When telling people I was moving to Stratford in 2024, I often heard the energetic response “Oh you’ll find so much to paint there!” It’s taken a bit of time but I am beginning to understand their excitement about painting this small city.

Why I wasn’t immediately painting Stratford had more to do with time management than anything else. I had the move, the renovations, the lack of a studio, and commitments to other paintings and other shows. Yes, I took some time to walk around this very pretty town, and I took pictures when I felt moved by what I saw. I figured once I had some breathing room, I’d get to those paintings. And that has only just happened!

And perhaps not too ironically, these latest 2 miniature paintings are all about “breathing room” – moments when I slowed down and allowed in some calm and some awe.

This first mini, “Shakespearean Gardens, Stratford”, captures a lovely corner of this city park where I went to to escape a day of construction upheaval in the house. Walking through the park, I could feel the stress melting away and turning into wonder and awe. This park is beautifully maintained with bursting flower beds, places to sit along the Avon River, a gazebo, and a winding path. I stood in front of flowers, taking Lens photos to ask Google the name of these plants (I do not have a green thumb or brain!). A few hours later, I finished off my garden visit by wandering up to this sculpture of William Shakespeare, where he overlooks his flourishing namesake from this picturesque spot. I said a brief thank you to him, and continued back home much refreshed.

The second painting of Stratford is of our historical City Hall from a photo I took during the summer. The “breathing room” this painting delivered was two-fold. Firstly, the cheery warm colours and foreground flowers in the scene contrasted the extremely harsh winter weather outside my studio window as I painted. It provided hope that summer will eventually be back! And secondly, the beauty and complexity of this 1900 Victorian building provided me with more awe-filled discovery as I painted it – odd angles and ornate decorative features. The City Hall building truly rivals the beauty of the flowers in the scene, and I came to see how compositionally they belong so well together.

There is much more exploration to do in my new city, and the excitement is growing to be able to paint what I find!

Both miniatures are currently available directly from me. Use the Contact Form at the end of this post for more information on acquiring these paintings.