In the Sun - The Story Behind the Series

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I grew up in the early 70s in Sydney. Snorkelling at Clovelly Beach is still a daily ritual for my parents. Our catch ups on the phone always include an update of when the next high tide is due (the best time for snorkelling), the current water temperature, and what great sea life has been swimming past their goggles lately. Joining my parents for a morning swim remains a central focus whenever I return with my husband and children to visit them.

As a young child, I often spent family holidays on the beautiful NSW south coast. At our beach destinations, there was no entertainment at the flick of a switch. The fun for my brother, cousins, friends and me was all to be found in building beach campfires to cook our homemade damper (eaten with golden syrup), constructing necklaces out of shells gathered from the beach, discovering new fish as we snorkelled in perfect nooks or unearthing crabs’ hiding places under the rocks edging the surf. Many a laugh was shared as one of us would slip catching a crab and end up with a bruised finger when the crab’s pincer finally let go.

Today I live on a farm in Central Western NSW – hours away from any beach. While I painted this series of artworks I felt such warmth and nostalgia as I indulged in the wonderful memories of time spent as a child with my family and friends, enjoying the incredible splendour of Australia’s coastal waters.

click here for a closer look at this collection