This last year of confinement has been the subject of several of these works. This painting was inspired when I was staying some time in Canada this year, and this property was next door. It was very different from all the other properties. It was magical and overgrown and inviting. I was charmed by the slightly chaotic but whimsical nature of the space. I didn’t know who lived there and I didn’t think it was the time to be introducing myself to people. So I looked through the fence on my walks, enjoying the garden from a distance, thinking about painting it. I started taking photographs through the fence, then realised that that was a bit stalkerish, so eventually I knocked on the door and introduced myself, asking if I might sit in the garden and paint it. The owner was of course delightful and whimsical much like the garden and was very happy for me to paint her space.