Meet The Artists Making Mosaics With An iPad

David Hockney, the 81-year-old renowned British artist, recently unveiled one of his latest creations. In honor of the Queen, Hockney created an abstract and colorful scene of the countryside. A blooming hawthorn tree is represented, and the scenery is based on Hockney’s childhood home of Yorkshire. Hockney created this setting because of the Queen’s love of the countryside, and according to an official at the Abbey, “reflects the Queen as a countrywoman.” Queen Elizabeth II is the longest reigning monarch in history, and the new stained glass sits in honor of her achievements in the position.

The two windows stand over eight meters high, and are topped with a blue and yellow rose window that complements the displays below. The windows were created using traditional stained glass techniques by Barley Studio in York. Hockney drew inspiration from traditional, gothic stained glass techniques, with a unique flavor that the artist brings to his work. Hockney stated that he hopes the Queen will like the windows.

Hockney conveyed that the back-lit nature of the iPad made it his medium of choice for the design, as it is similar to the way the windows themselves would be lit up. The artist is no stranger to using technology, such as iPads to create his work. He has developed several series and exhibitions of work created using iPads in the past. He is perhaps most famous for his swimming pool paintings created in California in the 1960s, but Hockney is well known for his diverse array of works over the past five decades.