Portrait gallery a painstaking tribute to NHS
WHEN Amy Jackson put a pencil to paper during the first lockdown she wanted to “shine a light” on the “unsung heroes” of the NHS.
Inspired by the pandemic and the “destruction it has brought our lives”, the 26-year-old believed more recognition needed to be paid to those on the front line.
What started out as an initial portrait illuminating the hard work done by a critical care ODP, grew into a collection of photo-realistic drawings. Each piece took her between 50 and more than 200 hours to complete.
Using a traditional style of drawing, Amy uses thousands of tiny dots to help recreate photo-realistic portraits to celebrate the work of an array of staff working within the NHS.
Amy was able to develop her skills from a young age after stumbling across the artform in school, and went on to illustrate her own designs at home.
She said the technique has helped her own mental health, along with learning to cope with selective mutism – an anxiety disorder which she describes as feeling “something around my throat or neck that stops me from making a noise or saying anything, no matter how much I want to”.
Growing up in Swansea, Amy acknowledges she had immense challenges throughout her time in school, even noting she struggled to call out “here or yma” as the teacher called out her class register.
“I was diagnosed from the age of six or seven and have struggled with it ever since. It makes it difficult to communicate and I’m usually rendered mute if I’m in a high-pressured situation. For the majority of the time while in school, I was mute and unable to speak, eventually I could communicate through whispering and that was only when I was forced to.
“Despite the name, it’s not something that I can control or stop. Outwardly it appears as if it’s just shyness or social anxiety but there is an internal struggle that quite literally renders me speechless,” she said.
Amy said she is still learning to live with selective mutism but has progressed through university with a degree in illustration alongside a close group of friends.
“It’s something that I still struggle with, and I have severe social anxiety now, but I’m proud of how much I’ve pushed myself and I think my artwork was an integral part of that,” she said. “I find that art helps me communicate when I can’t. It’s a subject that I’d love to explore within my art in the future.”
Out of the pandemic and multiple lockdowns, Amy created an NHS portrait series titled Unsung Heroes – finding participants through social media.
“The past year has shone a light and proven how important the NHS is, and always has been. The insulting 1% pay rise made it even more prevalent that they deserve so much more recognition. Whenever I am looking for a nominee, I put a post on Facebook or Instagram and get hundreds of messages from NHS staff, friends and family members who would like to nominate a loved one with so many touching stories.
“It’s very difficult to pick just one nominee, I wish I had the time and resources to fulfil every request.”
Her collective artwork was featured earlier this year as part of a solo exhibition in June, with hopes of new exhibitions of her upcoming work also to be announced on her website and social media.
You can follow Amy’s ongoing artwork at a stall at the Mumbles Pier Christmas Fair, December 8-12.