'David Hockney the person has gone but he will live on'

Heralded as Bradford's favourite son, artist David Hockney had been cherished by his home town as well recognised by the the art world before his death aged 88 this week.

Born in Eccleshill in 1937, Hockney attended Wellington Primary School before heading to Bradford Grammar School in Heaton.

He later studied at Bradford School of Art - now Bradford College.

It is impossible to grow up in the city and not know who he is - even almost 90 years after his birth.

Today, Bradford College has a £50m building named after its alumnus and keeps his work alive with the students – even keeping one of his works, The Hypnotist, on display.

Ryan Woods is manager of the School of Art and says Hockney, whose uniform of glasses, cap and cigarette on the go made him easily identifiable, shows you can be from a "humble background" and still make it in the art world.

"That's one thing that's really important about his work – it transcends a lot of different mediums. It's something that's very inspiring to the young people we get through this door," he explains.

"David is always a person you can rely on to bring into the classroom to gain inspiration from, because his work evolved and it changed as creativity should."

Student Aimee Scala says he has been catalyst for her and fellow students.

"Using him as an inspiration - as he's done many form of media - has really helped me work out where I want to go," she says.

Lecturer Mike Tipping says they reference his work across many courses.

"David Hockney the person has gone but he will live on in his artwork and will continue to inspire students," he reflects.

At Cartwright Hall Art Gallery - nestled in Lister Park opposite Hockney's former school, Bradford Grammar - art lovers come to see its permanent exhibition of his work.

Pat Foster, 73, remembers him as a "creative local person" who "explored every known art form from opera to digital".

"For me he brought more interest and knowledge of people who have same sex relationships, particularly his set of paintings when he was in Miami, and he's been great for Bradford and for Yorkshire and we'll really miss him," she says.

Cliff and Joy Allchin are visiting the gallery from Rodley on the outskirts of Leeds.

Cliff recently took on the task of writing prose based on the work of Hockney in his creative writing class.

But not everyone is a big fan - and you can recognise the value of the man without enjoying everything he did, says Joy.

"I like the flowers but I wasn't keen on the people, there's lots of portraits of people sitting and it didn't do anything for me," she says.

In the city centre, Brenda Knott from Leeds is doing something of a Hockney tour, she has just travelled through Eccleshill, where he was born.

"I love that picture of him and Alan Bennett in Salts Mill it's just perfect," she says.

"I've been to see him at Salts Mill lots of time, his iPad drawings, I got my grandson a pencil to go with his iPad and he does drawings on his too.

"It's so inspirational and so fabulous for Bradford for him to be associated with this city. It's a big loss."

Graphic designer Paul Holmes, 57, says Hockney helped him on his journey into the art world.

"When I was about 14 I was at school in Halifax and we got brought over to the Media Museum when it first opened up – and Hockney's Joiners, these photographic joiners were there, which inspired me to get a camera and dark room together and create my own joiners as a young lad.

"And that work got me into art school in Huddersfield at 16," he says.

Years later, he "randomly" found an original Hockney for sale on eBay for £10, which is now on his wall at home.

"It's not worth that anymore. It will stay there and it will go to my daughter," he says.

"I found it quite randomly and I got it valued on Antiques Roadshow in Halifax Piece Hall.

"They were quite surprised. From £10 to £2,000 so that's not bad is it?"

At the Bradford building most famous for its Hockney connection, Salts Mill, co-director Zoe Silver remembers the time he came to see his work in-situ.

"When we showed A Year in Normandy, which took over our entire attic, he came to see it.

"It was a quiet morning, he came early, and there was a few people around looking at it, and slowly the penny dropped as to who was in the room.

"He was so happy to meet the people who were in the room and have pictures taken with them and sharing their enjoyment so enhanced his enjoyment.

"They already loved it, they already thought the work was unbelievable and he shone."

Salts Mill – a former textile mill built by industrialist Sir Titus Salt – was rescued and transformed into galleries, shops and restaurants by Zoe's father Jonathan.

Jonathan, a Leeds-based entrepreneur who ran menswear shops across the country, became friends with Hockney after they met at Silver's father's burger bar.

And when Salts Mill was being transformed in the 1980s he made Hockney's work a centrepiece.

Zoe says he was a "great friend to the family".

"He was a great joy to be with and a great story teller," she says.

"He was born to paint, that's what my mum always said. And people growing up around Bradford they remember how he used to walk around with a pram of paintbrushes.

"Art was his life, it was his practice, it was his pleasure."

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