Legendary UK artist David Hockney died last month, he was 88 years old.
I had found David’s art in a library book a few years ago and really liked his style. His large colourful canvases and willingness to experiment with technology were inspiring. My interest in his art just bubbled quietly.
When he died the internet was flooded with videos of David, unashamedly chain smoking and speaking with fabulous clarity, about the joy of making art. He spoke of why art matters, why even though it feels a mad thing to do he kept painting anyway. I loved the way he spoke with conviction on how a painter can show things a camera doesn’t see.
This resonated so powerfully with me. I love painting from life. Sometimes I run out of time and have to finish the painting from a reference photo. I find the photo tells a totally different story compared to what I saw with my eye. How do I grow my skill to the point I can work without relying so much on photographs. Drawing helps me make a picture first as a useful reference.
David’s confidence and unashamed enjoyment in those interviews helped me feel like it is ok. I can be a bit mad and keep making pictures.
Two things happened.
1. After years of feeling I could not justify the expense. I have bought an ipad, downloaded procreate, and begun a satisfying obsession with it. (My son is affronted that I don’t want to load Minecraft onto the ipad so he can play computer games on it – I will probably cave but this little gadget feels like the gateway to an exciting world for me and I hesitate to share it.)
2. I have had in my shed, still wrapped in it’s packaging, a roll of canvas, to use one day for large paintings. Then came all those amazing photos of David Hockney, with 6 huge canvases stacked up on easels painting outdoors in Yorkshire. The idea was so exciting to me – how does he do that? What does he do if it rains or the light changes? How does he work quickly enough to put enough paint on such a large are and still tell the story? It made made me excited enough to try it myself even if I don’t actually know the answers to any of these questions.
I sketched my idea first – A triptych that’s been bubbling. I chose a subject I have painted many times, hoping familiarity would help with speed. This weekend I gave it a crack. It definitely felt mad – I spent the first few hours fluffing – putting on a bit of paint and wondering what I was doing. Talking to my cows, resting in the shade, listening to the birds. I find it quite hard doing this kind of painting – I inevitably end up in the glaring sun. I sweat, my eyes hurt, my paint dries faster than I can put it on, I get bored, It’s so big and I am so far away from finished!
Fortunately the weather was on my side. After dragging myself through the first day it started to gain momentum by the afternoon. I could finally see my subject appear as I wanted it. It doesn’t happen often but I got lucky and the second day was another glorious sunny winter day so I was able to keep going with much more focus and finish my paintings.
I vacillate between triumph at having managed this and terror that I am in fact bonkers and no one but me will love this picture. Mostly I am just thrilled to have finally begun and actually made this large scale work that has called to me for years.