Isn't David Hockney brilliant? I'm so pleased that, in his eighth decade, he's still churning out Big Pictures. As well as being a talented artist - and a very dapper man - Hockney's productivity is impressive. Wish I had his energy. Right now. Haven't blogged much over the last week or so because of the old work/life/blog conundrum. Got loads to say, not enough time to say it. I'm sure you know the feeling.
Today's The Shrink & The Sage (A guide to modern dilemmas) feature in the FT Weekend asks, 'Is it good to be idle?' My immediate response is, 'Most definitely, yes.' When the balance tilts in the direction of work, it's good to have a breather. Take time out, give the brain a rest and, hopefully, boost creativity. Though obviously, long-term idleness due to unemployment or illness is a different matter. Which is why I want to be like this 74-year-old chain-smoking painter. To have the time and energy to work on the things I love, well into my dotage. As Hockney says:
'Frankly if I'm not busy, I'm hopeless. A lot of artist's get very active as they get older, I don't want to slow down, I want to keep it going.'
And, as The Shrink points out, 'Doing nothing means squandering what little time we have on earth.'
The Royal Academy exhibition is fantastic, by the way. Really uplifting. Does anyone know how you do those iPad pictures? Is it like Etch-a-Sketch?
Have a productive/idle weekend!
Photo: Geological Society
I intend to put everything I need to do on hold, and spend my entire Saturday outside. The weather is much too pretty not to.
ReplyDeleteWell, he is to be admired! But I do enjoy "doing nothing" if that means a couple of hours with a good book on a rainy afternoon. : >
ReplyDeleteI have a friend who has a lot of Hockney drawings. I go stare at them whenever I'm at his house in London.
ReplyDeletePiddling around IS busyness! And very, very necessary.
ReplyDeleteIt's an app called iSketch. I think it's free from iTunes.
ReplyDeleteWendyB - next time you're over do let me know, perhaps I could come and stare at them too?!
ReplyDeleteLillyanne - thanks for the information. As you can probably tell, I don't own an iPad!
'Brushes' is harder to use than it looks, mainly because of the baffling array of choices and the difficulty of knowing when to stop. But it is fun. Don't let me put anyone off.
ReplyDelete