Rationale

Artwork Title: In Your Backyard

Brisbane artist Gus Eagleton invites the viewer into a moment of suspended tranquility, drawing inspiration from a photograph captured at one of his favourite local swimming holes.

The work relies on a masterful manipulation of light, where shimmering reflections dancing across the water define the composition. Eagleton’s technique allows him to render the intangible – the way sunlight fractures upon a moving surface – into a vivid, tangible reality. By capturing these luminous shifts, he effectively transports the viewer to the water’s edge, grounding the abstract play of radiance in the specific, grounded reality of the Australian landscape.

The result is an immersive sensory experience that bridges the gap between personal memory and shared presence. As the light cascades across the canvas, the boundary between the work and the viewer dissolves, allowing the audience to feel the warmth, the stillness, and the cooling relief of the site as if they were standing there themselves. It is a quiet study in atmosphere, transforming a fleeting snapshot into a permanent, evocative dialogue between nature and light.

About Gus

Gus Eagleton is a Brisbane-based contemporary mural artist delivering public and private commissions across Australia and internationally. A 2013 graduate of the Queensland College of Art and Design, he has over a decade of experience in large-scale painting and has earned international recognition, including the Lord Mayor’s Brisbane Portrait Prize. His practice explores the lives of everyday people, blending imagery from diverse times and perspectives into compelling figurative narratives. Eagleton has completed projects for councils nationwide and organisations including Hutchinson Builders, Mirvac, Queensland Rail, Scentre Group, IBM and Alder Constructions, with works spanning 30 metres high and 200 metres long.