GREEN POOL WITH DIVING BOARD & SHADOW (Paper Pool 3): Coloured and Pressed Paper Pulp work by David Hockney

  • Green Pool with Diving Board and Shadow (Paper Pool 3), 1978 unique paper pulp work by David Hockney

    Green Pool with Diving Board and Shadow (Paper Pool 3), 1978
    Signed with the artist’s initials and dated signed and numbered
    Colored, pressed paper pulp
    50 ¼ x 32 ¼ in. (127.6 x 81.9 cm.), Edition of 15 unique variants

    ©David Hockeny

    Back to: Paper Pool

     

    David Hockney's Green Pool with Diving Board and Shadow (Paper Pool 3), 1978, is one of the most recognisable works from his experimental Paper Pools series. Executed in coloured, pressed paper pulp, the composition depicts a diving board extending over a swimming pool, with its reflection mirrored in the green water below. The textured surface, created from layers of coloured paper fibres, conveys the movement and shimmering reflections of the water, while the bold geometric forms are contrasted against a dramatic black and deep red background. Through its simplified composition and vibrant colour palette, the work demonstrates Hockney's continued fascination with light, shadow and the visual language of Californian swimming pools.

     

    Unlike several other works in the Paper Pools series, Green Pool with Diving Board and Shadow (Paper Pool 3) has a well-documented production history. The composition is known to exist in 15 unique variants, each individually handmade from coloured paper pulp rather than mechanically reproduced as a traditional editioned print. Although every variant shares the same overall design, subtle differences in colour, texture and construction make each work unique. The documented number of variants provides collectors with greater insight into the production of Paper Pool 3, whereas for several other compositions in the series, the total number of variants remains unknown or has not been fully documented.

  • "Dancing rhythms reflect not only the sky but, because of its transparency, the depth of the water as well"."

     

    - David Hockney

    One of the defining features of David Hockney's Paper Pools series is his innovative use of coloured, pressed paper pulp as the primary artistic medium. Working alongside master printer Kenneth Tyler at Tyler Graphics, Hockney moved beyond traditional printmaking by using coloured paper fibres to build each composition rather than simply printing ink onto paper. This process created richly textured surfaces that captured the movement of water, reflections and changing light in ways that conventional printmaking could not achieve. The resulting works blur the boundaries between printmaking, papermaking and painting, making the Paper Pools series one of the most technically ambitious and experimental bodies of work in David Hockney's printmaking career.