Artist Rose Sanderson gives old postcards an unexpected second life, painting surreal additions into familiar coastal scenes. Her imaginative series began during the pandemic, exploring escapism, memory and the shifting boundary between reality and fiction.
Giant crabs loom over beaches, a tiger settles among holidaymakers, and strange creatures appear in otherwise peaceful landscapes. The playful scale and odd encounters evoke old creature features, but Sanderson's wit keeps the scenes whimsical rather than frightening.
Sanderson has spent years gathering postcards from thrift stores, antique shops and markets, adding them to a collection begun by her grandparents. She is drawn to their sense of history and their aged, saturated colours. The project now includes 50 paintings.
The series will be presented at Aberystwyth Arts Centre from November 11 to December 23. A limited-edition book featuring the complete collection is also planned. By pairing familiar keepsakes with surreal invention, Sanderson's work shows how artists can refresh the stories held in everyday objects--and inspire new ways of seeing the past.
