Oil and acrylic on canvas
 
This painting was created for my exhibition Endless Summer at Saltdean Lido, and it’s one of those pieces that started with a single spark - a small detail I couldn’t stop thinking about.
 
Stars was inspired by an old black and white photograph of Saltdean Lido showing a cluster of parasols, each topped with a simple star shape. Full of quiet potential, I knew I wanted to reimagine it in glorious technicolour.
 
I loved the idea of taking this muted little scene and transforming it into something vibrant, joyful, and just a touch surreal. The star motif brought a kind of magic to it all - like each umbrella was its own little planet under a blue summer sky.
 
As with many of my pieces, this one plays with memory and imagination - the way we remember things not exactly as they were, but as how they made us feel. Stars is a celebration of sunshine, play, and those dreamy, half-remembered moments that shimmer at the edges of nostalgia.