2025 Port to Pub Featured Artwork La Nageuse Dorée
Composed with acrylic, oil and gold leaf, this year’s fabulous Port to Pub Featured Artwork titled ‘La Nageuse Dorée’ (‘The Golden Swimmer’) is a little bit different from usual, and that’s exactly what the artist Georges Hombert wanted to achieve.
“I see my customers lining up for coffee wearing their Rottnest swimming shirts and caps, it’s hard to know which year they competed in. I wanted an image that was distinct, different and easily recognisable as the 2025 Port to Pub.”
Georges only started painting two years ago and has been prolific ever since, with many of his paintings on display at his famous City Beach café Georges. When Ceinwen Roberts, founder of Port to Pub and loyal customer, asked Georges to create the 2025 Port to Pub artwork, he wasn’t sure at first what he wanted to do. Inspired by the Paris Olympic Games, he decided on a female swimmer as the centre piece and incorporated the values of friendship, camaraderie and motivation. A quokka of course to represent Rottnest Island, the Australian Triple Crown of which Port to Pub is one of three qualifying swims, and the immortalisation of Ceinwen’s famous words “How lucky are we” to live in such a glorious part of the world and be able to ocean swim regularly. Whilst not intentional, it’s thought the woman with the Mona Lisa smile even looks like one of the local Positive Swim Squad members.
For over 20 years, Georges has been at his café seven days a week from 4:30am each day. He says it’s a good lifestyle, working alongside his son Ben and fuelling his loyal and supportive customers with delicious coffee and food. Georges loves that his café is a community, a place to bring people together and an early morning hub of swimmers, cyclists and fitness enthusiasts.
Georges is no stranger to endurance events. He’s a passionate ultramarathon runner, having completed events around the world including in the Arctic, Sahara and Grand Canyon. Running over 160km a week is standard training for him. Whilst not a swimmer and with no plans to be in the water anytime soon, Georges is an ardent supporter of all who swim in the legendary Port to Pub event and he wishes all competitors the very best for race day.
Georges’ 2025 Port to Pub original painting will be auctioned on 13th March. If you miss out on securing this amazing piece, prints will be available for order through Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation. All funds raised from the artwork will go directly to helping Western Australia’s sick children at Perth Children’s Hospital.
Visit Georges at 31 Gayton Road, Empire Village, City Beach
Georges Website | Facebook | Instagram
Article by Emma Fuller; Photos by Jolyn Shephard
