Pool with Reflection of Trees and Sky (Paper Pool 8): Coloured and Pressed Paper Pulp by David Hockney

  • Pool with Reflection of Trees and Sky (Paper Pool 8), 1978, paper pulp work by David Hockney

    Pool with Reflection of Trees and Sky (Paper Pool 8), 1978

    Coloured and pressed paper pulp, 72 x 85.5 in

    Unique work

    ©David Hockney

    Back to: Paper Pools

     

    David Hockney's Pool with Reflection of Trees and Sky (Paper Pool 8), 1978 is a work from the Paper Pools series, demonstrating the artist's fascination with reflections, perspective and the changing qualities of light. Executed in coloured, pressed paper pulp, the composition is built around a striking yellow diving board that projects into the foreground before leading the viewer's eye towards the calm blue swimming pool. Rather than depicting the trees themselves, Hockney captures their dark reflections stretching across the water, creating a strong contrast against the lighter blue surface below. A narrow band of purple paving, vibrant green lawn and dense hedgerow frame the pool, producing a carefully balanced composition that reflects Hockney's signature geometric approach to landscape.

     

    Created in collaboration with Kenneth Tyler at Tyler Graphics, Pool with Reflection of Trees and Sky (Paper Pool 8) is constructed from six individual panels of coloured, pressed paper pulp, making it one of the largest and most technically ambitious works in the Paper Pools series. Unlike traditional prints, the coloured paper fibres form the image itself, giving the work a richly textured surface that enhances the illusion of reflected light across the pool. The work is widely regarded as a unique artwork, highlighting Hockney's continued experimentation with papermaking and his ability to blur the boundaries between printmaking, painting and sculpture. 

  • "It is a formal problem to represent water, to describe water, because it can be anything"

     

    - David Hockney

    David Hockney was fascinated by the visual qualities of water, particularly its ability to reflect light, colour and the surrounding landscape. Rather than portraying water as a static surface, Hockney explored its movement, transparency and constantly changing appearance across paintings, prints and paper pulp works. His swimming pool compositions became one of the defining motifs of his career, allowing him to experiment with perspective, geometry and reflection while capturing the distinctive light of California.