David Hockney has been one of my favourite artists since I went to visit his works when I was about 10 at Salts Mill in Bradford, where he was born. I spent my pocket money on his serene, calming blue Mount Fuji print, which is still at home.
The most famous of the swimming pools: A Bigger Splash (1967)
Some of my favourite of his work is the series of swimming pool paintings he created after he visited California for the first time in 1963, each quite different from another but all incorporating the British pop artist's striking, bold colours and creamy, matte acrylics. He was taken with the relaxed way of life and warm Californian weather: ‘the climate is sunny, the people are less tense than in New York. When I arrived I had no idea if there was any kind of artistic life there and that was the least of my worries.’ ... And his sense of calm comes across in the paintings too. See also his Paper Pools series from 1978.
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Swimming Pool (1965)
Picture of a Hollywood Swimming Pool (1964)
Peter getting Out of Nick's Pool (1966)
California Art Collector (1964)
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Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) (1971)
