Art Blog

13Sep 2016 by Leisa
My San Jose House Portrait Collection

My San Jose House Portrait Collection

House Portraits
Matching 1935 home and car  - my latest house portrait commission! The reason I love painting homes is because homes are about people. That’s what makes them fascinating.  Just as we are all uniquely different, homes reflect the personalities of their owners, they have their own character and are imbued with family memories and stories. I receive a lot of fun and unique commission requests but this one is a first!  A color coordinated home and car that were both born in 1935! [caption id="attachment_6930" align="aligncenter" width="980"] Matching home and car in San Jose, CA[/caption]   So here is a little story about the owners of these twins, my delightful clients Mike and Debi Hugill.  Now both retired, Mike spent 38 years in sales and most recently as VP Sales…
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22Aug 2016 by Leisa
Beach Home Portraits in Watercolor

Beach Home Portraits in Watercolor

House Portraits
A story about a beach cabin in New Zealand When I think of summer, my thoughts drift back to my homeland of New Zealand. Sparkling beaches, a family cabin and lots of sunshine and fun! This is a little story about summer in New Zealand. Unfortunately this particular story doesn't have a happy ending but the message is important for all of us. Every year our family would head off to a beach for our summer vacation.  My three sisters and I loved waking up to the sound of waves on Christmas day and like all kids we excitedly unwrapped our presents and would then dash down to the beach in our new swimsuits, try out our beach balls etc. (Remember summer is in December down under!)  One year when…
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06Aug 2016 by Leisa
Watercolor House Portraits in Summer

Watercolor House Portraits in Summer

House Portraits
Announcing my Annual Mid-Summer House Portrait Sale! It's that time of year again and before we know it, summer will be coming to a close and the cooler days and golden hues of fall will be engulfing us. Before that happens . . . I am launching my traditional mid-summer sale where I offer a 20% discount on all commissioned house portraits. This is a saving of close to $100. Summer is a wonderful time to capture the vibrance of homes and gardens with my watercolors. For my clients, you may want to think about a second painting of your home in a matching season, to make a lovely pair. Or perhaps you would like to commission me to create a one of a kind painting of the home of a…
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12Jul 2016 by Leisa
Alameda CA – Where Victorian Home Portrait Subjects Abound!

Alameda CA – Where Victorian Home Portrait Subjects Abound!

House Portraits
Some of my Painted Ladies of Alameda, CA  Alameda, in the Bay Area of California is famous for its Victorian houses and there is a beautiful array of painted ladies of all different sizes and styles. In fact 9% of all single-family houses (1500 in total) in Alameda are Victorian, and many more have been divided into two to four-unit dwellings.   It is said that Alameda has more pre-1906 earthquake era homes in the Gold Coast section than any other city in the Bay Area. Being that I love painting Victorian home I have had lots of fun with my Alameda series. I have now painted 25 homes and here are some of my favorites.   [caption id="attachment_6815" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Paru St, Alameda Victorian[/caption]   [caption id="attachment_6816" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Grand…
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06Apr 2016 by Leisa
DC House Portraits in the Spring!

DC House Portraits in the Spring!

House Portraits
Happy Spring! Newsflash!  My architectural work to capture the unique homes of the Washington DC area on my canvas was featured in DC in Design, a popular blog for this region. I thought I would brighten your day with lovely spring colors and give you a mini-exhibition of some of my favorite DC homes in the Spring.  Please enjoy! Cheers, Leisa
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07Feb 2016 by Leisa
Winter Home Watercolors

Winter Home Watercolors

House Portraits
Magical homes in the snow As the cold winter months linger on we often find ourselves yearning for warmer weather, however artistically these frosty days provide a soft beauty and tranquility that can not be matched in any other season. I thought you might enjoy a little tour of some charming winter subjects, but with a difference. In each case these snowy portraits are one of a seasonal pair, showing the contrast between winter and summer, spring and fall.   Lansing, MI - Winter Lansing, MI - Summer    Alexandria, VA - Winter    Alexandria, VA - Spring     Wellesley, MA - Winter    Wellesley, MA - Fall    Georgetown, Washington DC - Winter   Georgetown, Washington DC - Summer    For those living in colder clients, consider having me create a winter…
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22Jan 2016 by Leisa
Painting of Georgetown University, Washington DC

Painting of Georgetown University, Washington DC

News
Georgetown's Healy Hall in Pen and Watercolor Not so long ago I was commissioned to create a painting of this beautiful historic landmark. [caption id="attachment_6590" align="aligncenter" width="606"] Healy Hall, Georgetown University[/caption] I thought you might like to know more about the history of Healy Hall and Georgetown University.  I found the  Washington DC National Register of Historic Places  website to be very informative and much of the information below is from this source. Founded in 1789, Georgetown University is the oldest Catholic University in America. It has been administered by the Society of Jesus since 1805.  The first buildings were built around the "old quadrangle," including Healy Hall, which was constructed between 1877--1909. It was designed by Smithmeyer and Pelz.  Rev. Patrick S. Healy took on the Healy Hall project and…
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22Nov 2015 by Leisa
Original painting of Summer Portch

Original painting of Summer Portch

News
Front Porch Contest Winner! Over the summer I partnered with my good friends Mary and Dave Morris of Front Porch Ideas and More and provided the winner of their Pleasant Summer Porch Contest with an original painting of their porch. This winning home is located in Waxhaw NC in a lovely rural setting.  I love the colorful flowering plants and greenery decorating this porch.   The porch, which extends along the full width of the house was  adorned with 4th of July color.     This is the photo I selected to use for the portrait. I made a few slight changes so it looked even more welcoming and vibrant.     And here is the completed painting! Don't you feel like sinking down into one of those chairs and having…
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15Nov 2015 by Leisa
An original hand-crafted House Portrait – the perfect gift!

An original hand-crafted House Portrait – the perfect gift!

House Portraits, News
It's not too late for you to place an order for Christmas! There is no more personal gift than a hand-crafted one of a kind original house portrait that captures your "labor of love" and its treasured family memories. I find joy in tackling every architectural type and season and over the years I have created portraits of homes and historic buildings in 43 states across the USA.   You can view a further array of architectural styles in my website portrait galleries. Prices vary depending on size and framing.  CONTACT ME NOW FOR DETAILS Cheers, Leisa
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13Nov 2015 by Leisa
Atwater Village Featured House Portrait!

Atwater Village Featured House Portrait!

News
Atwater Village is a funky eclectic and artsy LA neighborhood and it was fun living there. Here is a write-up featured on the Atwater Village Neighborhood Council FB page with one of my Atwater Village paintings featured in their header. Check out what's happening in the Village! They have great restaurants, specialty stores and boutique art stores there. https://www.facebook.com/Atwater-Village-Neighborhood-Council-126009230754867/ Cheers, Leisa
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