LINE OF BEAUTY - NEARLY THERE

Date Posted: 22nd September 2017

It is impossible to drive through or walk around Carlisle at the moment without seeing a giant poster or banner with a beautiful Percy Kelly image on it. It makes my heart sing and brings a smile to everyone’s face.
I have been locked in the beautiful gallery at Tullie House every day this week with an ever increasing team of people working hard to get it all hung to perfection. Only those directly involved have been let inside so the excitement has been building.  Tomorrow is the opening day when you can see more than 120 of Kelly’s works covering more than 60 years along with film, sketch books, letters, photographs, printed fabrics – even his pipe.  Some of them have never been seen before.  When BBC TV arrived on Wednesday they asked for the lights to be turned up in one section (lighting is the last final touch) and I became quite emotional as the paintings came to life. The colours sing despite being created mostly on rubbish paper with children’s watercolours. I am exhauted but ecstatic
I will be there tomorrow afternoon (Saturday 23rd) 2.30 – 4.00 for an informal opening, viewing and chat. Quite a lot of you have indicated you are coming. If you want to be part of it you must RSVP immediately to Suzanne.manuel@tulliehouse.org as we need to know numbers.
Kelly wrote  I would, in my lifetime, like to see all my work not for sale but to be seen together and to give pleasure to a lot of people.
That is my mandate for mounting this exhibition.