The colors in this acrylic painting sparkle, but still retain the authenticity that I usually achieve with oil paints. The scene is the garden in back of Shakespeare's house in Stratford-upon-Avon in England. This was painted from a photo that I took there in May, when the flowers were in bloom and it was that proverbial riot of color. In this painting, I wanted to capture the rich array of colors that you see in English gardens, especially on a sunny day. I'm not sure why the light seems so different in various parts of the world, but England's gardens are unique in the depth and variety of colors, even within the greens of a single plant. I painted this using the Charles Hawthorne (Cape Cod School) approach, using areas of color almost like a jigsaw puzzle of colors at one point. Gradually, I added the softening effect of local color until this painting captured the impression of one of my favorite gardens in the world.