Sally Ede-Golightly is a Guernsey-born artist whose love for her island home and heritage led her to co-create the Fabric of Guernsey exhibition in collaboration with Le Tricoteur and Art for Guernsey. The exhibition launched at the end of 2024 to much acclaim, highlighting a collective enthusiasm for the Island’s home-grown garment.
A year on from the successful exhibition, we sat down with Sally to discuss her work and creative process and to see what’s in store for her for 2026.
What drew you to become involved in the Fabric of Guernsey project?
There is something so authentic about the guernsey – and it appeals to so many different people. It really transverses age and gender groups, professions, geographies... It’s an item of clothing that people seem to wear with pride – as though they are in on a secret, part of a club and representing something they are proud of. The guernsey has so many personalities and stories to be told – which are brought to life by the people who wear them. Then there is the history - which makes the project as deep as it is wide. There is just so much story-telling potential (which is crucial for my approach to painting), I feel that we only scratched the surface in the twelve images made for the exhibition.
What was your process to bring to life these rich stories?
I do a lot of research and thinking before I start a painting – sometimes for many months. I won’t start until I have a clear composition in my head, and a strong (excited) feeling that it’s going to work and what it might look like. If each painting is like a book cover for an untold story and invites questions and intrigue, but still has beauty and appeal, then I’m happy.
Do you have a favourite story of the guernsey that you uncovered in your research?
The exhibition led me down a rabbit hole of British naval history and I listened to many podcasts and lectures while painting. Most of all, I enjoyed reading the letters between Nelson and Saumarez (some of which were dated three days before Nelson’s death) and finding references to Guernsey. I also came across an account from Keats, who I believe worked for Saumarez, of a particularly bad winter in the Baltics and 1000 ‘Guernsey frocks’ and 1100 ‘stockings’ were ordered (from the book Admiral Saumarez versus Napoleon). Guernsey frocks was the name given to the guernsey jumper at that time.
Do you have a guernsey of your own with a story behind it?
I live in jumpers all year round and guernseys make up a good proportion of my collection! I love an oversized guernsey with rolled up sleeves and a shirt underneath. I’m lucky enough to have a few from my grandfather (or Opa) which are XXL. Usually with patches and darned elbows. There is something special about wearing someone else’s jumper.
What does the next year hold for you? Where else can we see your work?
I exhibited one of the paintings from the Fabric of Guernsey at the Green & Stone Gallery in Chelsea over the summer of 2025 which was a great honour. I have also just completed a large commission for a corporate client in London which will be hung in the next few days, and I am very excited about it. I have some plans for exhibitions further afield, which I will be working towards in the coming year or so. But for the moment I am hiding away completing commissions for the next 6 months or so with no plans to exhibit, but people can follow my progress with this work on my instagram - @sallyedegolightly
