‘I’ve discovered the power of putting yourself out there’
Sally Ward had sidelined her art as just a hobby, until her success in a TV competition gave her a major confidence boost.
Ihave many happy childhood memories of going to art galleries with my mum, and even getting my art GCSE aged 12 and A-level at 16 because my teachers had spotted a talent. But I didn’t pick up a paintbrush for a large proportion of my adult life. I was busy working as a civil servant and my passion for painting fell by the wayside.
It wasn’t until I was on maternity leave with my first son, who is now 12, that I started dabbling in art again. It wasn’t anything serious, I was too busy, especially when I had my second son, who is now nine. However, things changed three years ago, when I watched Portrait Artist Of The Year on Sky Arts. Watching the artists at work stirred something inside me and I felt inspired.
I dug out my easel and picked up my oil paints once more. As soon as I did, memories of how happy painting made me came flooding back. When I started posting photos of my work on social media, commissions trickled in from friends and friends of friends. This spurred me on, so I started entering painting competitions and also switched to working part time so that I could concentrate more on art.
SEIZING THE DAY
I applied to enter Portrait Artist Of The Year 2020. I had to send a self-portrait so the team could see my work. I was thrilled when I was accepted, though Covid-19 then set in. Home-schooling, working, and preparing for the competition during the first lockdown was overwhelming and lots of people around me thought I was doing too much. They told me to wait for another year when I had less on my plate, but something about the pandemic made me feel I had to seize the day.
Filming began in July last year; I was one of 72 artists competing across eight heats. It felt surreal to be on the TV show that had inspired me to start painting again. I don’t think I’ve ever been as terrified as the moment
I set up my materials on the first day.
My knees were trembling, but as soon as I started to paint, I began to feel calm. It was a wonderful experience and such a joy to paint TV presenter Melanie Sykes and Booker Prize-winning author Bernardine Evaristo. Painting actor and comedian Eddie Izzard, who I have always found so inspiring, was a huge highlight, too. There was a lot of pressure to work while the TV cameras were pointed at me, so
I had to really try to focus on the canvas and sitter in front of me and forget I was being filmed.
MAKING PEOPLE PROUD
Being the highest-placed woman of the competition was an incredible feeling
I didn’t expect to get to the final and to be a runner-up. Being the highest-placed woman of the competition was an incredible feeling. Some of the judges’ comments and praise will stay with me for ever. One said my work was like a ‘motorway to the emotions’. Painting had always been ‘only’ my hobby or ‘just my art’, so it was very validating to get that feedback.
I had to keep how I got on in the competition a secret, so when the programme aired last autumn it was wonderful to finally be able to share it with my friends and family. My two boys, who are both talented artists, were very proud to see their mum on TV. My friends were all excited, too, but what I had never anticipated was how many other people would get in touch. Quite a few said seeing me had inspired them to give painting a go and that’s a fantastic feeling.
My appearance on the show has opened many doors for me. Since it aired, my social media following has soared and commissions are in high demand. I’m still working part time, but the future of my art is very exciting; I’ve grown in confidence enormously and I’m so glad I’ve stopped sidelining it with the words ‘only’. This experience has shown me the power of putting yourself out there.
Find Sally at sallyward-art.com and @sallywardart on Instagram