Chelsea Gustafsson 1st January 1970 - 1st January 1970

Backyard Ensemble 2025, oil on board, 100cm x 100cm

‘Backyard Ensemble’ is a sculptural accumulation of detritus from the yard: a bucket of clippings from the neighbour’s fig tree that were scraping against the roof late one night; a lawn chair pulled out from the shed to brush off dust and spiders; pool toys dug out of the box of ‘summer fun stuff’. A spring day spent tidying up the backyard, the new warmth offering hope for the summer days to come, quickly turned into some fooling around with objects dangling from the clothesline – just because it’s fun having fun.

I started this painting well over a year ago, due to its size and my available time for ‘play’ meant it spent some time facing the wall waiting for my return. Working on this size offers me the opportunity to play with a variety of brushes and techniques. Whilst I lay paint down quite thin, I also enjoy applying areas with a palette knife, brushing over with a house brush and wiping sections back to expose the layers underneath.