Art Blog

My San Francisco architectural series debut! Over the years I have always enjoyed my time in San Francisco. What an architectural feast!  For one thing it is a Sister City to my hometown of Auckland, New Zealand, so that's a big plus.  Like Auckland a bridge spans across the city and harbor views, glistening water and flaming sunsets abound.  Both cities are very hilly which makes for interesting architecture, with tall elegant Victorian homes jutting out from narrow sloping streets. As always, I have chosen an eclectic mix of homes, and not only historic. SF's modern architecture is also very interesting. I am in progress on many more subjects but wanted to share some of my first homes with you. [caption id="attachment_6272" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Steiner St, San Francisco[/caption] [caption id="attachment_6255"…

We see homes from the front all the time . . . but what do they look like from the back? The owners of these house portrait subjects are clients of mine who commissioned me to create pen and waters that depict both the front and back views of their homes so they are able to represent their home as a pair rather than just one lonely painting. This first one is in Arcadia, California. It was an nondescript one story ranch home when the owners purchased it a couple of decades ago. [caption id="attachment_6111" align="aligncenter" width="738"] South Santa Anita Ave, Arcadia CA[/caption] [caption id="attachment_6112" align="aligncenter" width="738"] The back of the home with large open windows and doors.[/caption] This elegant colonial home is in Los Angeles. [caption id="attachment_6110" align="aligncenter" width="755"]…

Spring has truly arrived! Look at these gorgeous colorful watercolor home paintings.  Spring has to be my favorite season. Lots of new life and growth.  Here are two examples in Kensington, Maryland. [caption id="attachment_5995" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Elegant home in Kensington MD[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5996" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Another Kensington Beauty. This time a Victorian[/caption] Another home in Maryland, tucked away in lush tree-filled Bethesda. [caption id="attachment_5997" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Bethesda Maryland home[/caption] In the residential areas in DC I have found some true treasures. This is one of them.  A English style cottage that I estimate was built in the 1930's.  Look for the bird in this one. [caption id="attachment_5998" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Cute Cottage in Washington DC[/caption] Moving over to the west coast, there is a different kind of Spring growth. A California…

My first Most Art Inspiring House Portrait Contest and there will be more! It is my way of giving back to home owners who put so much time, money and love into making theirs homes beautiful.  They make my job so enjoyable!  The joy of doing original art is that every home is totally unique and therefore every final Leisa Collins Art portrait is also one of its kind. And the winner of the May 2015 Most Art Inspiring House Portrait Contest is . . . Jorie and Charley Vandenberg and their beautiful home in Ada, Michigan! [caption id="attachment_5945" align="aligncenter" width="700"] The winning home in Ada, Michigan![/caption] Thank you to the contestants. here are some of them below. The final voting results were very close See the other entries on…

The art of  the porch and outdoor patio ... One thing I love about living in South Pasadena is the interesting array of Craftsman and bungalow homes with their notably distinctive front porch design features. My love for porches further increased when my husband Bruce and I became familiar with a website called  Front Porch Ideas and More.  We also quickly became friends with its creators, Mary and Dave Morris, who we met for the first time last week when they came out to Los Angeles from their home in Nashville TN  to see family. [caption id="attachment_5925" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Dave and Mary with me and Bruce[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5926" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Mary and me[/caption] We had a really enjoyable time, chatting over lunch, and hanging out on our patio. Bruce and…