A LOCAL first-time author and illustrator has released a new illustrated biography on the life of one of the most influential British artists of the 20th century – David Hockney.
Simon Elliot’s book, called Hockney – A Graphic Life Book, is designed for newcomers to Hockney, as well as for those who are more familiar with his life and work. The book has been given the approval of David Hockney himself who provided help and feedback.
Simon said, “I started writing it because I was hugely inspired during lockdown by Hockney’s message that ‘spring cannot be cancelled’. It got me motivated and encouraged me to reflect on the ways in which art can lift us all up. I would love people to take away some context for Hockney’s work – that he was an LGBTQ+ pioneer, that he has spent his whole life closely examining the world and finding new ways to depict it, and that he has lived by advice that his father gave to him as a child – ‘never worry what the neighbours think’.
“During lockdown I began drawing lots of Hockney illustrations and eventually had so many that it felt like I could turn them into a book. I watched documentaries about Hockney and read every book about him that I would find in order to write the text. I decided to draw the book on the iPad because it seemed fitting as Hockney was a very early adopter and has produced so much awe-inspiring work on one.
“My biggest challenges were time – it took a long time to marry everything together – and the pressure that I put on myself to do a good job for Mr Hockney. I am really touched and thrilled that he has allowed me to tell his story and to depict his work – I have therefore felt a big responsibility to get it right. I have totally relaxed now, because the fact that the book has been printed helpfully means that I can’t tinker with it anymore. It’s really a book about passion – I hope that the thousands of hours that it took are evident on the pages and that people take away from it the sheer joy of making things, which is really the message of Hockney’s life.
“I sent the draft to a single publisher, who almost immediately said that they would like to publish it so long as we got Mr Hockney’s blessing. All in all, it took about 11 months, but eventually the approval came along with some fantastically precise feedback. For example, Mr Hockney said that I had drawn the wrong sort of plane for his first trip to America – he actually flew over in a Lockheed Constellation. There was even a follow up email where he kindly listed the stops that the plane made on the way.”
The book can be purchased by visiting https://gayprideshop.co.uk/products/hockney-a-graphic-life-book
