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The Inspiration Behind 'Beginnings'

Ethan Lemon
Apr 30
3 min read

Updated: Oct 30



On the 24th to the 26th of April 2026 I had my debut solo exhibition in Sheffield. This show is made up of six months worth of paintings and was quite a personal concept for me. I'm very happy with how it turned out and grateful for the great response it received.


In August 2026 I then took the exhibition on the road and exhibited it in my home city, Stoke on Trent at Great Bear Gallery. This was a special weekend as I got to show off the work to all the people it meant the most to, everyone I grew up with. We even got my mates old red ford escort in to the gallery sat in the centre of the floor amongst all the red paintings it was truly the icing on the cake.


The idea for this body of work and ultimately the exhibition was actually born whilst travelling through Malaysia on October 2025. It all started when I saw a Proton which reminded me of a MK6 Ford Escort my Dad had when I was a kid. He must of had it when I was born until I was about 6-7? but I can remember it clear as day, the first car I ever remember.


With the news that my Dad was Ill back home this just got me thinking about the past and childhood and how important it actually was to me. I like to think I'm a worldly person and that this little town I came from is too small minded for me but I can't deny I had a great childhood and still have some of the best, most loyal friends from back then.


The town will always have a place in my heart and those people will always be my friends as much as my family will always be my family. Travel often makes me reflective but this turned into a whole idea for a body of work, encapsulating those nostalgic feelings and the simple beauty of the neighbourhood where I grew up.


The cars of childhood became a focal point and act as a strong icon of the early 2000's on a council estate in England. I was loving all the retro looking cars in Malaysia and that's sparked my love of cars again. I was sat in an art gallery in Langkawi feeling very creative and proceeded to write frantically in my sketchbook. Ideas for the show, titles, floorplans, painting compositions and all sorts.



As soon as I got back after a month I gathered my materials from my Studio in Sheffield and went straight to see my Dad in Stoke. I set up a make shift studio in his shed and painted the first two paintings in the series that week 'After Work and 'Lous Car' depicting an old picture of him putting his muddy boots out to dry off after work in the last of the evening sun and a picture of my sisters first car in the driveway.

Beginnings, showcases a new series based on my childhood home and early memories. The works explore the intersection between lived experience, memory, and place, emerging from a return to my childhood home following recent family circumstances.

Spending extended periods back in this familiar environment has prompted a renewed awareness of its quiet beauty and emotional significance. What was once a place I sought to escape has become a source of reflection and artistic inspiration, revealing a sense of return and belonging.


At a visual level, the works examine the architectural language of ex miners’ council houses and the modest pride of the tenants who care for these small, personal territories. The paintings depict ordinary domestic scenes, yet they are imbued with deep sentimental value, rooted in the knowledge that this single place holds the origin of my life and identity.


A recurring theme within the series is the contrast between permanence and change. The simple, unaltered forms of the houses act as a constant, set against the evolving presence of trees, gardens, and parked cars that shift and renew over time. This tension reflects both the passage of time and the persistence of memory. Working primarily in acrylic, I employ a vivid, saturated palette to evoke recollections of childhood summers spent playing outdoors.


Oil stick is layered onto the paintings to introduce a sense of immediacy and childlike honesty in the lines and mark making, reinforcing the emotional sincerity of the work. Through this process, I seek to elevate the everyday, finding beauty in the mundane while allowing space for reflection, gratitude, and stillness.






 
 
 

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Ethan Lemon Art                                                                                      

ethanlemo@outlook.com

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