Sarah Harte: I channelled David Hockney to try and live in the now after my car and laptop died

Technology is useful, but staring at glowing rectangles is not a way to live. Like Hockney, staying alive to the quiet miracle of being here at all is the way forward

Artist David Hockney unveils his 'Bigger Trees Near Water', the largest picture ever to be displayed at the Summer Exhibition of the Royal Academy of Arts in London.

I once had a beautiful David Hockney print of a swimming pool painting framed in silver. It gave me great pleasure to look at it. 

As you probably know, David Hockney, the celebrated British artist, died last week. Parsing Hockney’s art is above my pay grade. Others are doing that. A slew of panegyrics is being delivered in his honour, assessing his cultural impact.