York artist's tribute to much-loved Rowntree Park to go on display

A painting by Rebecca Cox, inspired by the beauty of Rowntree Park, has found a fitting new home in its café (Image: Rebecca Cox)

A painting inspired by the quiet beauty of a much-loved city park has found a fitting new home in its café.

The artwork, by Rebecca Cox, was created for the Art in the Park exhibition at Rowntree Park.

Now going to be reproduced for display in the park’s café, the painting captures the gentle presence of Canada geese and a swan gliding across the water.

Ms Cox said: "Some places become part of your life without you really noticing it.

"For me, Rebecca Cox, Rowntree Park is one of those places.

"I first knew the park as a child.

"Years later, I found myself returning with my own son, and it has become somewhere familiar again – somewhere to walk, watch the seasons change, look at the wildlife, meet friends with their children for a play, and sit with a cup of tea and a chat while the children enjoy themselves."

When the Friends of Rowntree Park invited submissions for this year’s Art in the Park, themed The Colours of Rowntree Park, Ms Cox felt inspired to take part.

She said: "I chose to paint Canada geese and a swan on the water.

"I was delighted when my watercolour was selected, and even more so to discover that it is now going to be reproduced for display in the park’s café."

Art in the Park is a project run by the Friends of Rowntree Park, a charity that works alongside the council to care for, maintain, and improve the park.

The project was launched during the Covid-19 pandemic as a way to foster community connection when people were unable to gather in person.

It proved so popular that it has continued.

Ms Cox, who studied art and sociology at university in Canterbury before a career in gemmology and the jewellery trade, said the experience has changed the way she sees the world.

She said: "Watercolour suits the way I like to look at the world.

"I am fascinated by light, transparency, colour and the tiny details that can make an ordinary object extraordinary."

Her current series, What’s Within, explores the hidden value in everyday objects by combining familiar foods and objects with gemstones, using the gem as a symbol of the goodness or value that can be hidden within something ordinary.

She said: "There is a connection between that work and the way I now approach places like Rowntree Park.

"I find myself looking more carefully – the colours in the water, the light on a bird’s feathers, the movement of the geese, the reflections.

"The small details that you might miss if you are simply walking through."

For Ms Cox, the painting holds personal meaning, linking memories of childhood visits to the park, time spent there with her son, and her return to art after a period of ill health.

She said: "Now the painting will become part of the park itself, displayed in the café where people can sit, meet and enjoy the space."

Ms Cox has also been selected to take part in North Yorkshire Open Studios 2027, where she will invite visitors into her garden studio to view her work.

Giclée prints of the ‘Canada Geese and Swan’ are available to purchase through her website.