Stephen Calloway, Curator of Prints in the Word and Image Department at the V&A, says that the V&A started to collect Sixties psychedelic and counter-culture graphics at the time, as they first began to appear on the streets in London. Since then the collection has grown to become one of the most important of its kind, representing most of the major artists involved in the movement. The generous gift by John Hurford of more than fifty of his original drawings, paintings and prints from that period fills an important gap. “He was without doubt one of the most accomplished draughtsman of the British psychedelic scene.”

Richard Loveday, Assistant Librarian at the V&A’s National Art Library, says: “Like many others, I became an instant fan of John’s upon my first exposure to his very English form of pastoral psychedelia. This was in the early 1970s when I was an art student. Its gentle, spacey spirit reverberated so powerfully for those of my generation attuned to that and it was obvious from the start that he was one of the finest of the original counter-cultural artists. I could never have dreamt that some three-and-a half plus decades later I would not only get to meet him, but also instigate a secure home for his work. Personal payback to a teen hero. Wonderful stuff.

"Long overlooked by the professional art community, this type of graphic art has seen its value among collectors escalate rapidly. Consequently, often the finest, rarest pieces get dispersed and lost to view. That, combined with its perishable, ephemeral nature, means that an important part of the modern cultural record is at risk of essentially fading away for most of us. So this little windfall for the V&A is an entirely positive thing. Here it finds a perfect home in what is currently the best public collection of its type in Britain.”

PHOTO shows Stephen Calloway, Curator of Prints in the Word and Image Department at the V&A, accepting the work from John Hurford (left) on behalf of the museum. Photo: Jonathan Hill, 14.11.2007.

Painting 2007, acrylics 50cm x 30cm, made into a poster for the group The Sand Band. Singer Denise Black (Queer As Folk, Coronation Street) with songwriter Paul Sand on 12-string guitar and keyboards are long time partners (The London Band, Denise Black and the Kray Sisters, Mad And Her Dad/Lyric Hammersmith) and now they're in Brighton and joined by the dazzling melodic bass and 6-string guitar of Mr Hedi Pinkerfeld as a new outfit - THE SAND BAND.

Contact The Sand Band here -http://www.myspace.com/sandbanduk

. . . . . and here's a link to Paul Sand's own web page - CLICK HERE

The CD was launched on 24th June 2007 and is priced at £14.99p. Here's a link straight to the Gandalf's Garden shopping trolley, CLICK HERE

A preliminary drawing, 2005 (part of the Big Picture) used for the cover slip of the Five Day Rain CD. www.silentstudios.org.uk

For the finished design, the drawing was colourised by Loriana Martin. Reference NWRCD 05, Night Wing Records with acknowledgement.