The Garden Paintings are a body of work by Norwegian artist Fredrik Værslev that represent the coalescence of architecture and art. Working through what has been described as an obsession with minute architectural details, the artists practice translates these notions into painting. Gardens, as an architectural motif, are Janus-faced: flora in nature once wild, are meticulously cultivated and compartmentalised within the context of a suburban garden. Thus, it becomes a frame for Værslev to explore divergent motifs further: from pattern and chance to something done and undone. While Værslev’s titular garden provides one frame, the appropriation of the wooden pallet supports another. The rudimentary platform, designed to withstand great pressures of weight, has been rendered obsolete by Værslev through its vertical orientation. The artists’ process, influenced in part by Pollock and Munch, involves a degree of chance, leaving pallets outdoors, exposed to the elements. Through the accumulation of marks and stains from both outdoor and studio processes, the final piece becomes emblematic of a space in-between two places. Værslev’s organic mark-making within the confines of a structured form allows these abstract paintings to emerge as a magnetic symbiosis of art, process and form.