Kelsea chatburn

Kelsea Chatburn is a Toronto-based watercolour artist, known for her vibrant paintings of Los Angeles and Asian street food markets. With a keen eye for detail and passion for bold, lively colours, Chatburn’s paintings capture the energy of and excitement of her subjects.

Drawing inspiration from her personal travels and childhood in the California desert, Chatburn’s work delivers a sense of happiness in the form of appreciation for cultural details of a subject.

Chatburn’s work reflects her academic background in history and sociology, recognizing subtle human social behaviours and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. Chatburn seeks to emphasize the beauty in obscure interactions, locations or objects that are intimately connected with a time and place.

Chatburn’s art practice is intuitive and focused—based on a particular perception of the viewer. She explores buildings, food, and simple landscapes. Her use of bold colour and shadow highlight areas of focus. She uses mainly gouache and watercolours to create her realistic scenes.