Category: News

House Portrait Collection of Greater Detroit Area, Michigan! Firstly I would like to say that I am enjoying living in Michigan. The lush greens and wide open spaces remind me of my homeland of New Zealand. It's also nice to be close to family, as my husband was born and breed in this state. "I'd like to share an excerpt from my brand new book, "Hand Painted Homes: An Artist's Pen and Watercolor Journey Across America":  "Greater Metro Detroit consists of the three counties that border or contain the city of Detroit. In addition to its automotive heritage, Metro Detroit is known for arts, entertainment, music, sports, architecture and design. A variety of natural landscapes, beaches and Great Lakes parks also make up the area. The outlying suburbs contain homes…

House Portrait Collection of Huntington Woods, Michigan! Today I'd like to introduce my collection of hand-painted homes in the neighborhood of Huntington Woods, MI. Just west of Royal Oak, this little city has an interesting history all it's own, including a number of homes built in the early 1800's that are still standing to this day. Demonstrating immense pride in their architectural history, Huntington Woods residents helped form the city into a Historic District in 2004 so as to protect the historic character of the delightful homes that can be found in the area. I also find it fascinating to learn about the history of an area. Huntington Woods served as a suburban escape from urban Detroit for many top white collar workers.  By 1872, a hotel was built on…

House Portrait Collection of Royal Oak, Michigan! I've painted homes from quite a number of Michigan communities and Royal Oak is right up there on my list of favorites! This east-side gem covers only about 12 square miles, but this little suburb of Detroit is bursting with history. I was pleased to see another town in this state be so passionate about preserving their historic architecture. This Royal Oak House Portrait Collection captures the tedious and preservative nature of the town's homeowners and public officials! Among the early settlers to the area (who were mostly farmers) was a man named Orson Starr. He would go on to become the township’s first manufacturer, most known for his production of cowbells. To this day, the Greek-Revival style home he built for himself…

House Portrait Collection of Birmingham, Michigan! My work has taken me to all corners of the U.S.., but this interesting collection is right here in my current state of residence; Michigan. I always find it fascinating to find out about the history of a city.  It all started in 1818, when a few parcels of land were purchased that would become the beautiful suburb of Birmingham. Located just 20 miles northwest of Detroit, this quaint city was soon a hotspot for Detroit commuters once the automobile boom hit in 1933. Still filled with small town charm, Birmingham has a gorgeous array of historic and modern homes that I've taken a delight in painting. The residents of the city take great pride in the history of their architecture, as shown in…

First Stage of my Grand Rapids Historic Home Portrait Series Now Completed! The Greater Grand Rapids Area is home to many beautiful neighborhoods filled with interesting homes full of character. After painting a wide variety of homes in many of these neighborhoods, I thought it was only fitting to showcase these home portrait paintings in a "Greater Grand Rapids Area" neighborhood series. I've added all of my house portraits from each neighborhood, which offers its own unique story and style, while the individual homes speak to the creativity of their architectural designers and homeowner caretakers. Baxter Neighborhood We'll begin our walk through Grand Rapids in the Baxter neighborhood. Wedged between Eastown and Heritage Hill, this small tight-knit community is resilient in it's efforts to create a more progressive and inclusive…

Updating my Tampa House Portrait Series Craftsman, Bungalow, Tudors, Ranches and tasteful new builds... Tampa has it all! What a diverse architectural experience Tampa has proven to be! I had no idea of the number of interesting architectural gems that were hidden in the city;s leafy tree-lined streets and historic urban avenues. I started my Tampa house portrait series two years ago and feel I now have a eclectic and interesting mix of architectural styles in my collection. I will be including my favorites in the Tampa section of my coffee table book that will be released later this year.  In the meantime I wanted to show off this lovely array of homes that depict the best of Tampa and show the pride and care that Tampa residents, and now…

Craftsmen, Tudors, Colonials, Cape Cods and more architectural styles captured in East Grand Rapids Collection. Grand Rapids,  known as the City of Churches,  has always had a soft spot for eye-catching architecture. Nestled just 20 miles east of Lake Michigan, the second largest city in Michigan is home to a diverse selection of beautiful neighborhoods and suburbs, both historic and eclectic but still growing with modern styles; seemingly paying homage to the designers who paved the way. One of these communities is East Grand Rapids. one of the oldest suburbs in Kent County. It sits on Reeds Lake, named after the Reed family who founded the city back in the 1830’s. It boasts a variety of home styles and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed creating each of the forty original house portrait…