I've started a new collection of work. Its called Postcards Home featuring iconic Sydney landmarks that sightseers would visit and take pictures of.
The idea behind it - I'm originally from the UK and emigrated to Australia 3 years ago. In this crazy time of a global pandemic I can no longer visit the uk and likewise no family or friends can visit us here. When I'm painting and posting images on social media I quite often have my family and friends in mind, back home. I give them snippets into our lives to keep them updated and reassure the likes of parents and grandparents that we are ok.
This December marks 20 years since I first visited Australia wth my parents. In Sydney, I fondly remember, waking up on Christmas Day, in a hotel in Manly, catching the iconic Manly ferry over to Circular Quay and then catching a bus to Bondi Beach. Five years ago in December my husband and I brought our children to Australia for a holiday. Arriving in Sydney on Boxing Day and spending our last few days in the city before returning to the UK. We stayed in a hotel in Woolloomooloo and walked all over the city by foot with a 9 and 6 year old in tow. I don't know how they managed but fond memories were made and the idea of emigrating one day was set in stone.
I haven't actually walked around Sydney since the start of the pandemic 18 months ago and as we now can't travel further than 10km from where we live, all of my paintings will be done from past photographs and fond memories.
Even though I'm terribly home sick at the moment, painting this collection of work has helped me remember the reasons why we fell in love with Sydney those many years ago. This is my celebration of 20 years of first visiting Sydney and now actually living here.
To Mum and Dad these are my Postcards Home
Sydney with my parents and brother 2001
Sydney with our children in 2016
Visiting the city when we first emigrated in 2018
A couple of the paintings in the collection so far.
More to follow. I wonder how many I can paint by December this year...
Katie Thomas Art