This week, Castle Galleries, Exeter unveils six previously unreleased limited edition graphics from Bob Dylan’s The Drawn Blank Series.
Responding to the continuing unprecedented demand and worldwide critical acclaim for Bob Dylan’s The Drawn Blank Series, which was released in June 2008, Castle Galleries, Exeter, on Cathedral Yard Road, unveiled six previously unreleased limited edition graphics from that series as part of a new eleven-piece collection of Dylan’s works on August 10. Each of these limited edition graphics – numbering only 295 of each title – has been hand-signed by Bob Dylan.
The six never-before-published works from the series are titled: Trailer, Bell Tower Stockholm, Corner Flat, Iron Railing and Backstage Dressing Room – in standard format size of 15” x 21”. These pieces join Sidewalk Café, Motel Pool, House on Union Street and Bicycle – in medium-sized format – and Train Tracks, in large-sized format. The Drawn Blank Series is based on drawings made by Dylan while on the road from 1989 to 1992, and then transformed into original watercolour and gouache paintings that visually evoke the stylistic hallmarks of Dylan’s prose, poetry and music.
While Bob Dylan has been a committed visual artist for more than four decades, The Drawn Blank Series has cast a vibrant new light on the singular creativity of one of the world’s most important and influential cultural figures. As Marisha Pessl wrote in the New York Times upon the series’ unveiling in 2008, “In Bob Dylan’s extraordinary collection of paintings, we are given insight into the expressive, unvarnished way this artist approaches the world and reminded he is that rare person who can move effortlessly between music, word, ink and paint….Yet again and again, he reflects life back to us with a truth and simplicity that defy words.
“His brush strokes are like his voice, straightforward, rough, occasionally fragile, but always intent on illustrating the treads of human experience. Seemingly unworried about how something looks, he’s not after artistic perfection but something larger, a moment, a feeling. The effect is enthralling.”
Following the initial worldwide launch of ‘The Drawn Blank Series’ in June 2008, and the subsequent select release of limited edition graphics from the series, sales to the general public confirmed Dylan’s unfailing popularity and his fans’ appetite for his visual work.
David Sutton, Castle Galleries, Exeter’s gallery spokesperson said: “It is very exciting that we can display the works of the cultural phenomenon and artist that is Bob Dylan and share this with the people of Exeter.
“Art lovers and fans of his music will love the release of The Drawn Blank Series 2013. Dylan uses colour in a unique way to give a new dimension to his sketches that are then transformed into new works of art, which convey very raw emotions, giving us some insight into one of the world’s greatest icons.”
Only 295 limited edition graphics of each painting have been created, and each of the works are certificated and personally signed by Bob Dylan. The prints are priced from £1,750.
The Drawn Blank Series 2013 will be on sale at Castle Galleries, Exeter from Saturday 10th August. For more information contact 01392 425242 or visit www.castlegalleries.com
