Thick, knife-laid strokes of cream and ochre build a cottage courtyard in full afternoon sun. Pale blue shutters frame an open green door, climbing roses trail up the facade, and a mound of pink hydrangeas glows against the wall.

Violet shadows fall across the paving, where a calico cat curls up near a few sprigs of lavender. Terracotta pots of olive and herbs line the path toward a leafy, shaded garden, and a small bird perches on the window sill.