Mixed Media
Painting
Mixed Media
Painting
Painting
Painting
Perfumus Affair
Painting
Mixed Media
Sally's figurative oil paintings, and portraits, have a strong narrative and bold composition that provoke a feeling of curiosity from the viewer.
A witty charm and well observed sense of humor blends uniquely with a hintingly dark undercurrent.
"My works tend to be oils on canvas, but i have no hard and fast rules and will utilise any number of mediums, tools and surfaces to paint on. Pieces of wood, street signs, old leather, cardboard, xrays, furniture...anything that has an interesting texture or character to it.
All the frames are repurposed too. Silk Screen printing trays, old pub signs and mirror frames turned round the wrong way.
I work from a combination of life drawing, photographs and sketches."
"I am interested in the connection between viewer and subject, the artist being the middle woman. Bodies, people, their stories, their skin, the hidden shades and depths, from the inside out, a fabric that is always changing. Never predictable, always challenging and something i feel compelled to depict."
Sally has undergone no formal training in the land of painting, she has instead carefully tailored a life of endless travel, colourful and creative experiences, a curious mind, open heart, and a steely determination, into a self-taught education that currently spans 17 years.
A hairdresser & make up artist for the BBC and a trained wig maker by trade, Sally Whelan can always be found, some sort of brush or tool in hand, with a toothy grin and a bad back.
Sally confesses to being a "hoarder of surfaces, textures, colours and memories" thus, painting and making has been an inevitable path for her since she was little.
She travelled extensively in her early 20's, and eventually landed in Byron Bay, Australia. She lived here for 3 years in an artistic collective making films, props, sets and experimenting with sculpture, collage, painting, murals and worrying attempts at taxidermy puppetry.
This was a place of complete artistic freedom to try new things surrounded by incredible scenic beauty and likeminded folk.
Sally had her first solo art exhibition "Wolf & Beads" in 2010, in Byron Bay.
Moving back to the UK in 2012 Sally worked for the BBC and painted in her spare time.
She showed in group shows in London with other artists, before moving to Bristol, where she had her first UK solo exhibition "These Little Walls" in Stokes Croft, 2016.
Sally works endlessly on her own body of work, as well as comssioned oil paintings for the TV and film industry, and for private collectors.
She has shown and sold her work internationally, including Australia, America, Canada, Europe and throughout the UK.
She currently lives and works from her studio in Islington, London.
2020 'Fake News' - ArtCan Group Show - Offshoot Gallery - London
BBC Asian Network - Mobeen Azhar radio talk show - Interview The Goddess Sittings
Netflix & Eleven Film - Commissioned Portraits featured - Season 2 'Sex Education'
'Ministry of Art' - Podcast Interview
'Elevate 02' - ArtCan Group show - The Shard - London
2019 Winner of the CBPP Instagram portrait competition - feature on thier Instagram page
'Counter/Balance' - ArtCan Group show - Trinity Art Gallery - London
BBC, HBO & Bad Wolf Productions - 6 Commissioned Landscape Paintings - Season 2
'Phillip Pullman's Dark Materials'
Represented by ArtCan.org - London
'The Goddess Sittings' feature Lipszine Blog artists feed
Talk & Oil Painting Studio Session with art students from Nannawauk High School - Connecticut, USA
Oil Painting Demo - Woodhall School, Connecticut, USA
Oil Painting Demo - 550 Gallery, Connecticut, USA
5 week Artist Residency provided by Jenna Gonzalez - Connecticut, USA
Interview and photoshoot - Portrait of Frome/Tom Hull Photography
'The Goddess Sittings' Artitorial feature - Volup2 Blog
Guest Interview about 'The Goddess Sittings' project - Somerset Cool - Frome FM
'The Goddess Sittings' online feature - Brenda Magazine Blog
'The Goddess Sittings' a self realised project immortalising the power of women - UK, USA
2018 Interviewed & Work featured - Brenda Magazine; Issue 3 Red
Guest Interview about Solo Show - Somerset Cool - Frome FM
'Ive Fallen So Far, For The People You Are' - Solo Show - The Ropewalk Arts Pub - Bristol
'Ive Fallen So Far, For The People You Are' - Solo Show - The Silk Mill Gallery - Somerset
Ministry of Fabulous Abominations Memorial Exhibition - Group Show - Liverpool
Somerset Art Weeks Open Studios - Frome, Somerset
Pre selected for RWA Open Exhibition
Clifton Arts Club Open Exhibition - Group Show - Bristol
'6x6' - Group Show - Why Gallery - Frome, Somerset
'Sisters Dem Good' - Group Show - The Ropewalk Arts Pub - Bristol
'Incognito' - Group Show - ART 23, The Old Biscuit Factory - London
'Fe/Male' - Group Show - AIR Gallery - Manchester
2018 BBC, HBO & Bad Wolf Productions - 3 Commissioned Abstract Paintings - Season 1
'Phillip Pullman's Dark Materials'
2018 Netflix & Eleven Film - 3 Commissioned Portraits for Season 1 'Sex Education'
2018 Private collector - Commissioned Portrait - London
2018 Private collector - Commissioned Portrait - Yorkshire
2018 Balance Therapy - Commissioned Hand painted sign for shop frontage - Cardiff
2018 Private collector - Commissioned Portrait - Somerset
2017 Represented by Gallery & Barrow - Bath
Rotating selection of work for sale/sold - The Ropewalk Arts Pub - Bristol
'La Galleria Summer Exhibition' - Group Show - La Galleria - London
Pre selected for RWA Open Exhibition
Pre selected for Columbia Threadneedle Prize
Novella Coffee Shop - Commissioned Piece - Australia
Private Collector - 2 Comissioned Portraits - Australia
2016 'These Little Walls' - Solo Show - 123 Space - Bristol
2016 Private collector - Commissioned Piece - Bristol
2016 Private collector - Commissioned Piece - Bristol
2016 Private collector - Commissioned Piece - Bristol
2013 Private collector - Commissioned Piece - Bristol
2013 Private collector - Commissioned Piece - Cardiff
2010 'Wolf & Beads' - Solo Show - Byron Bay - Australia
2010 Private collector - Commissioned Piece - Australia
2010 Treehouse Bar & Restaurant - 3 Commissioned Murals - Australia
Mixed Media
Painting
Mixed Media
Painting
Painting
Painting
Perfumus Affair
Painting
Mixed Media