A thatched cottage with a garden filled with hollyhocks and delphiniums

Although he travelled extensively through the British Isles searching for subjects, Stannard's greatest inspiration came from the villages surrounding his house at Flitwick, Bedfordshire. He was inspired and influenced by Birket Foster's depictions of rural life, and as his paintings proved so popular, his subject matter rarely varied. He exhibited mainly at the Dudley Gallery, but also submitted several works to the Royal Academy.