Art Blog

14Nov 2023 by Leisa

City of St. Louis House Portraits and Surrounding Cities

First Phase of House Portrait Series of Greater St. Louis Completed! [caption id="attachment_37213" align="aligncenter" width="2225"] Class St. Louis historic building: original painting of Spine Cafe and Book Store in the Benton Park neighborhood, St. Loui[/caption] Watercolor paintings covering 21 distinct areas Situated on the banks of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, St. Louis became the “Gateway to the West” in the 19th century for the adventurers and settlers following the path of Lewis and Clark into the new frontier. Early architecture in St. Louis had strong French influences along with Victorian, Italianate, Federal and Colonial styles. Tudor homes became popular in St. Louis in the early 1900s. This architectural mix is reflected in neighborhoods like Benton Park, Lafayette Square and Carondelet. I can truly say that the the residents in this…

07Nov 2023 by Leisa

Lake Bluff Illinois House Portrait Collection

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The first of my custom house portraits portraying homes in Lake Bluff IL. I really enjoyed wandering through Lake Bluff and viewing the eclectic mix of homes there. Lake Bluff reminded me of a typical New England village with its old-fashioned corner store and interesting boutique stores, hotels and restaurants. Additionally, one can find a wonderful array of shingled historic home right in heart of Old Town Lake Bluff. As you can see here, I selected a number of interesting homes to create pen and watercolor house portraits of and start building my Lake Bluff hand-painted watercolor house portraits series. [caption id="attachment_37116" align="aligncenter" width="988"] Queen Anne watercolor house portrait found on Sunrise Ave, Lake Bluff[/caption] [caption id="attachment_37111" align="aligncenter" width="1375"] Lake Bluff Victorian style watercolor painting on E. North Ave, Lake…

01Nov 2023 by Leisa

Custom Watercolor House Portraits of Historic Illinois

House Portraits, News

Illinois architecture captured in my hand-painted house portraits The “Prairie State” of Illinois runs from urban in the north to rural in the south, and this diversity extends to Illinois’ architecture. The most obvious examples of Illinois' architectural variety can be found in the state's largest city -- Chicago. After the Chicago Fire of 1871, the city went on to influence the nation with its architectural innovation and originality. The heritage of Illinois found in their historic homes and buildings Illinois, the Land of Lincoln, achieved statehood in 1818. Its largest and most populous city, Chicago, became a booming metropolis due to its prime location on Lake Michigan and connection to eastern ports via the Erie Canal. In the second half of the 19th century, the need for workers in…

22Oct 2023 by Leisa

Tour of Historic Ste. Genevieve: the Earliest Beginnings of Missouri

Historic Perservation, News

Last month I was thrilled to be invited by a board member of the French Colonial America organization to tour three of the historic properties it owns and operates in the Centre for French Colonial Life Museum Campus in Sainte Genevieve, Missouri. This unique, historical museum site consists of four historic houses as well as an education and exhibits facility and it is dedicated to preserving and promoting French and Creole Culture and History of the Mississippi Valley during the Colonial Period. Ste. Genevieve is Missouri’s oldest permanent French European settlement. The village of Ste. Geneviève was settled by Canadians around 1735 on the west bank of the Mississippi River about two miles south of its present location. It was one of several important French communities forming a region known as…

28Sep 2023 by Leisa

Hand-crafted House Portrait Closing Gifts

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What meaningful gift can you give to a treasured client who has virtually everything money can buy? It would have to be something totally unique and one of a kind. How about something that is hand-drawn and painted, that stirs happy emotion whenever they view it? When it comes to real estate closing gifts, what better way to keep you on your client’s mind for future referral and repeat real estate business than a tastefully presented 100% original work of art that will proudly hang on your client’s wall to be viewed and enjoyed each and every day throughout the coming years and decades? Please enjoy this short video to see what my realtor clients have to say about the house portraits I have created for them as special closing…

20Sep 2023 by Leisa

House portraits of childhood homes and keeping special memories alive . . .

House Portraits

Turning a battered old photo into a work of art No matter how insurmountable the task is, I hate to turn away a person who needs my help in capturing their family home . . . and all those treasured memories. Their goal is to memorialize the house the way it looked when they, their siblings, or parents, as the case may be, grew up there. As a house portrait will be in the family for generations to come, it's important to me to honor the true spirit of that special home. The circumstances are always different, but in many cases the home has now been sold to new owners and no longer looks anything like it did in the past. Or worse still, the family home, with all those…

10Sep 2023 by Leisa

The love of front porches and watercolor porch paintings

House Portraits, News

Watercolor portrait of a welcoming porch. . . One of the things I love most when I create watercolor paintings of homes, is to include welcoming front porches. I always take the time to add the unique details of each porch: the furniture, the bird feeder, wind chimes and more. From time to time, I am also asked to create commissioned watercolor porch paintings. If you investigate the past, front porches were the most welcoming feature of homes for more than 150 years – whether grand wrap-around verandas, second-floor balconies or simple covered sitting and resting spaces. They were also the treasured gathering place for families and friends. Way back in the early 1800’s, Andrew Jackson Downing – who was thought to be one of the founders of American landscape…

16Aug 2023 by Leisa

Summer Gardens and House Portrait Give-Away!

House Portraits, News

While summer color fades. . . a summer house portrait lasts a lifetime We enjoy life's garden. Life is the flower for which love is the honey. -- Victor Hugo I hope you are enjoying the magic of this time of warmth, color and growth. Being that I have now painted portraits of homes and historic buidings in every state across the USA, I can say that a pretty garden, lush trees and and lovely landscapng, makes all the difference when creating a portait of a…

10Jul 2023 by Leisa

Visit my new sunroom studio in historic Benton Park!

News

Open Studio THIS SUNDAY, JULY 16TH: 1 - 4 PM --- 2915 Missouri Ave, St. Louis * Iconic St. Louis paintings and my Love Me Don’t Leave Me series of STL abandoned buildings on display * Slide show of my greater St. Louis house portrait collection (covering 30 areas and counting. . .) * All are welcome! Relaxed and causal affair. Light refreshments served. Any questions: email leisa@leisacollins.com or call (703) 598-7360

13Jun 2023 by Leisa

My growing international house portrait collection

House Portraits, News

The Power of Word of Mouth . . . Since I began capturing the personalities of architectural subjects in pen and watercolor a decade ago, I have truly come to appreciate the power of word of mouth. Nothing makes we prouder to getting referrals from my clients and I would like to thank all of you who have helped spread the word about my work. As you know, my focus has been on architectural paintings of homes and historic buildings in all 50 states across the USA, and indeed my coffee table book, Hand Painted Homes: An Artist’s Pen and Watercolor Journey Across America, documents that story. However, I realized the other day that through word of mouth alone, I have now created over 20 commissioned paintings of interesting homes…

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