Portrait of the artist

"PAINTING has always been my therapy.

"Even as a very young girl, I always turned to painting in order to cope with things. I remember when I was sent away to boarding school because my mother was ill with multiple sclerosis.

"The headmistress was telling me all about the school and its rules and I was not really listening at all. I was just sitting there sucking my thumb.

"She didn't tell me off though. She finished speaking and turned and handed me paper and crayons to draw with.

"I achieved the same contentment from art then as I do now."

Sally Hamilton is an inspirational lady who has survived many highs and lows during her sixty years.

Married and divorced twice, Sally has four sons and two grandchildren.

"I finished school in order to care for my mother," says Sally. "My father had left when I was just two years old in order to go to live in Africa.

"When I was 18 I decided to visit him in Cape Town. During my return journey I met my first husband and went to live with him in Africa.

"I took my mother with me and nursed her through her final four years. I was 22 when she died.

"Her death was a relief in a way because she had suffered so much. I coped by painting - mainly pictures of African children.

"I was not confident enough to sell my paintings at first because I had made friends with what I called 'proper artists' who had been to art college and received proper training.

"Even now I feel jittery in the company of professional artists!"

Her marriage hit the rocks and she decided to return to England with her two children. "I stayed with an aunt who had just lost her husband," she says, "we helped each other really. All the time I was painting. She added: "Slowly I gained confidence and decided to sell my pictures in order to make some money."

Ironically Sally met the man who was to become her second husband, Tim, on the same boat that she had met her first husband, the SA Vaal, as it voyaged back from Africa with all her possessions aboard.

"Tim was in the advertising business. He loved my paintings and was very supportive. I suppose this was a time in my life when money was no object. I had twin sons and lived a rather lavish lifestyle.

"Through a friend I staged an exhibition in the Noel Gregory Gallery at Farnham Common. It was very exciting but very nerve-racking. I got known as 'the local artist' and I went from strength to strength, artistically.

"Unfortunately, the recession at the end of the 1980s affected my husband's business.

"We decided to come to live in the New Forest. I absolutely loved it - and still do. But sadly our marriage started to go wrong and Tim and I split up.

Sally admits that she felt depressed and angry about her situation but she was determined to find a way out.

"Even when I was doing three or four different jobs to earn extra cash I still painted. Painting is not work to me it is relaxation."

Then, totally out of the blue, Sally received a £1,000 gift from a cousin in Cheshire. "I phoned a gallery in Beaconsfield and asked if I could stage an exhibition.

"I then used the £1,000 to frame my paintings. It was a huge gamble but it worked. My paintings sold remarkably well and I doubled my money.

Sally adds: "Soon I was on a roll. It was great when a publishing company asked if they could use my paintings for a series of cards."

Sadly the roll came to an end when Sally began to have problems with her eyesight.

"If I painted a line I couldn't see it all. The line broke up in the middle. At first I thought it was tiredness but eventually I went to a doctor and was referred to a consultant.

"They told me I had Macular Degeneration and that it was the dry type that is incurable. When they mentioned the word blindness I didn't know what to feel or do. I was in a state of shock for a while and decided to tell nobody. I suppose it's like hoping it's not really happening. I shut myself away from the world for about six weeks.

"I am determined not to let this news ruin plans. I really want to feel that sense of achievement when I open the doors of my gallery for my exhibition."

Sally's exhibition on Africa will open on Monday November 24 at her gallery at 36 High Street, Milford-on-Sea.

AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION FACTFILE:

What is AMD?

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a condition that can affect the eyes as people get older. In fact, in the over 50s, AMD is the leading cause of sight loss in the UK.

AMD affects the macula - the small part of the eye responsible for central vision which allows you to see details.

AMD usually starts in one eye and is highly likely to affect the other eye at a later stage.

Wet and dry AMD:

Dry AMD is the most common form of the condition and develops slowly, eventually leading to loss of central vision.

Wet AMD is caused by leaky blood vessels inside the eye. It is less common than dry AMD but it can cause more rapid loss of vision.

What causes AMD?

The exact causes of AMD are still unknown. It appears that AMD runs in families, so anyone with close relatives who have suffered loss of eyesight is recommended to get their eyes checked more regularly.

Studies have shown a definite link between smoking and AMD. Other factors such as high blood pressure and poor diet can also lead to a greater risk of getting AMD.

Recent research has shown that vitamins (C and E), beta-carotene, copper and zinc supplements in a diet can help reduce the risk of developing AMD.

How common is AMD?

Today in the UK there are up to 500,000 people with AMD. However, less than one in seven of those will have the type of AMD that will cause rapid sight loss (wet AMD).

The chances of getting AMD do increase as you get older. However, most people get the dry form and this is currently untreatable.

Wet AMD can in some cases be treated and sight loss reduced, if it is spotted in time. In both cases, help and support is available from low vision services.

For more information on AMD, call the Macular Disease Society on 0800 328 2849.