LUCY IN THE GARDEN - ORIGINAL PAINTING BY AVA REID - 81 x 102 CM
 
Part of the 'HOW DO YOU KNOW MY NAME?' 2026 EXHIBITION; ARC Centre Gallery, Stockport
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She exists nowhere but on this canvas, yet Lucy is every woman who has meant something to Ava.

This original acrylic work by Macclesfield artist Ava Reid introduces us to Lucy, a figure who lives only in Ava’s imagination, and is yet so real.
 
Lucy emerges from the canvas like a figure stepping out of a dream. Her face is calm and framed by a cascade of red hair, surrounded on all sides by a riot of pink, magenta, crimson and green. Rings and circles orbit her like planets. Flowers bloom at her feet. The whole canvas hums with a richness that recalls the gilded, pattern-saturated world of Gustav Klimt, lush, layered, and deeply felt.

Lucy is enigmatic. Like the Mona Lisa, she holds something back, quiet amidst all the exuberance around her.
 
That is because Lucy is not one person. She is many. She is an amalgamation of the women who have shaped Ava’s world. Her mum, her Nana, her Nanny, her art teacher Becca, and her PAs Laura and Sophie.
 
Every woman who has loved Ava, supported her, and believed in her, is somewhere in this painting.

This such a significant painting. To own 'Lucy in the Garden' is to own a piece of Ava’s interior world, the place where her art, who she loves, and  her imagination meet.
 
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About the Collection
 
How Do You Know My Name is a solo exhibition of original paintings by Ava Reid, showing at ARC Centre Gallery, Stockport throughout the summer of 2026.
 
The collection brings together Ava’s deeply personal portraits of people she loves, admires, and finds fascinating, and the places she relates to that both inspire her and make her feel safe.
 
The paintings display Ava's unmistakable style of bold mark-making, layered colour, and joyful, expressive energy.
 
Each painting is named for it's subject or place, making this a collection that is as intimate as it is captivating.
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About the Artist
 
Ava Reid is a Macclesfield based artist whose work is characterised by its confident colours, distinctive shapes, and joyful energy. As an artist with Down's syndrome and Autism Ava brings a perspective that is genuinely unique. Ava's work is never constrained by her own expectation of the finished product but are born of the purest creative instinct.
 
Ava's work has been celebrated for releasing genuine emotion amongst first time admirers as well as more seasoned fans. Her work is an outstanding example of art made by an artist with a learning disability that commands serious attention with it's vibrance and confidence.
 
Collecting an Ava Reid original means owning something that cannot be replicated, a piece of authentic art from one of Macclesfield's most exciting emerging talents.
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Original acrylic on canvas. 81 x 102cm. One of thirteen paintings in the 'HOW DO YOU KNOW MY NAME?' 2026 exhibition shown at the ARC Centre in Stockport, 2026. Sold unframed. Certificate of authenticity included.