Opening Night

The studio on 54 Manchester Road finally opened last night!

At 6.20 pm we began to think that it might be the 6 of us - Kay, Sean, Margaret, Jackie, Julian and myself, oh and the drunk who lurched in off the street and eyed up our supply of hospitality wine, who spent yet another evening together. Nerves.

But no - by 7.30 there was a good crowd, and by 8 it was getting difficult to move around the house. I was busy most of the evening sorting out sales, which far exceeded my expectations. Everyone was totally enthused by the transformed building - what a good gallery it was; what an interesting and rather grand house! And Dave's work - the usual astonishment and the consistently high quality, the variety, and the sheer energy of it all.

Some of the rooms were hung as in a 'proper' art gallery, with numbered and priced pieces; other rooms were laid out informally - beginning to suggest their eventual function as store rooms once the rest of the work gets brought back out of storage. The photographs above show the entrance hall, and one of the 'casual' back rooms.

Thank you to everybody who made the effort to come last night - what a great and warm crowd, and particularly great to see Florence, Dave's daughter. Finally a big thank you to everyone who helped me and Kay get the building together. Certainly couldn't have done it without you!