Later this year David Hockney will reveal his latest work at the Royal Academy or Arts; a collection of 116 ipad paintings depicting an annual display of blossom near his home in Normandy. His yet-to be-revealed 288 foot long painting that has been inspired by the Bayeaux Tapestry shows the passage of the seasons and is expected to be received very well when it is revealed in Paris.

It is evident from the recent promotional interviews Hockney has given, that the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 have been a time of great inspiration and creative development for the acclaimed artist. The images of various blossoms inspired by the arrival of spring are strikingly beautiful, bright and engaging but I personally have found the content of his interviews the most inspiring. David Hockney at 83 years of age shows no indication of retiring, instead he appears to intend to paint until his last breath. Painting gives him a lease of life, there is always something to paint, there is never a lack of inspiration.

In this way, he too is an inspiration to us all. He encourages us all to look at the world around us with an artistic eye, to not just recognise or see it, but to examine it, to see beyond the madness and find the beauty and harmony of nature underneath. By doing so, there is the never-ending opportunity to find a sense of peace and calm. Despite the feeling of disorder and displacement that the Covid-19 pandemic has created, the sense of universal unsettling felt by us all is in some way balanced by the way nature continues to evolve and flourish.