The art world is in mourning for David Hockney.

David Hockney ©2021 Elizabeth Fram, Fineliner and Tombow brush pens on paper, 5.5 x 5.5 inches

I don’t know about you, but every so often I think about famous individuals I admire who have had an impact upon me in one way or another (often, but not always artists) and, even though I know there is zero chance our paths would ever cross, there is a sense of reassurance in the fact that they are out in the world somewhere, carrying on just like the rest of us.

Unfortunately that’s no longer true of Hockney. I’m sad that his light has gone out, yet we are fortunate that he left a tremendous legacy of work and wisdom that will shine brightly into the future.

I have more books about and by Hockney in my personal collection than any other artist, which should tell you something. Many of the great artists I admire are long gone, so it was truly special that I could watch in real time as Hockney continually broke new ground.

Aside from loving his work, I have always been struck by what a smart man he was — well-read, curious and able to distill his knowledge to share with the rest of us. His wisdom wasn’t esoteric or didactic, it was generous and relatable. If you’re interested, there are lots of YouTube videos surrounding him; this BBC documentary is one of my favorites.

CC Warren House ©2026 Elizabeth Fram, Pencil, Tombow brush pens and colored pencils on paper, 5.5 x 8.5 inches

But, in reading quite a few of the myriad tributes to him this past week, the point which rises above all is how much he loved life. His vibrant colors and joyful marks, careful looking and celebration of the everyday exemplified that very fact and could be interpreted as a directive to his viewers to do likewise. If you haven’t yet, choose your favorite news delivery platform (trust me, they all will have acknowledged his death) to read about this great artist. And be amazed.

Waterbury, Friday morning ©2026 Elizabeth Fram, Pencil, Tombow brush pens and colored pencils on paper, 5.5 x 6.75

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On another note, and very importantly, a huge thank you to all who commented or sent emails in response to my questions last time. Your thoughts are incredibly helpful.
It’s going to be a time-consuming project. But the good news is I was able to copy the whole of my blog, (text, images, links and everything) into .pdf format so that I am now able to access it all from my computer without needing an internet connection. It wasn’t as easy as I’d hoped, but it’s done and I’m relieved.

Main St., Montpelier ©2026 Elizabeth Fram, Pencil, Tombow brush pens, colored pencil on paper, 5.5 x 8.5 inches

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Finally, as you can see, I’ve been trying to get out most days to get some location sketching under my belt and to find a process that feels reliably right and like “me”. It definitely offsets all the blog-related computer time, but it’s one of those things where I’m going to need to keep at it to feel comfortable and to get where I’d like to be. A worthy project for the summer, don’t you think?