David Hockney and Me

Back in the “Days of Noah” (mid-60s) I used to hitch-hike up and down the M1 from university to my mother’s house in Yorkshire. Generally a safe and uneventful mode of transport, usually aided by the wearing of a college scarf to reassure drivers that I was harmless. I have various memories of these days but the one that I like to share is as follows. I was picked up by a guy in a fairly non-descript car that turned out to be a rental. Making conversation was part of the “deal”; it was a reasonable assumption that most drivers wanted company. The driver looked vaguely familiar but it was only after he told me that he lived in the USA and was an artist that I recognized David Hockney.

He was also on his way to see his mum ..… in near-by Bingley and he was gracious enough to drive me all the way to Riddlesden.

Coincidentally, he and I had gone to the same grammar school (at different times) though he had left at the earliest opportunity and transferred first to to Bradford College of Art and then to the Royal School of Art in London. He did remember “Jock” Gross, an English teacher who was perhaps the only member of staff at school who truly appreciated Hockney's genius.

There was at one time a large oil of Hockney’s on a school classroom wall. I assume it is now in a safer place. One of his paintings fetched almost $8 million in 2009. What a pity I did not finagle a signed sketch from him.