In May, Mackenzie unveiled his latest artwork at the 2019 Welcome to Yorkshire garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. ‘Under the Moon and Stars’ was inspired by Mark Gregory’s Gold Medal-winning garden and celebrates Yorkshire’s rich industrial heritage and the beauty of its canals and waterways.

The evocative Yorkshire scene shows an adult and child standing under a star and moonlit sky, in a field of wildflowers, beside a canal, looking out to the hills rising in the distance.

Mackenzie’s appointment as the official artist of the 2019 Welcome to Yorkshire garden at the world’s most prestigious flower show was his latest landmark commission for Welcome to Yorkshire, following his work for this year’s Tour de Yorkshire cycling race. Mackenzie’s prominent part in both events come as he marks 30 years as a professional artist.

Mackenzie Thorpe said:

“I am a Yorkshire man through and through and as an artist the whole county is a never-ending source of inspiration. Every season brings something different and when the flowers bloom it adds an extra dimension. I was really pleased to see the lock and canal incorporated into the garden design, acknowledging Yorkshire’s industrial heritage, which adds to the natural beauty of our countryside and it was my task was to try and incorporate it all in one single painting!

“I visualised the garden as if it really was in Yorkshire, with rolling hills in the background and imagined being in that landscape, on the edge of a canal, standing under the moon and stars, taking in the glorious peace and beauty of a summers evening, surrounded by the scent of a glorious balmy Yorkshire and reflecting on how wonderful life can be.”

Garden designer Mark Gregory from Landform Consultants said:

“It’s brilliant to see Mackenzie’s magical work right here on the garden which inspired it. It’s obvious we are both hugely proud of our Yorkshire roots and you can see how this shines through in our creations which capture the spirit and essence of our beloved county.”