David Hockney

When I first decided on The Swimmer as the story I am going to illustrate my first thought was the way in which Hockney captures the movement and feel of water in his paintings. It is also useful that they are specifically of swimming pools. 

One of the things that drew me to Hockeny's work right away was just the variety of techniques and visual styles he uses to capture water in various states. The flat colours and shapes of the house, springboard and the rest of the water are a strong contrast to the energy of the brush strokes of the splash. Even within the splash itself there seem to be two approaches, the thin lines of flat colours either side, and the soft and textural tones in the centre.

In this drawing the overlapping of patterns and colours give a real sense of the depth of the pool and the surface of the water itself. The subtle grid of the tiles gives a three dimensional impression of the pool, and the flowing pattern over this describes the surface of the water.There is a simple beauty in which Hockney has conveyed this scene.