The Backyard Artists are celebrating 25 years of artistic endeavour this weekend.

So called because because three of the four founders all had full-time jobs but spent their spare hours working in whatever space they had – sheds, back gardens and outhouses to create their works of art.

It was back in 1992 when fulltime ceramicist, Jo Wheatley, got together with fellow Rowhedge artists Hilary Taylor, Andrew Webber and Stuart Livingstone to form the group.

Their first exhibition the following year started what was to become an annual garden exhibition, now held in the garden of sculptor David Piercy.

For their 25th exhibition this weekend 17 artists will be exhibiting in the Parkfield Street garden once again in Rowhedge from 11am to 5pm each day.

Work includes glass, sculpture, painting, drawing and prints. In addition to new work, the core group of 12 artists will show selected pieces from the past 25 years, revealing something of their transformation over a quarter of a century.

Refreshments will be available as will live music from the Dragonfruit duo on Sunday afternoon.

There’s no entry fee to the exhibition but with very limited space in nearby streets visitors are encouraged to come by ferry from Wivenhoe or to walk, cycle, or use public transport.

The exhibition always attracts lots of visitors and among new faces will be old friends who will remember the first exhibitions in the early Nineties. Over the years the group have exhibited around East Anglia including at the Tower Gallery Walton on Naze, Red Lion Bookshop, Seaview Gallery Walberswick, Les Livres Gallery Colchester Library and Aldeburgh Cinema.