Latchford artist announces opening of village of 'tiny eco houses'

The trailblazing career of Maxine Trainer has been followed by the media for several years as the 63-year-old has embarked on different ventures with her love of art and strive for change always staying within focus.

And the latest and most exciting venture for the painter has been the ongoing creation of a tiny village of eco houses that now sit within the grounds of her four-acre estate in Florida.

Originally from Latchford, Maxine has moved back and forth from her home in the small village of Titusville, Florida, and her hometown of Warrington - where she would regularly pitch up for months in advance to care for her elderly mother, Kate Trainer.

Despite some major hurdles including battling cancer twice, over the past two years Maxine has continued to build a collection of small eco homes made solely out of recycled materials which she plans to rent out to holiday makers and artists who fancy a trip to the popular resort of Florida.

The ‘tiny house village’ consists of four beautiful miniature homes, each one decorated to within an inch of its life and bursting with colour and character.

Last Saturday (April 13) saw the village open to the public for the first time, with Maxine able to show off her masterpieces – made with help of neighbours and friends.

Maxine spoke to the Warrington Guardian of the turbulent road that has led to the successful opening of the eco village, including the sad passing of her mother Kate in recent months.

Latchford artist opens village of tiny houses (Image: Supplied)
She said: “After many years of creating the tiny house village mainly from recycled materials, it is here.

“The times leading up to this were filled with many unforeseen events such as breast cancer, leg cancer and a few other little cancers in between, but for me, losing mum was my hardest time.

“The grief was very heavy and the past six months have been filled with many tears and many ‘move a muscle, change a thought’ moments, but I am so grateful to have spent the past two years of her life with her with many joyous moments where my focus on our time together was paramount.”

In remembering her mother, Maxine added that her next tiny house in the process of being built within the grounds of her Florida home will be dedicated to her and will be named ‘Kate’s cabin’.

“Now, I pay tribute to her with everything I do,” the artist continued. “I’ve created a garden called Kate’s Garden where I’ve planted roses and all the flowers she loved.”

Maxine’s fantastic creations will also be featured on American TV show The Blox, which can be streamed on Prime Video. The show shines light on entrepreneurs and businesses during a week-long competition.

Speaking previously on her ambitions for the tiny art village, Maxine said: “I really want people from the UK and Europe to experience the beauty of nature and be creative here in the village.

“We will be giving art and stained-glass classes and optional yoga classes to visitors, as well as bio luminescent kayaking lessons.”

The village will act not only as a stay for visitors but also as a retreat for artist to exercise their creativity.

To find out more about her work visit her Facebook page @Maxinetrainerart.