An English Hankie - Dawn Thirlaway

A hat made from a handkerchief with tied corners conjures images of English holidaymakers at the seaside. However in my case the image is my father mowing the lawn in Australia.
I remember as kids we often had a good laugh at my fathers quirky Englishness with his response always being “you’ll keep”.
On our rare family outings my father’s hankie often came into use for wiping his children’s noses, drying tears, dabbing cuts or cleaning sticky hands after ice cream.
My relationship with my father matured in the last few years of his life, when he came to understand and appreciate my need to make art.
Although it is now twenty-two years since he departed from this world, I often feel his presence when I am creating artwork.