An art gallery will be holding the eighth biennial online specialist auction of the work of late artist Mick Cawston.
Sally Mitchell Fine Arts, based in Tuxford will host the event from May 13 to May 19.
The auction will include some previously unseen original paintings and prints, several rare remarqued prints, and a selection of his bronzes including some hugely sought-after dressed animals.
Mick was discovered by art agent and author Sally Mitchell, founder of Sally Mitchell Fine Arts and Gallery in 1987.
The duo worked together for 20 years and helped Mick expand his art to a wider international audience.
John Mitchell, director of Sally Mitchell Fine Arts said: “The auction in previous years has been a great success, bringing some very unusual pieces to market and allowing Mick Cawston followers to add to their collections.
“Every time we run the specialist biennial auction we secretly fear it may be the last. That we may not be able to gather together enough pieces to run another, and yet here we are with the 8th such auction with some really rare and unusual pieces.
“We’re delighted to share that we have the originals of the prints of The Whippet and Into the Light, some particularly rare remarqued prints, these are prints that have an original sketch on their border, including Trouble Brewing, a selection of his cold cast bronzes and the sought after dressed animals.”
Mick’s published prints introduced his work to a much wider audience and gained him international recognition winning the Fine Art Trade Guild’s coveted award for the Top Selling Published Artist in 1998.
The artist died in 2006, however, his name is constantly present in country shows be it in a conversation or at a gallery exhibition.
The auction is hosted by The Antiques Trade Gazette, on their website www.the-saleroom.com and it runs very similar to eBay auctions.
Bids can be placed during the period of the auction and the site will only take the lowest amount required to buy the lot.
The paintings, prints, bronzes and dressed animals will be available to view in detail online at the Sally Mitchell Fine Arts and Gallery website and in person at the gallery in Tuxford from April 22.
Mick’s love of the countryside and his understanding of what he was painting were reflected in his art. His ability to study an animal in the flesh and almost immediately transfer that image from his mind’s eye to canvas.
Later in Mick’s career, he discovered the work of Jonathan Walker, an illustrator of children’s books and a specialist in anthropomorphic art.
Inspired by Jonathan’s work, Mich was inspired by the possibilities of painting anthropomorphic images in which human qualities are given to animals.
Mick’s quirky style had dark humour embedded in it and his artwork still has a huge following today.
