Art Blog

28Sep 2014 by Leisa

The Flourishing Artist

Yes, you can become one! At a time in my life where many people are thinking of future retirement plans, I decided to pick up my art career where it left off - three decades earlier - and make my living solely from my art. Fast forward to now, five years later, I have a thriving original art business and around 700 clients across 41 states in the USA. I keep my own schedule, travel extensively, work on projects I am passionate about that help others, have sales reps on both the west and east coasts, and have so much work I can’t keep up with it. How did I do it? Here is where my story begins. At 17, nearing the end of high school, I was thoroughly sick…

04Jul 2014 by Leisa

My Arts & Crafts Style Show — You’re Invited!

News

Arts & Crafts Style Opening Reception right here in my loft -- Saturday July 19th. 5 - 9.00 pm. See the information on the postcard below. I am excited to be joined by three talented artists. It is going to be a fun show. For all my friends here in the Greater Los Angeles area, come along and bring your family and friends. It's always great to see you! Leisa

16Jun 2014 by Leisa

House Portraits in San Marino

House Portraits

Watercolor Home Portraits in San Marino, California Architecturally, San Marino is a very interested area. I think it can be best described as eclectically elegant with lush green lawns and manicured colorful gardens. From small bungalows [caption id="attachment_3813" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Cute bungalow in the heart of San Marino, CA[/caption] to elegant Italianate homes, [caption id="attachment_3814" align="aligncenter" width="477"] San Marino CA Italianate home[/caption] to impressive Spanish, [caption id="attachment_3815" align="aligncenter" width="473"] San Marino Spanish watercolor with beautiful garden[/caption] to interesting Tudors, [caption id="attachment_3816" align="aligncenter" width="514"] San Marino, CA, Tudor home[/caption] San Marino has it all! Interesting info re San Marino: The city in located in the San Rafael Hill and was incorporated in 1913. It was designed by its founders to be uniquely residential, with expansive properties surrounded by beautiful gardens, wide…

16Jun 2014 by Leisa

Arts and Crafts Watercolor Paintings

New Art

Historic Arts and Crafts Buildings in the USA Three of the "founding fathers" of the Arts and Crafts movement in America, whose impact is still widely felt today are the Greene and Green Brothers in California, Elbert Hubbard and Gustav Stickley. Over the last year or so my husband and I have visited three famous historic locations and here are my first paintings depicting them! Anyone who lives in the Pasadena area will recognize this famous structure, the Gamble House, which was a closely supervised project of the architect brothers, Charles and Henry Greene. Elbert Hubbard's Roycroft Campus in East Aurora, New York The home of Gustav Stickley in New Jersey, now a historic site and museum in his honor. Here is some information about these amazing characters. Charles and…

26Mar 2014 by Leisa

South Pasadena Historic Street Scenes

New Art

South Pasadena Historic District - Capturing the Magic in Pen and Watercolor! I love living and having my studio in South Pasadena! It's got that wonderful small town charm while being right in the heart of Greater Los Angeles. South Pasadena was incorporated as it's own city in 1888. With it boutique stores and interesting restaurants and cafes, the historic district of South Pasadena is a big draw for visitors and locals alike. I have tried to capture that special So Pas feel in this series of paintings. (For those interested in history, below the paintings is a write up about this, mainly taken from the South Pasadena City website.) [caption id="attachment_28115" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Meridian Iron Works in South Pasadena CA[/caption] [caption id="attachment_28114" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Busters Cafe, South Pasadena CA[/caption]…

05Feb 2014 by Leisa

Watercolors of Historic Buildings, Landscapes and More

New Art

Art Show at Kaldi's Cafe, South Pasadena This is where it is happening, this Sunday, February 9, between 1 - 4pm. Kaldi's Cafe is right in the heart of the historic district of South Pasadena. The building that is now home to Kaldi's was one of the earliest banks in the area. [caption id="attachment_28112" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Kaldi Cafe in South Pasadena CA[/caption] I will have originals of my South Pasadena series and high quality (Giclee) prints on display as well as some other work. Feel free to stop by for coffee and enjoy that special Kaldi ambiance. Plus it will be great to see you! Cheers, Leisa

30Dec 2013 by Leisa

Commissioned Landscape Painting

New Art

Landscape Painting of South Pasadena Scene I was recently commissioned to paint this scene from an amazing photo that a client of mine took looking up Fair Oaks Avenue in South Pasadena. You can see the intersection of Rollin Street and Fair Oaks Avenue in the foreground. This photo was taken a couple of years ago after a cold snap which whitened the San Gabriel Mountains that loom up in the distance. The painting was a lot of fun. It is a large one - 30 x 40 inches - that now hangs in a beautiful enclosed patio in South Pasadena. It was a nice change creating a big acrylic painting and I intend to do more. As much as I love doing architectural paintings and capturing homes in pen…

16Sep 2013 by Leisa

Historic Buildings of South Pasadena, CA

New Art

Historic Preservation Lives on Main Street, S0uth Pasadena The thing I love about South Pasadena is that it has always maintained a Small Town Atmosphere. By Southern California standards, South Pasadena’s 2010 estimated population of 24,904 qualifies it as a small town. The city’s boundaries have changed very little since its incorporation and today it encompasses approximately 3.4 square miles. The Mission and Meridian Street crossing -- which can be seen in my painting below, is where the Gold Line metro station pass through. With its historically preserved old buildings it is truly a town where the old fashioned Main street still exists. Please enjoy the first two paintings in my Historic South Pasadena Street Scene series! [caption id="attachment_28115" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Old Meridian Iron Works in South Pasadena CA[/caption] Another…

03Sep 2013 by Leisa

Official Ribbon Cutting for the Opening of My New South Pasadena Studio

News

On Wednesday, the 21st of August, I had the ribbon cutting of my new studio in South Pasadena. I was privileged to have the Mayor of South Pasadena Richard Schneider in attendance and who helped to cut the ribbon. Annika Burman, a local artisan and representative of the South Pasadena Chamber of Commerce and Barb Skoog, a local artist helped out, too. Just want to mention and thank Scott Feldmann, the president of the South Pasadena Chamber of Commerce, and Bill Glazier, the editor of the South Pasadena Review weekly newspaper, for also attending. The really nice thing is that my mother Melva Collins was in town for the event as she happens to be visiting from New Zealand. She is an artist who did architectural art in NZ years ago…

21Aug 2013 by Leisa

More Studio Photos

News

Here are some further photos of my new studio in South Pasadena. I am having an official open house today with a ribbon cutting ceremony and everything. Members of the South Pasadena Chamber of Commerce and City Council will be here to help me cut the ribbon at 6pm. The address of my studio is 812 Fremont Ave, Loft 101, So. Pasadena. You can enjoy the slideshow below. [gallery columns="4" link="file" type="slideshow" ids="3556,3557,3558,3559,3560,3562,3563"]

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