Maurice Payne began his career as a printer in the early 1960s, working at two of London’s most respected workshops: Editions Alecto Ltd. and Petersburg Press. Renowned for his mastery of carborundum and intaglio techniques, Payne collaborated with many notable artists, including Howard Hodgkin, Jasper Johns, and Jim Dine. However, some of the most significant and enduring projects of his career stemmed from his work with David Hockney.

Payne and Hockney first met through Editions Alecto, forming a lasting friendship and creative partnership. Their collaboration began in 1966 with Illustrations for Fourteen Poems from C.P. Cavafy, a portfolio of thirteen etchings. Though technically complex, both recalled the project as feeling effortless, a testament to their creative chemistry. The unique bond between artist and printer is rare, and it’s evident across the many works they’ve created together over the decades.

In 1976–77, Payne printed Hockney’s celebrated series The Blue Guitar. Shortly after, he became Hockney’s assistant and moved to California in 1977. Two decades later, in 1998, the pair reunited when Payne established a print studio in Los Angeles, where Hockney was then living. Payne would take pre-prepared plates to the artist’s home in the Hollywood Hills, so Hockney could draw the characters and domestic objects as he became inspired throughout the day. These personal, home-based drawings offered an intimate counterpoint to the vast American Western landscapes Hockney was simultaneously painting in his studio.

Their 1998 collaboration, Maurice, exemplifies Hockney’s distinctive line drawing, enhanced by unconventional tools such as wire brushes to add texture and volume, highlighting the spirit of experimentation that defined their process. For both artist and printer, printmaking remained a journey of shared discovery.

Their friendship continues to this day, and Hockney has created numerous portraits of Payne over the years, including a digital iPad drawing completed in 2008.

Maurice (Recent Etchings 13), 1998
Etching with aquatint, scaping and burnishing on Somerset textured wove paper
Signed, dated and numbered 33/35 in pencil