Elyse Lewis has spent her summer holiday this year making her mark on Stratford.
The talented teenager was commissioned to design and paint a Shakespeare themed mural on a wall in King Edward Park, a project she says has been challenging and fun.
"I like doing portraits but doing a portrait on this large scale, where so many people will see it, is certainly a challenge, but I like challenging myself and I like making myself try things which aren't easy."
Elyse, who is a Year 13 student at Sacred Heart College in New Plymouth, says she has always enjoyed art, but hadn't expected to have such a public canvas for her work by the time she was 17.
"I went through the Blue Light programme and it is through that I got offered the chance to do this."
She says Blue Light co-ordinator Saskia Mills showed some of her artwork to someone at Stratford District Council who then asked her if she was interested in creating the mural.
"I was immediately keen, it's a great opportunity, and I enjoyed the whole process, coming up with a design that suited the location and theme."
After being told Shakespeare himself was the theme, Elyse says she knew immediately she would make a portrait of him central to the mural.
"Then I thought I would include Romeo and Juliet as they are from one of his most famous plays and I wanted to incorporate nature as well because the mural itself is in a park."
With her design finalised, Elyse then started work on the mural itself, and has spent many hours in Stratford working on it.
"I like it. People stop and watch sometimes, and it is nice to know it will be here for a long time. It's a good way to display my art."
More of Elyse's work can be seen online on her Instagram: lys.lewis