"Garden of Enlightenment" by Peter Kokoszka of Meriden, CT. 

CT's Historic Gardens Announces Winner of 2026 Poster Art Contest

Connecticut’s Historic Gardens is pleased to announce Peter Kokoszka of Meriden, CT as the winner of the 12th annual Historic Gardens Day Poster Art Contest.

The Garden of Enlightenment is an 11” x 14” acrylic and oil painting. Mr. Kokoszka states: “This painting captures the mid-day summer sun glistening overhead as it fills one with the sense of peace and security in the religiously inspired Bellamy-Ferriday Garden. You can see the awesome power of a creator as you reflect on all he has made for us by observing all the things in this heavenly garden! With the peaceful setting of a historic house in the background one can visit here and forget the worries of the modern day and just relax and get a sense of what life used to be in the 18th century while reflecting on their own beliefs and values.”

Peter is a self-taught artist and associate member of Oil Painters of America. He is also a member of Wallingford Arts & Cultural Alliance in the town in which he grew up. His work has been published and displayed in many places such as Wallingford Magazine, Colored Pencil Magazine, Wallingford Art Gallery, Duchess Restaurant Cruise Night in Wallingford, Tindahan City Restaurant in Berlin Ct., Oil Painters of America, Florence Griswold Museum, Weir Farm Historical Park, Hospital For Special Care in New Britain Ct., The Gallery at Middlesex Health Shoreline Medical Center, U.S National Parks Services and Middlesex Community College. You may have seen him recently painting en plein air at Hammonassett Beach in CT. You can see more of his work at magnificentartstudio.com.

This year's Historic Gardens Day, an event that attracts garden lovers from throughout the state and beyond, takes place on Sunday, June 28, 2026.