Local artist painting in parks to help bring them to life

NEW HANOVER COUNTY (WWAY) — Painting is often done on a blank canvas, but what happens when that canvas is a sidewalk or playground?

“Today, I’m actually painting in the park. I came out here and we found some imperfections in the park and created some really cool characters. I do all sorts of art, really anything that comes my way, I get excited about new projects so,” said Sally Martin, a local artist in the area.

Sally Martin is being commissioned by New Hanover County Parks Conservancy to put her skills on display.

“One of my first projects was for Airlie Gardens, they have something every year where they do things you can decorate, it was like a squirrel one year. They reached out to me and asked me to paint in the parks and I was like ‘sounds like fun’,” said Martin.

Sally says she’s been painting ever since she could pick up a brush. We asked her what her favorite thing is about these unique projects.

“Art is everywhere and I guess I get really emotional thinking about it because, you know art makes people happy and it makes people smile. It’s for me like a way that I can almost just give back to my community. Also, like inspire kids, I love kids. so, when they see it they’re just like ‘oh it’s so cool’,” Martin said.

You can learn more about Sally’s work here.