Rosie’s garden, Bankside Street, Leeds 1991

A hot and sunny day last century, in a friend and neighbour’s garden.

I’m lucky – quite a few people over the years have said to me, “Come and paint in my garden!”. For a long time I lived in places where there were no gardens, only yards – some parts of Leeds 8 are just bricks, cracked concrete and tarmac.

And so it was a kind offer when Rosie said I could paint in her garden and I took it up. She also lent me her car about 500 times before I could afford my own.

This painting is from the summer of 1991 – I remember the oriental poppies that Sumi had planted a few years before, they kept re-seeding themselves. And it looks like broad beans in front of the trellis.

Thanks for the encouragement and all your generosity, Rosie Foster (1953-2015).