Pencil on paper, 76 x 112 cm.

I collect old beach towels, usually those that appear to be from the 80s. I started when I found one that resembled a towel I remembered from an old family photograph. I haven’t done anything with them until now, when I pulled this one out to draw a picture of it. The towels are mostly decorated with images such as tropical fish, palm trees, waves, birds, and surfers, and are often coloured with rainbows or bright gradients. They remind me of trips to the coast as a child, and illustrate how we have learnt to associate these images with ‘holidays’, ‘vacations’, or specific concepts of ‘paradise’. Using coloured pencils - a medium I find comforting - I decided to draw a picture of this towel, as it made me think about the notion of ‘getting away’ during a time when we couldn’t, and how the experience of travel is an act of privilege.

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