Wish You Were Here! Rose Sanderson’s Witty Postcards Conjure a Strange Reality

Rose Sanderson, a contemporary artist, created a unique collection of postcards during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, aiming to provide solace amidst the difficult circumstances. Her artistic process involves merging reality with fantasy, and incorporating nostalgia and childhood memories into her surreal paintings on vintage postcards. Many of these images are centered around seaside towns, reflecting her own experiences growing up in such an environment during the 1980s and 1990s.

The artist's paintings are characterized by their whimsical scale, featuring creatures like an enormous crab poised to scuttle across a beach, a tiger lounging next to a man, and even a zig-zagged crack splitting the ground near an amusement park. However, despite their fantastical elements, Sanderson's artwork remains lighthearted and humorous rather than frightening. She achieves this by infusing the paintings with a sense of the uncanny, creating a dreamlike world where the bizarre is always lurking in the shadows.

To gather materials for her postcards, Sanderson has been sourcing them from thrift stores, antique shops, markets, and online retailers for several years. Additionally, these postcards are part of a collection that her grandparents started long before her artistic endeavors. Sanderson finds a certain charm in these historical fragments, appreciating their aged and vibrant colors.

Her series of 50 postcards will be exhibited at Aberystwyth Arts Centre from November 11 to December 23, accompanied by a limited-edition book showcasing all of the works.

You can follow Rose Sanderson's progress on her Instagram account. Her postcards not only offer a glimpse into a fantastical realm but also evoke a sense of nostalgia and warmth, thanks to their aged and saturated color palettes.