MUMMY'S GARDEN - ORIGINAL PAINTING BY AVA REID - 76 x 61 CM
 
Part of the 'HOW DO YOU KNOW MY NAME?' 2026 EXHIBITION; ARC Centre Gallery, Stockport
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In Mummy’s Garden, Ava captures the abundant, joyful chaos of a much-loved outdoor space, not just as it appears literally to Ava, but also as it feels to her.
 
Rings, loops, and clusters of colour cascade across the canvas in waves of orange, hot pink, acid green, navy and gold, echoing the layered abundance of a garden in full summer bloom. The cascading circles suggest the nodding heads of alliums and poppies which Ava's mum is very fond of; clusters of vivid pink dots tumble like cosmos in a breeze; looping orange forms represent the wild sprawl of climbing roses; dark beaded lines echo the twisting tendrils of clematis growing upward. The olive and khaki background anchor the composition inviting you to look to the quiet beneath.

But Mummy's Garden is about more than flowers, this is a place of deep significance to Ava. The family garden is somewhere Ava has known all her life and is a sensory sanctuary for her. For Ava this is a place of long summer evenings, a succession of family dogs weaving between raised beds, a place where friends gather for food and conversation, where the world slows down, and the last sounds of the day are blackbirds, sparrows, wrens and doves.

Painted in acrylic on canvas, Mummy’s Garden is a celebration of belonging, safety, and the extraordinary beauty found in the familiar.
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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.