My 2-year-old’s abstract artwork is Instagram famous

The dining room wall of Chelsea Stonier’s Shropshire home features two imposing abstract paintings that have gained more than 150,000 likes online.

What makes these monochrome prints so popular? The artist, who is Chelsea’s two-year-old son, October.

Chelsea, 37, has been commissioning her toddler to add paint to canvas, adding surprisingly chic artwork to her interiors Instagram, The House That Black Built.

While some might not trust their two-year-old to paint without creating a crime scene, Chelsea has put all the necessary precautions in place, including extensive sheeting on the wooden floor.

‘We do it all inside the living room, but maybe outside is a better idea,’ she tells Metro. ‘I have someone else on hand with me in case he goes for the sofa.’ 

The young artist has now created four pieces for the family home.  

It all started a year ago. ‘I picked up inexpensive canvases; they were actually on offer. I thought I could always just paint over them in the worst case,’ Chelsea explains.

‘I used the paint samples you get in the shop – I have hundreds of them. 

‘I’m always trying to fill days with a toddler. I was definitely expecting it to be abstract. It went way better than I thought.’

Chelsea, an interior design influencer known for minimalist neutrals, has been publishing her house renovation to a following of over two hundred thousand people since she bought the house in 2021.

Always artsy, it’s no surprise she’s already teaching her young son to delve into his creative side. She encourages October to use his toys during painting. At the beginning, she says, he didn’t want anything to do with it.  

‘He’d lose interest really quickly; we’d have to redirect him. He loves it now!’ she says. ‘The biggest challenge is probably the mess. Half of the paint gets on his legs.’

Comments online range from ‘does he take orders’ to ‘why not use colour?’

Chelsea says: ‘Most people who commented adored it and thought he was very talented. A few people hated it, especially my colour choice. They also said it “looked like a toddler did it”. Which made me laugh, because he did!’ 

The art is part of a much wider renovation project that has seen Chelsea transform her family home.

‘We’ve been renovating for over five years now, but we’re getting to the nicer end of things, like hanging up paintings,’ says Chelsea, who discovered she was pregnant two years into renovations.  

 ‘We’ve been living in the house while renovating. It would have been great to stay somewhere else, but beggars can’t be choosers!’  

For a long time, they hadn’t even put up blinds and curtains. One year, they had no heating on the two-week run up to Christmas. There was also a period of no kitchen.

Nonetheless, there was a light at the end of the tunnel, and looking at the house now, it is visually stunning. Chelsea’s proudest room is her en-suite bathroom, which contains marble effect porcelain tiles. 

‘Everyone always thinks it’s real marble!’

But it’s October’s handiwork that’s brought her social media account to a whole new audience.

‘I like that it has inspired other people to make art and create with their children,’ she says. ‘Even if the outcome isn’t great, it’s still a fun way to spend an afternoon with your child. And if you’re lucky, you’ll finish with a piece you love and want to hang on your wall. My son is so proud of his artwork and points it out to anyone who visits.’