I was thinking recently which was the first image I created for the series 36 Views of the BT Tower. The first in the series actually captures a fleeting, but deeply resonant moment: a father carries his daughter on his back while his son kicks a ball nearby. The scene is set on Hampstead Heath in the late afternoon, that quiet, golden time just before heading home on a summer’s day.
Though the image isn’t of me or my dad, it carries a feeling that is universal to me—a love for fathers and the memories we share with them. My parents used to take me to Regent’s Park, from where I could see the BT Tower. It’s a memory I cherish, one that has stayed with me, even after my parents divorced. After that, my time with my father became rare, and the sense of loss lingers at times.
Recently, I rediscovered a jazz album he used to play on the way back from the park—Jazz on a Summer’s Day. One track, in particular, seems to echo the emotions tied to those afternoons: Sarah Vaughan’s “Summertime.” That song, with its soft, longing notes, could easily be the soundtrack to this painting. It captures the warmth, the love, and the nostalgia all at once.
This artwork, like many in the series, holds a personal resonance, a reflection of both the joy of the moment and the bittersweet feelings that can come with it. It speaks to the universal experience of fathers and their children, wrapped in the beauty of a simple summer afternoon.
Commentaires