Art Blog

29Jul 2025 by Leisa
Altadena House Portrait of Home Lost to Eaton Fires

Altadena House Portrait of Home Lost to Eaton Fires

News
Original portrait of home to capture special family memories. . . A home isn't just a structure—it's where memories, routines, and identity are formed. Losing it can feel like the death of a loved one.  It is one of the most traumatic and destabilizing experiences a person or family can go through. The impact ripples across multiple dimensions of life. When the deadly Eaton Fires swept through Altadena CA last January, it's impact was profound.  Over 9,000 structures were destroyed, including homes, beloved businesses, and historic landmarks. This mangled fire-charred Altadena home was one of the sad casualties.  My client, Trafton, contacted me recently saying that this was the home he and his siblings grew up in and that he would like me to create a house portrait of the…
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07Jul 2025 by Leisa
Working on my Dunedin House Portrait Collection

Working on my Dunedin House Portrait Collection

Coffee Table Book, Historic Preservation, House Portraits, News
My Dunedin Connection. . .  Growing up in New Zealand, I always longed to visit Dunedin Scotland.  Although I have since travelled all over England, I still haven't made it there.  But ironically, Dunedin, New Zealand, was one of the first cities I explored on my travelling artistic adventure throughout NZ in the late 70's. [caption id="attachment_52345" align="alignleft" width="400"] Dunedin, New Zealand has same coastal vibe as Dunedin FL[/caption] Since then I have to come to realize that Dunedin Florida has some stark similiarites. They are both situated on the coast, and both have very interesting architecture, which for me is always a main draw. Dunedin NZ, the oldest city in the country, was founded by Scottish settlers and its name also derives from the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh,…
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03Jul 2025 by Leisa

Custom Wedding Gift Painting: A Lasting and Timeless gift

News
When my neice Katie married Jon, the special ocassion was celebrated with a beautiful destination wedding at the historic Chateau Grimaldi in France. My husband and I grappled with what meanful gift we could give them. I really wanted to create a unique custom painting to capture the moment. One that would memorialize the event and last a lifetime. So I put together this gift certificate as a promise of the gift to come. [caption id="attachment_52300" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Wedding gift certificate for pen and watercolor painting for Kaite and Jon[/caption] The wedding was of course magical, and union made offical and Katie and Jon started building thier married life together. A little while later, Katie sent me a photo that she particularly loved and asked me tu use this to…
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12Jun 2025 by Leisa
House Portrait gift for Father’s Day

House Portrait gift for Father’s Day

House Portraits, News
It's not too late . . . the perfect gift for Dad  As you know, every house has a story. . . Meet Jimmy, a family man who recently lost his wife of 41 years. The final blow was having to move out of their beloved home and into independent living.  I was asked to create this portrait of the family home to capture all the special memories and it  now hangs on the wall for Jimmy to enjoy every daFor the wonderful father in your life, give the gift of a custom Father’s Day House Portrait Certificate. (See sample below.) [caption id="attachment_52218" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Meet Jimmy, a family man and husband, who was gifted this house portriat of the family home[/caption] 15% OFF YOUR FATHER’S DAY HOUSE PORTRAIT GIFT CERTIFICATE I…
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12Jun 2025 by Leisa
Artist Spotlight: Martin Tran Photography

Artist Spotlight: Martin Tran Photography

News
Over the years, I’ve gotten to know some very talented artists on social media. I greatly admire their work and they seem like marvelous people even though I’ve never met them in person! They’ve been so supportive of my work, and I thought it would be nice to shine a spotlight on them on my blog and social media. The first artist I will focus on is Martin Tran of Martin Tran Photography. I’m sure you’ll find his photographs as beautiful as I do. His nature photography is absolutely stunning. He’s able to capture places I’ve been before and make me see them with new eyes. In addition to being a wonderful photographer, he’s also very generous with his support of other artists. I was able to ask Martin some…
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09Apr 2025 by Leisa
House Portraits Old Town Alexandria VA

House Portraits Old Town Alexandria VA

Historic Preservation, House Portraits, News
Pen and Watercolor Old Town Home Memories Old Town Alexandria, has always been a special place for me as it is where I lived and launched my art career 15 years ago.   Due to the success of my national coffee table book which includes portraits of homes and historic buildings in all 50 states, I am now focusing on creating more work to include in an art book that features my portraits of Alexandria with emphasis on Old Town, the historic hub of the area. Known for its rich history and beautifully preserved architecture,  some of the buildings in Old Town date back to the  late 18th century. Lee/Fenall House: I just completed this protrait of the Lee-Fendall House, which was built in 1784. General Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee,…
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28Mar 2025 by Leisa
Announcing upcoming Art Show!

Announcing upcoming Art Show!

New Art, News
I am excited to announce our upcoming annual art show "Artists Amongst Us", being held right in my St. Louis neighborhood of Benton Park on Saturday April 26 1 - 6 pm. Its a pop-up and will once more feature the Group of 4 Artists, myself, Scott Bean, Phyllis Terry Friedman and Don Morgan, along with guest artists who are also live in Benton Park. They are Jeff Lockheed, Phil Jarvi and Jeff Gusdorf. I encourage anyone who lives in the area to drop by. It's going to be a good one!
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17Mar 2025 by Leisa
House portrait immortalizes home destroyed by Hurricane Helene

House portrait immortalizes home destroyed by Hurricane Helene

House Portraits, News
Rebuilding one's home after tragedy. . . On September 26, 2024, as the light began to fade, the fury of Hurricane Helene was intensifying. Julie stubbornly remained in her home, anxiously looking out the window but ignoring orders to evacuate; clinging to the hope that her sturdy brick ranch home and beautiful gardens would somehow withstand anything Helene could give out. At 9 pm, sparks started flying off the transformers and suddenly, as if released from a dam, water began gushing down W. Davis Blvd, transforming the normally idyllic treelined street on Davis Islands, Tampa, into a surging river. [caption id="attachment_50934" align="alignleft" width="470"] Julie's engulfed home on Davis Islands, Tampa[/caption] Julie knew it was time to go. She collected her most prized possessions and hurriedly left 110 W. Davis Blvd,…
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27Feb 2025 by Leisa
Personalized House Portrait Print Service for My Clients

Personalized House Portrait Print Service for My Clients

House Portraits, News
How do I make prints of my original house portrait? Today another client contacted me today and asked what has become a commonly asked question. . . “What is the best way to make prints of the portrait of my house? I want to give a nice framed print to my son who is going off to college." I thought that everyone knew that I have a fabulous way of doing this!  But obviously, that is not the case or I wouldn’t get so many pleas for help from my clients. So I wanted to remind you of this specialized client service that I offer.  This is something that I set up a couple of years ago especially for you.  It is simple, fast, very reasonably priced, and best of…
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26Feb 2025 by Leisa
Crumbling Church becomes Vibrant Community Art Center

Crumbling Church becomes Vibrant Community Art Center

Historic Preservation, News
This is the story of an old building in Grand Rapids Michigan, that is now being transformed and restored to its former glory. A couple of months ago, while in Grand Rapids we stopped in to see the progress being made on a historic preservation project that is very near and dear to my heart.  This beautiful 150-year-old church at Hermitage at Diamond, in the heart of Grand Rapids, was once a forlorn and dilapidated structure. That's when we lived a few blocks away in Grand Rapids. And that was before community leader, preservationist and friend, Carol Moore, took on the project.  She has rescued a number of landmark buildings in the area over the last three decades and this is her most ambitious project to date. She is currently…
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