I have always admired the artwork of fellow Yorkshire artist David Hockney. For over 60 years he has painted bright coloured, uplifting paintings based on Nature. This exhibition called Bigger and Closer traces Hockney’s thought processes and inspiration using different artist mediums such as photography and film as you share his joy of painting together with his own accompanying narrative.
The Lightroom is a brand new venue with huge walls and an amazing sound system. A perfect venue to experience this visual show. Learn about the inspiration for his American paintings such as A Bigger Splash and A Bigger Grand Canyon, his collaborations for the opera, plays and see films and paintings unfold of his Yorkshire Wold period in Bridlington. Also his sketchbooks.
Mesmerising and a must for those who are inquisitive about his life.
Spring presents the most amazing spectacle and in a short window early May, the Cherry Blossoms burst forth followed by the Bluebells and sometimes at the same time. I love being outside in the elements capturing these sights.
My background to painting outside stems from early childhood. No matter what the weather - I'll always try and paint outside of my studio to capture the subject matter be it animals, landscapes or as is often the case - a combination!
Beautiful autumn colouring this year inspired me to capture the cherry trees on the stray in Harrogate - slightly windy conditions made the outdoors challenging but well worth the effort - !
Sam Oakes
Author