Cherished Memories

I was a finalist painting at the Jamestown Mural Festival in September 2025. The theme for the festival was “Celebrate the Past, Embrace the future.”

It was so wonderful seeing how the artists from regional South Australia and different states of Australia interpreted this theme differently. Another reminder of the space held in art for everyone to express themselves, as the quote goes

“Paintings have a life of their own that derives from the painter’s soul” Vincent Van Gogh

Cherished Memories” reflects on the beauty of remembrance — honouring moments of the past while inviting new memories to be created in the present.

The mural was inspired by my 92-year-old grandmother, who now lives with dementia in aged care. Though her sharpness of mind has faded, her warmth, connection, and joy for life’s simple pleasures remain. The work celebrates her long life lived, as she holds a memory of her favourite flowers, with flowers given in all the seasons of life. enduring spirit.

The mural depicts a pair of elderly hands holding a photo frame. A watch symbolising the passing of time and strand of pearls the preciousness of life — the pearl that my Nan is. Within the frame are her favourite flowers Violets, and the mural invites viewers to step into the frame and take a photo. In doing so, they create new memories, continuing the cycle of life and connection through the hands that once held so many cherished moments.

Photos Credit to Alysha Sparks Jamestown