Tameside based artist, Sylvia Haq has been busy raising much needed funds through her exhibitions at The Market Gallery for charity, Alzheimer’s UK.

Since opening in 2019, The Market Gallery has provided a space for local artists to exhibit and sell their work. Sylvia has exhibited several times, with each exhibition focusing on a different theme. Her first exhibition focused on sketches of places, and she exhibited alongside her friend Kay Patrick. They’d both had a long break from sketching and “picking up a paintbrush was like riding a bike.” She believes the pair of them have sketched every part of Uppermill as well as their favourite places in Tameside: Portland Basin, Ashton Market and Stalybridge Civic Hall. Their exhibition was a huge success raising over £600. She has since focused on celebrity faces as she couldn’t go out during lockdown and her current exhibition is focused on animals with pieces from her previous exhibitions mixed in. “Who knows what I’ll do next time” she laughs as her friend Kay suggests still life.

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She believes her artwork has improved over her exhibitions, as her ethos is “the more you do it, the more you improve.” She has taken this to heart, carrying a sketchbook in her handbag with her so she’s able to sketch at all times. She even sketches on holiday, last year she took her paints and a pot of water with her to Agadir which was promptly removed from her bag at security!

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She likes to sketch from real life but with animals and celebrity portraits she sketches from photographs – “you can’t get a mouse to sit still long enough to sketch it!”

She hopes to continue to raise funds for Alzheimer’s UK through selling her artwork. The charity is close to her heart as both her mother and sister have been diagnosed with what Sylvia describes as a cruel and tragic disease.

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You can visit her current exhibition until Monday 27th March by visiting The Market Gallery in Ashton Market. You can find out more about her exhibition here.

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