Be my Valentine House Portrait!
Happy Valentine's Day! This moment was captured on a gorgeous spring day in the Capitol Hill historic district in Washington DC. Here's to a happy Valentine's Day, filled love and laughter! Leisa
Columbus Ohio House Portrait – a lovingly maintained historic home
Columbus, a preservation conscious city Over the last 10 years, I have travelled to every state in the USA and as I now embark on my new series of paintings of Columbus homes, I am finding a wonderful mix of architectural styles. From welcoming Craftsmen homes, to Victorians and Queen Anns, to elegant Tudors, Colonial Revivals, Italianate styles, Ranch homes and more, Columbus has it all! I am also seeing a general trend in the city where there is an increased awareness regards the need to preserve and protect older homes and buildings. My own experience regarding historic preservation, after traveling 50,000 miles across the USA, is that it is the homeowner who is the unsung hero in terms of investing their time, efforts and finance into lovingly restoring and…
The Beauty of a Winter House Portrait
Snowy magic in Illinois and a welcoming home in watercolor [caption id="attachment_14914" align="aligncenter" width="3714"] Home in the snow in Inverness, IL[/caption] Living in Michigan as I am currently, I sometimes curse the lack of mobility that winter brings. The snow ploys, salt, having to pry ice off the care, snow shoveling and not to mention the arctic temperatures! As an artist I remind myself that winter is actually a beautiful aesthetic time of year. Snow is a like a blanket of white magic that descends on us, quietly and peacefully. It covers ugliness and even the most dilapidated homes can look lovely, especially with warm light in the windows. Winter is your chance to wear your favorite sweaters and hat and scarf sets. It a time for cosy fires and…
Announcing the 10th Anniversary of Leisa Collins Art!
Highlights of the Past Decade. . . I don't spend a lot of time looking back as I'm usually too busy moving forward. However, surviving a decade as a small business while doing what I love is something worth celebrating! So before diving into the next decade, I decided to take a moment to reflect on the last 10 years, where I've come from, what I've achieved and the things I can truly be grateful for. So many of you have contributed to my success and I would like to sincerely thank you for that and share with you here some highlights of the last decade. The travel bug... 30,000 miles across the USA At the end of 2018 I achieved my dream of creating portraits of homes and historic buildings…
Happy Holidays!
Wishing you the joy of family, the gift of friends and the best of everything in 2020! One of the real joys for me this holiday season is the opportunity to say thank you for your support of original art. Best wishes, Leisa
News Flash! My Brand New Online Art Store!
Announcing my new LEISA COLLINS ONLINE ART STORE STORE OPENING SPECIAL: 25% off all items for a limited time with coupon code LCA25OFF I am very excited to "unveil" to you my new online store that includes over a hundred pieces of my art, most of which have never been viewed before. A number of the pieces available in the store are original works and ALL those on display are also available as prints in various sizes. As you know, architectural art is my artistic passion, so not surprisingly this is the theme of the majority of the work. So please dive in and take a look at my art store and I would love to hear your feedback. Let me know what work you liked best, as well as what you think…
Completion of One Hundred Historic Homes of Portland Series!
Portland Craftsman Homes, Bungalows, Tudors, Colonials, Cape Cod, Victorians and more form my Portland House Portrait collection. I have always enjoyed spending time in Portland. It's reputation of being quirky, cool, weird and green all at the same time, makes life very interesting. Its architecture follows the same mold. One of first things I noticed about the city as we ambled through it's unique neighborhoods -- stopping for coffee far too often -- is the number of solar panels on homes. And not just new homes, historic ones as well. That is always a good sign. I learned that Portland is a leader in the green movement, incorporating this trend into its urban planning over a decade ago. I discovered a feast of architectural styles and well preserved and maintained…
Summer is gliding away. . . but custom summer house portraits last for ever
Looking back on my favorite summer home portraits and gardens In the words of American Poet, Sarah Helen Whitman: "When summer gathers up her robes of glory, and, like a dream, glides away." I hope you all have had a wonderful summer and have enjoyed the magic of this time of warmth and color and growth. And while the season may now be disappearing, the good news is that art lives on! As do these portraits of an array of gorgeous homes and gardens in various parts of the country. Please enjoy this short selection of summer homes and gardens, starting with this delightful Portland bungalow -- first from the front, but you will not believe what the back looks like! (Keep scrolling...) [caption id="attachment_12792" align="aligncenter" width="808"] Victorian…
Newsflash! New York Times Article
I hope you are enjoying some lovely summer weather. I wanted to pass on some good news in the form of this article which recently ran in the Real Estate Section of the New York Times, entitled, Why Take a Picture of Your Home When You Can Paint it Instead I am featured with a couple of other architectural artists in different parts of the country. I was really happy that my painting below of the famous New York Times Plaza Hotel was included in the article as there is such a great story behind it. I was commissioned to paint this by a client as a gift for her husband for their 50th wedding anniversary. This is where they honeymooned all those years ago after their spring wedding. Now isn't that…
Father’s Day House Portrait Special!
In celebration of all Dads everywhere, I am offering a 15% discount for any original house portrait commission this Father's Day! This is a big thank you to the man of the house and to all my friends and clients who have renovated, painted and maintained their homes over the years, keeping them beautiful and art inspiring! I also provide beautiful Father's Day Gift Certificates -- customized if desired -- which can be presented on this special day. Here are but a few paintings of homes of fathers and clients who I happen to know have put a lot of time and creativity to make their homes both practical and enjoyable for their families. Ranch home in Arcadia, California Cottage in Rockville, Maryland Italianate home in Alameda, California Tudor in Burbank, California…
