Wigan gran gets painting for TV art contest

Self-taught artist Sadie Jones from Billinge, with some of her work, she was selected to take part in Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year TV show.

Sadie Jones, 61, decided to pick up a brush as she looked for hobbies she could pursue when she retires.

She discovered she had a creative talent and decided to apply to take part in one of her favourite television shows, Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year.

Sadie, who lives in Billinge,submitted three paintings for consideration and was delighted to be chosen as a “wildcard” for the latest series.

She said: “It is a hobby, I haven’t had any training. I was absolutely delighted to be chosen.”

While there are eight main contestants, she is one of 50 “wildcard” artists hoping to catch the attention of the judges and secure a place in the show’s semi-final.

The top prize is a £10,000 commission for a landscape artwork of Venice for the Royal Institute of British Architects

Filming took place in July, when Sadie and the other artists went to Gateshead’s Millennium Bridge to paint.

The episode will be shown later this month and while Sadie remains tight-lipped about what happened, she described it as a “brilliant experience”.

She said: “I did enjoy being part of the show. It was interesting to see other artists. I could see their paintings and how they did things and gain ideas from watching other people.”

Sadie, a nurse at a GP practice in St Helens, had a love of art as a child.

She said: “I was born in the 50s and when we were children we didn’t have TVs, so we spent a lot of time sketching.

“That’s how we would pass our time - sketching or making plays up or entertaining the adults.”

She did not take art at O-level and only decided to pursue her passion two years ago.

Sadie often takes photographs while out walking with St Helens Ramblers and uses them as the basis for her paintings, using acrylics.

Her work has impressed friends, who have asked her to paint their pets, and her grandchildren have been inspired to paint too.

Sadie will appear in the third episode of Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year, which will be broadcast at 8pm on Tuesday, October 29 on Sky Arts.