. 

So I spent an hour or so looking through their choices. The idea is to represent all stages of Dave's creative life, and I was continually astounded and surprised by the inventiveness and sheer joy of these works. 

This will be a very special exhibition. Mark 22nd and 23rd September in your diaries - the date of the Open Studio weekend, although the See exhibition will be open for a longer period than just that weekend. Full details of dates and opening times will follow.

Back again, with some news...

It's been a month since I wrote a post on this blog. My apologies, but I've been totally engaged with creating a piece of theatre for touring the Islands and Highlands of Scotland (Angus - Weaver of Grass) which is now up and running and doing very well, thank you. 

In the meantime the Trust has cruised along mainly courtesy of Julian Williams of the See Gallery, and a number of sales have been made to buyers whose interest in Dave's work grew from seeing the Bermondsey exhibition. 

But now I have more time, and Margaret Mytton is on holiday from her lecturing duties at Manchester Metropolitan University, the blog should return to more like it's previous life - although having said that both of us will be taking holidays over the next month. 

Margaret has been working hard to create a website dedicated to Dave's series of drawings and other works on paper 'The Book of Revelation'. So far she has raised some money to initiate this project - something she has been committed to since Dave's death. The blog will report back on her progress...

Both Margaret and I are going through busy periods at work, so Trust things - following the Bermondsey show, the One Show appearance and the publication of the catalogue - are running on automatic. Julian and Jackie of the See Gallery are continuing to deal with a trickle of sales and requests, and I grab an hour or two each weekend to catalogue work, so we're not exactly a stand-still, even though it's notably quieter than the period leading up to the exhibition in London. 

Things to do on a Jubilee

I've  spent a wet Jubilee cataloguing the many small paintings and work on paper that have been sold during, and after, the Byzantium and Beyond exhibition (two examples above). These sales have mainly been dealt with by Julian and Jackie of the See gallery, here in Rossendale, and I'm very grateful to them as otherwise these sales would never have happened - with me completely engaged in the 'Angus' theatre production. 

It looks as if the sales of these paintings will more than cover the cost of mounting the exhibition in London. This is something I never expected, and although the three members of the Trust took a calculated gamble that the cost of the show would be worth it in terms of enhancing Dave's reputation as a painter, we were also aware that the cost would be significant, and eat into our reserves of money. The catalogue alone cost us more than £8000 to produce - and these costs were only kept as low as they were by Margaret Mytton's super-human effort working on the publication and the hang. 

But it now looks as if we will end up financially pretty much where we started - and of course we've gained tremendous publicity and have a wonderful catalogue to show for it too. 

Finally, another good slot for Derek Smith's film Dave Pearson : To Byzantium on the Community Channel - Friday 9th June at 20.00.

Boat

Boat, above, was probably the most commented on individual painting hanging at the recent Byzantium & Beyond exhibition. The large pieces from the Byzantium series were much talked about too, but this oil on canvas (roughly 1.50m x 2.50m) was singled out by many as their particular favourite. 

In part, I suppose, because it had not recently been seen - even in the studio it was buried within a pile of other large paintings, but also because it stands slightly apart from any of Dave's large series of work. Whatever, it is a stunning painting that demonstrates Dave's real feel for, and mastery of, colour.

Back in Rossendale

Julian Williams texted me 'Finished!' just before 4 to say that he, helped by the painter David Newton, had finally off-loaded and put back into store all the paintings that had been in Bermondsey.They had started at 8 this morning, after arriving back at 3am from London. It's a tough job - large and heavy paintings and steep and narrow staircases; so well done - I'm so grateful.

Margaret is now back at work at MMU, and I'm right in the thick of creating a new show with Horse + Bamboo Theatre (Angus - Weaver of Grass; it goes into rehearsal in less than three weeks). But there's a lot of feedback still arriving on our doorsteps as a result of 'Byzantium & Beyond'. People wishing to visit the studio, usually to buy a piece of Dave's artwork; emails simply telling us how someone was impressed and moved by the show; and lots of people asking to be put onto our mailing list. What's more there's the possibility of a new London exhibition  being discussed - watch this space!