I mentioned being inspired recently by an interview with David Hockney, who, despite being world-famous and much admired by many, has always appeared to be a humble and appreciative gentleman. He does not seem to be a celebrity who is driven by ego or displays a need to be recognised for his talent. Instead, I see him as an artist who enjoys sharing his visions of the world around him, sharing his appreciation and his recognition of the beauty he finds in nature. I admire this greatly because by sharing his gifts in this way he appears to be less confined by the fear of failing his own ideals which is a curse many creative types (including myself) carry as a burden.

He recognises that at 83 years of age, he is advanced in his years and so he continues to work not knowing how much longer he is able to do so. It is not age that is the issue. It is time, or rather, the lack of it. When your objective in life is to record and share your interpretations of what you see, feel or sense, there is never a lack of inspiration. There is an endless flow of ‘projects’ that can be done. I will never run out of ideas for future paintings and this creates a sense of urgency. There is so much I wish to do “before it is too late”. I admit that my greatest hindrance is worrying that I need to use all the available time that I can to create because there is so much to do! It is irrational really because it is impossible to achieve all the works I have planned in my imagination, all the paintings I wish to start and complete. Maybe the desperate need to record our vision of the world is another burden that in reality reflects our individual and unfounded ideals, especially since it makes no difference to anyone else as to whether I will be successful or otherwise! The Millennium Series by Stieg Larson were successfully completed by another author after he died and were well received regardless, Leonardo da Vinci left many of his paintings incomplete because he considered himself more of an engineer than a painter yet he remains one of the most acclaimed artists ever.

A quick search on any search engine will show that many acclaimed talented creators have left unfinished works that have either been completed by others or were well received in their incomplete state but what is significant in most cases is that the lack of completion does not hinder their contribution which can still be recognised nor disparage the mark that the artists, authors, designers or musicians attempted to leave on the world, no-one will know what they intended to do next so there is no feeling of us missing out! Not that I include myself with the greats but nonetheless, I take this a comforting thought!