Sad Generation, Happy Pictures (2025)

A textured abstract by Tim Willcox exploring digital loneliness, curated happiness, and the emotional distance of our online, filtered world.

This painting came from watching how people curate their lives online - all smiles, no struggle. Beneath the bright colours and playful marks, there’s a quiet ache. Sad Generation, Happy Pictures explores  the strange loneliness of an online world where smiles are curated and sadness is hidden. Beneath the bright colours and scattered selfies lies a quiet ache - a generation masking emptiness behind filters and moments of pretend joy. It’s a portrait of connection without closeness, and of people performing happiness for the crowd while quietly unravelling behind the screen. It's the loneliness of a digital world that rewards performance over honesty. I used layered textures and fractured forms to reflect that sense of distance. It’s my take on how we connect without closeness - a kind of emotional collage in paint.