By . Rosie Taylor . PUBLISHED: . 06:09 EST, 25 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:09 EST, 25 May 2013 . David Hockney said the sudden death of his young assistant left him unable to draw. Keen sportsman Dominic Elliott, 23, had worked for the artist for two years before his unexplained death in March. Family said Hockney, 75, was 'like a father' to the young man. Speaking for the first time since his assistant's death, he admitted he had stopped work in the middle of creating five sets of five drawings of the progression of the seasons around his home in Bridlington, East Yorkshire. 'Very upset': Artist David Hockney (left) could not work after his assistant Dominic Elliot (right) died suddenly . He said he found himself unable to draw for around a month and even considered moving back to California, where he had lived for many years before returning to his Yorkshire birthplace. He told The Guardian: 'I finished the first set in January. I . was very pleased with them. The . intention was to go back to them whenever the spring occurred. But then . Dominic died. 'It was an awful time and I was very upset. I thought I . might not do it at all this year. I thought I might go back to LA for a . bit. I didn't quite know what to do.' No 'obvious natural causes' were found for Mr Elliott's death in a post mortem examination. An inquest has been opened and adjourned until August. The assistant had been helping the artist prepare for his work on the seasons and had also sat for him for a number of portraits. Muse: Mr Elliott had sat for the artist on several occassions . Landscapes: Woldgate Woods in East Yorkshire is a popular theme of the artist's work . Hockey said bad weather following the death compounded the situation, and it wasn't until it turned in late April that he considered drawing again. Another assistant, Jean-Pierre, insisted he restarted his work, he said. 'I wasn't doing anything much, had nearly . given up, and was still thinking about going to LA when my assistant, . Jean-Pierre, said I didn't really have an option - I had to continue with . the work, ' he said. 'And he was right. I'm not going to retire. I just keep working and that's what I think I should do.' The artist said he was 'still very sad' about Mr Elliot, but that he had got back into the routine of working, completing 21 of the 25 drawings he had planned. They will be exhibited in San Francisco in October. Hockney's work was given its most prominent showing to date at the Royal Academy last year. The 'A Bigger Picture' exhibition was one of the academy's most popular events, with more than 600,000 people visiting.
Dominic Elliot died suddenly after collapsing at Hockney's home .
Artist was devastated and almost gave up working after the death .
By . Rosie Taylor . PUBLISHED: . 06:09 EST, 25 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 06:09 EST, 25 May 2013 . David Hockney said the sudden death of his young assistant left him unable to draw. Keen sportsman Dominic Elliott, 23, had worked for the artist for two years before his unexplained death in March. Family said Hockney, 75, was 'like a father' to the young man. Speaking for the first time since his assistant's death, he admitted he had stopped work in the middle of creating five sets of five drawings of the progression of the seasons around his home in Bridlington, East Yorkshire. 'Very upset': Artist David Hockney (left) could not work after his assistant Dominic Elliot (right) died suddenly . He said he found himself unable to draw for around a month and even considered moving back to California, where he had lived for many years before returning to his Yorkshire birthplace. He told The Guardian: 'I finished the first set in January. I . was very pleased with them. The . intention was to go back to them whenever the spring occurred. But then . Dominic died. 'It was an awful time and I was very upset. I thought I . might not do it at all this year. I thought I might go back to LA for a . bit. I didn't quite know what to do.' No 'obvious natural causes' were found for Mr Elliott's death in a post mortem examination. An inquest has been opened and adjourned until August. The assistant had been helping the artist prepare for his work on the seasons and had also sat for him for a number of portraits. Muse: Mr Elliott had sat for the artist on several occassions . Landscapes: Woldgate Woods in East Yorkshire is a popular theme of the artist's work . Hockey said bad weather following the death compounded the situation, and it wasn't until it turned in late April that he considered drawing again. Another assistant, Jean-Pierre, insisted he restarted his work, he said. 'I wasn't doing anything much, had nearly . given up, and was still thinking about going to LA when my assistant, . Jean-Pierre, said I didn't really have an option - I had to continue with . the work, ' he said. 'And he was right. I'm not going to retire. I just keep working and that's what I think I should do.' The artist said he was 'still very sad' about Mr Elliot, but that he had got back into the routine of working, completing 21 of the 25 drawings he had planned. They will be exhibited in San Francisco in October. Hockney's work was given its most prominent showing to date at the Royal Academy last year. The 'A Bigger Picture' exhibition was one of the academy's most popular events, with more than 600,000 people visiting.
(left) could not work after his assistant Dominic Elliot (right) died suddenly . He said he found . Hockey said bad weather following the death anything much, had nearly . given up, and was