Memories of Sylvia Forward by Emily Witt
I first met Sylvia when I was around seven or eight years old. At the time, I wasn’t particularly confident academically, but I found comfort and motivation in being creative. My parents, who were friends with Sylvia, knew how kind and talented she was and suggested I join her at the local evening art classes. They were free to attend, open to anyone, and I benefited from Sylvia’s seemingly unending generosity.
I believe I was the only child to attend these, yet Sylvia completely took me under her wing. She never made me feel out of place. Instead, she helped me grow in confidence, not just creatively, but personally too.
Sylvia had endless patience, empathy and a deeply supportive nature. It felt calming just to be around her. She taught me ow to draw, how to experiment with different materials, and that art could be a way of expressing how you feel. She encouraged me to go with the flow and explore what I loved which, at the time, was painting animals.
I’m incredibly lucky to still have some personal pieces she created for me. One in particular, titled ‘Shy Star’ captured something so true about my younger self; my quiet nature and my connection to caring for animals. It felt like she really saw me.
She also gifted me a hand-painted silk scarf, which I later framed. It now hangs proudly in my kitchen alongside her fruit bowl painting. Both pieces bring colour and joy into the space every day, and with them, warm memories. I’m so proud of them and I get so many compliments about them from friends when they visit. My parents also have a painting that Sylvia did from things I found beach-combing on holiday.
I hope Sylvia knew just how talented she was, and how much of and impact she had on people around her. She brought calm, kindness, creativity and comfort into our lives, and I will always be grateful for the confidence and encouragement she gave me at such an important age in my childhood.
