I interviewed Rudy Gomez in July of 2015. Rudy has been living in Chicago his whole life and in his West Rogers Park home for 20 years. The backyard is a place where his family gathers to socialize and also a place that Rudy goes when he’s having a bad day. I made a painting of Rudy’s backyard because it feels like the heart of this home. On the Saturday morning that I visited members of his extended family had already begun to assemble on the back patio. The patch of grass and flower bed at the back of the yard are carefully tended to and it feels very much like a place that has hosted many celebrations. And, as Rudy described, it’s a place of respite on a bad day.