Trisha Romance Star of Wonder painting in Simcoe Park

Those who have visited Simcoe Park recently will have seen a reproduction of Star of Wonder, one of Trisha Romance’s famous Christmas paintings, at its entrance.

She was delighted to see it there, she says, but also surprised — she wasn’t sure how it got there.

For several years it was the centrepiece of the Christmas scene at the end of Mississagua Street by the golf course, but with the construction of the new gateway feature, town staff and the Chamber of Commerce and Communities in Bloom committee members decided the best spot for the painting was at the entrance to Simcoe Park. Staff installed the support structure and lights on Thursday, Dec. 7, for the holiday season, where it will remain until the end of January, says town spokesperson Marah Minor.

Because of the severe angle it was on by the golf course, Romance recalls, “it was often covered by snow, like a blanket. Imagine my unbelievable delight to see it in Simcoe Park, in a place of honour as we continue to celebrate our 40th anniversary as a gallery in NOTL.”

Every painting has a story, she adds, “and Star of Wonder is no exception.”

Romance says seeing her painting in Simcoe Park made her dream about a possibility for the future, an inspiration that came to her, and that she has already passed on to town staff.

She has eight Christmas paintings, “eight very distinct pieces,” and her vision is to see all of them mounted in a manner similar to Star of Wonder, although it is two pieces of wood with a seam down the middle — technology today could do a better job, she says. She pictures them placed at intervals along the pathway through Simcoe Park during the winter months.

“I always felt the park was under-used,” she says, “and to me it still is. I can remember when we first moved here, living across the street at the gallery, we were able to skate in the park — that’s going back 40 years. What a great thing it would be to see those pieces along the path in this town that is so magical at Christmas.”

Romance, now 72, says she struggles with her health, but quickly adds, “I’m the type of person who rises above challenges, in every way.”

Her father, she says, would tell her in stressful times that “‘you’re in God’s hands. You have nothing to worry about.’ And that was so comforting to me, that he lifted me up that way. I can still hear him say that. I don’t worry about the past, and I don’t think about tomorrow. I live in the present, like my grandchildren do. They are a true blessing to me.”

They are also an incentive to stay positive, she says. “I have five wonderful grandchildren. They don’t come to visit that often, but when they do, they love NOTL.”

“And my friends continue to sustain me,” she adds, “my collectors, and the many people who wish me well. I’m very grateful for them.”

She’s not actively painting the way she was, “not as quickly or as abundantly,” but has a studio almost completed. “It’s coming along, slowly but surely. What the next steps are for us, I don’t know.”

Although her daughter Tanya Peterson has taken over the day-to-day running of the gallery in Virgil, she is still a regular there, and very active, going in to signs cards and prints, and chat with people. “But I’m very fortunate to know my work is in good hands. Tanya knows the stories behind the paintings as well as I do. She is the right person to tell them — she lived through them.”

Romance still lives in town, loves work in her garden, and has a greenhouse where she can take her plants inside to look after over the winter.

“Once an artist, always an artist,” she says, and that is in everything she does, whether it’s gardening in the summer or decorating for Christmas at this time of year. “All those things I do fill me with hope, with faith and continued energy. That’s what keeps me going.”

Artist Trisha Romance shares story of Star of Wonder

My heartfelt gratitude goes out to all at the Chamber of Commerce and the Town of NOTL staff who were instrumental in the recent installation of my Star of Wonder painting at the entrance of Simcoe Park. It brought tears to my eyes and joy to my soul! How providential that it should find this place of honour as we continue to celebrate the 40th anniversary of our gallery here in Niagara-
on-the-Lake!

Star of Wonder will always hold a special place in my heart. It was a magical moment with my daughter Whitney while Christmas shopping in Old Town.

She was just a wee little thing who loved taking her time to observe the details of life around her. The snow was falling in giant flakes and darkness had already set in when I told her we must get home to get dinner ready for guests who were coming. It was only then that I realized that she wasn’t by my side! She had stopped to look at the brilliant Nativity Star in the Just Christmas Store window. I stood motionless as the star filled her face with light. This was more than an inspiration. This moment was a gift from God. It had to be painted!

In the days and weeks that followed it went from sketches to the final finished painting. I counted every minute I spent with it as a blessing. 

I hated to say goodbye to it in my studio, but eventually the time came for it to go to the printing press and then to galleries across the country and beyond. 

The reaction from my collectors was extraordinary. Star of Wonder had spoken to them just as it had spoken to me. As I went on tour with it I would tell people about Niagara-on-the-Lake and the magic they would discover there. But truly, Star Of Wonder became the little ambassador of the town.

Soon it became the most popular painting ever to leave my studio. Our Gallery Guest Book was filled with inscriptions from people far and wide. Many wanted to know where this painting came from . . . where was the exact spot in our town.

And so, to see Star of Wonder still greeting visitors to the town, 31 years later, now in Simcoe Park, brings me immeasurable joy. I am truly humbled!

Every painting has a story. And now my daughter Tanya who is the owner/curator of our Niagara Image Gallery continues to share those stories. 

As many of you know, my three children and treasured home on John Street have been the focus of my life’s work. They were a constant source of inspiration to me. But raising a family in beautiful Niagara-on-the-Lake with its magical and historical surroundings certainly had a lot to do with those endless inspirations.

Thank you again to all who were involved in the installation. “It even has lights,” I exclaimed when first seeing it. I know that such things do not happen easily, so my gratitude is never far from realizing that.

My wish is that all who pass Star at the entrance of Simcoe Park will be filled with the spirit of Christmas and a light-filled sense of hope and joy for 2024.

Trisha Romance

NOTL