‘Behind the Gate’
A series of small oil paintings inspired by the quiet corners of a mature garden, in the setting of a Victorian mansion. The series explores the spaces we pass without noticing, where light falls both softly and dramatically, and where time seems to slow.
Each piece begins with direct observation, and is painted en plein air. Gates, pots, paths and thresholds become places of pause - invitations to stop awhile, to appreciate and wonder more closely at what’s there.
This is a series about attention : celebrating the moments we almost miss.
A shadow falls across the old coal shed door, hinting at stories from another time. As nature slowly reclaims the structure, we can wonder at its many years of changing use. This intimate work balances structure and foliage, light and shadow, leaving the question gently unanswered.
What’s behind the coal shed door?
6 × 8 in Oil on canvas board, framed
£325
Well-used and worn, the pink pot has seen many seasons of planting and care. It tells a story of age, usefulness, and quiet endurance. This painting celebrates objects that earn their place through years of service — still useful, still beautiful, still holding things together.
It’s useful, that pink pot!
9 × 12 in Oil on canvas board, framed
£525
Between hanging baskets and tangled greenery, a simple bench offers a place to rest. This painting is about pause — a moment to sit, listen, and breathe while the garden carries on around you. Let’s honour the restorative power of small, quiet moments outdoors.
Rest here a while, weary gardener
8 × 6 in Oil on canvas board, framed
£275
Summer lights the way
10 × 8 in Oil on canvas board, framed
£325
Painted in the early summer light, this piece captures a path made irresistible by warmth and glow. The sunlight filters through foliage, turning an ordinary moment into something too beautiful to ignore.
This painting captures the moment where a garden path leads away from activity and into solitude. A place just beyond view, hidden by foliage, where time slows and sound softens. Painted from observation with a restrained, calming palette, it invites the viewer to pause and imagine stepping into that quiet space.
Where the garden turns quiet
6 × 8 in Oil on cradled panel, unframed
£250
Don’t forget the garden bin!
6 × 8 in Oil on cradled panel, unframed
£275
The faithful garden bin sits quietly among the greenery, always ready for action. This small painting celebrates the overlooked rhythms of garden life — filling, emptying, and filling again — and the quiet satisfaction of practical things doing their job well.
How to buy
If a painting speaks to you, I’d be very happy to hear from you.
Either email me at fiona@fimackenziestudio.com
Message me on Instagram @fimackenziestudio