Art Blog

New House Portraits in Gisborne, New Zealand We are now in Gisborne where a number of my family members live, including my Mum. We are staying with my sister and her husband Paul at Wainui Beach.  Gisborne is a lovely laid back city on the east coast of the North Island. In fact it's the first city in the world to see the dawn every day. Here are a couple of my new Gisborne house portraits. That's it for now. Leisa  

Trail Bike Riding in Rotorua Forest Have now arrived in Middle-earth -- New Zealand that is -- for a painting tour and to see family. We got right into the true spirit of New Zealand and went trail bike riding the next morning. The air is SO fresh, the water SO clear. It's nice to be home and it always inspires me to get out my paintbrush and canvas and create new landscape paintings! Here we all are below, from left to right, Simone (sister),  Bruce (husband), Kurt (nephew), me, Monique (sister) and Dave (brother-in-law).  What fun!!! This area in Rotorua is called the Whakarewarewa Forest. I have done a number of paintings of the forest but there is no end to its beauty.   It has one of the oldest mountain bike networks in…

Colorado Log Cabin in the Snow I have always loved log cabins and after spending time in Colorado a few years ago, I realized that they fit perfectly with the harsh winters and alpine setting of this state. The ever-present mountains remind me of my New Zealand homeland and I saw the most beautiful sunsets while there. I found that log cabins in Colorado can range from a modest cottage to very large and elaborately crafted log homes such as the examples below. [caption id="attachment_28159" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Modest log cabin[/caption] [caption id="attachment_28161" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Elegant log home in the mountains[/caption] The origin of the log cabin dates back to around 1638, where the first log cabins were built in the city of Wilmington, Delaware. Most were constructed by settlers from either…

Taos, New Mexico Pueblo Revival Home Since living in the United States for the last 25 years, I have traveled extensively and have been lucky enough to enjoy not only the amazing natural beauty of this country but also the interesting and varied architectural styles that can be found in each state. More than often, I would not have time to complete a painting of scenes or homes I saw, so instead I snapped a few shots or did some rough sketches. This was the case in New Mexico some years ago. Adobe buildings really fascinate me and this one below is what is called a pueblo adobe revival. I love the way the pueblo building seem to “grow” out of the earth like beautiful rock formations and then blend…

Arlington - An Architectural Heaven! For anyone who loves architecture, Arlington Virginia is a great experience. There is such an interesting and eclectic array of homes and architectural styles. I try to select a broad range of styles for my series. Here are some of my recent house portraits subjects. As you can see they range from classic Craftsman and Bungalow homes to Colonial Revivals and some elegant Tudors such as the one below. To understand the architecture of an area, you need to know a little bit about the history and so I did a bit of digging to find out. Arlington is a residential suburb of Washington, DC located just across the Potomac River. It was originally named Alexandria County and was included as part of the 10…

Lovely Riverside Home Painting from Photo - A Fun Project! Recently, I had the good fortune of being commissioned to paint a home that is situated in a very interesting place -- right on the banks of the good ol’ Mississippi River in the mid-west state of Wisconsin. A client in Old Town Alexandria, who purchased the painting I did of their historic home, wanted this painting as a surprise gift for her friends. [caption id="attachment_28172" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Mississippi River House[/caption] The project sparked my interest in the area and I felt compelled to find out more about Mississippi River itself as well the architectural styles that can be found along its banks. I thought you might be interested in this too. The Mississippi River is the largest river system…

My Georgetown Home Portrait Series is Expanding! I have been very busy in Georgetown of late and my historic watercolor house portrait series has grown substantially. And so has the number of architectural styles. Here are a few examples, ranging from Federal, Georgian, Neoclassical and Victorian. [caption id="attachment_28175" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Victorian row house portrait in Georgetown, DC[/caption] [caption id="attachment_28176" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Georgetown DC Neo-classical home portrait watercolor [/caption] [caption id="attachment_28177" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Georgian style custom watercolor home portrait in Georgetown, DC[/caption] [caption id="attachment_28178" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Queen Anne style home portrait n Georgetown DC[/caption] [caption id="attachment_28179" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Hand-painted watercolor house portrait of Federal style in Georgetown, DC[/caption] As Georgetown is an area that is steeped in history, I thought you might be interested in some further information. Lined with quaint cobblestone…

Beautiful Bed & Breakfast in Annapolis, Maryland, makes Great House Portrait Subject! I am continuing to add to my Annapolis Maryland historic house portrait series and this classic Dutch Colonial Revival caught my eye.  Well it would be hard to miss it!  Situated just one block from the famous Annapolis City Dock and the Naval Academy, the Academy Bed & Breakfast  is right in the heart of the Annapolis Downtown Historic District.  Just a few years ago the building was run down and delapidated.   The current owners lovingly restored the building -- both inside and out  -- to its former glory.    I take my hat of to them. Doing a pen and watercolor painting of their lovely creation was the easy part! [caption id="attachment_28181" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Brightly colored 1849 home in the heart of Annapolis on Prince George Street[/caption]…