05Apr 2015 by Leisa
Beautiful Watercolor Gardens

Beautiful Watercolor Gardens

House Portraits
Gardens that bring life and color to the home I love nature, trees and of course gardens. I love wild out of control English gardens, cultivated French gardens,  sunny Italian courtyard gardens and creative art and sculpture gardens.  Anything that grows, with color and form and texture is fascinating to me. So this post is to celebrate all of the people who create beautiful gardens, and all of my clients who have commissioned me to capture their garden life in a pen and watercolor painting. [caption id="attachment_5741" align="aligncenter" width="500"] I love gardens...[/caption] Additionally you will note that when I select a home to do a portrait of, or am commissioned to create one, I never solely focus on the home but equally on its garden and natural surroundings.  This way…
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05Apr 2015 by Leisa
House Portraits of the Week

House Portraits of the Week

House Portraits
Homes in watercolor and the arrival of Spring! After a brutal winter on the east coast area this year, there is finally a first glimpse of Spring!  Daffodils are starting to pop up out of forlorn brown gardens that have been suffocated in snow for the last few months.   Here is some evidence of this (OK I helped things along a bit in the garden below based on notes from last year...) with this gorgeous historic Tudor on Hillbrook Lane in the DC area. Note the flowering Dogwood Tree and the pink and white Azaleas. Following this is another home in North West DC, this time a fabulously maintained Craftsman on Macomb Street. [caption id="attachment_5706" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Beautiful Tudor on Hillbrook Lane NW DC[/caption]   [caption id="attachment_5710" align="aligncenter" width="500"]…
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25Mar 2015 by Leisa
House Portraits of the Week!

House Portraits of the Week!

House Portraits
Original Watercolor Paintings of Homes across the USA I am catching up with a couple of weeks of portraits here.  We will start our house portrait tour this week in California.  Who says Southern California doesn't have seasons?  Take a look at this cute cottage in Burbank that is bursting with the charm and color of Spring. [caption id="attachment_5673" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Charming Spring cottage in Burbank, CA[/caption] You can tell that I am working on my Burbank house portrait series right now. Below is another Burbank home, this time a stunning Spanish Bungalow that was built around the 1930's. The owners have done a wonderful job with this home. I was especially attracted to what I am calling the Ivy covered "front turret", the entrance arches and the castle-like roof line.…
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12Feb 2015 by Leisa
What does a House Portrait in Jordan look like?

What does a House Portrait in Jordan look like?

House Portraits
 A house portrait story that goes beyond the shores of the USA. . . One of my clients who lives in a lovely historic home in Washington DC told her father, who lives in Jordan, about my work.  He then commissioned me to create paintings of his home. This was an exciting project as I had no idea what a home in Amman, Jordan would look like. Before long I was sent a battery of photos of the home to use in making my recommendations on how to best portray it as a work of art. My two favorite choices were the photos below. I love the garden and grandeur of the front and yet the the angle showing the pool is also very interesting.          …
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18Dec 2014 by Leisa
House Portraits this week!

House Portraits this week!

House Portraits
Watercolor Homes in Five States With Christmas around the corner I have been super busy and engrossed in an interesting mix of portraits. This gorgeous home in Newton Square, Pennsylvania,  is an all time garden favorite. Last year the homeowner commissioned me to do a pen and watercolor of his home from the front and now I have had the pleasure of painting the equally interesting view from the back of the home. [caption id="attachment_5584" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Garden view of Pennsylvania Home[/caption] And here is another commission, this time a cute Cape Code in Indiana.  This is a family home and will be a Christmas present for the parents who still live there. [caption id="attachment_5585" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Family Cape Code Home in Indiana[/caption] On the east coast this week, I…
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08Dec 2014 by Leisa
This Week’s House Portraits

This Week’s House Portraits

House Portraits
Unique House Portrait Subjects -  Historic Victorian to Classic Modern. It was another fun week with an interesting array of homes, this time in seven different cities and eight distinctly different architectural styles. One of my favorites was this Victorian Row House tucked away on Willard St NW in the heart of Washington DC. The architecture in this area of DC is quite outstanding and applaud the homeowners and the city for the care that is taken to keep the historic beauty of these home in tact. Built in the late 19th century, note the wonderful detail of this home. I love the color choice too, especially against the warm colors of Fall. Here is the portrait along with the homeowner and her extremely cute baby! [caption id="attachment_5524" align="alignleft" width="250"]…
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24Nov 2014 by Leisa
House Portrait with Four Cats!

House Portrait with Four Cats!

House Portraits
Watercolor home in seasonal settings This was a really fun project and a wonderful story.  My client asked me to create four paintings of her childhood home in Wellesley, MA in each of the four seasons. She gave me details for each season and had a special request. That I include four different cats that her parents have had and loved over the years and the typical poses for each. Then she left me to it! This Christmas she is presenting an original seasonal painting to her parents (who still live in the home) as well as her two siblings. She and her husband are keeping one for themselves of course! Please enjoy the beauty of the seasons below. And see if you can find the cats!   In the…
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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…
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09Aug 2012 by Leisa
Watercolor Home Paintings in Traverse City, Michigan

Watercolor Home Paintings in Traverse City, Michigan

House Portraits, News
Hand-crafted home portraits and discovering beautiful Victorians subjects in Traverse City, Michigan Traverse City is about 15 minutes from Lake Arbutus. It's an artsy community-spirited city with an abundance of interesting cafes and restaurants as well as unique boutiques, specality stores and art galleries.  It also hosts a popular film festival annunally which we enjoyed.  Traverse City is named after the Grand Traverse Bay, which the city heads. The bay earned its name from 18th century French voyagers who made la grande traverse or "the long crossing" across the mouth of the Grand Traverse Bay. There are lots of beautiful historic homes in Traverse City, especially elegant and well cared for Victorians from smal to very large.  I did my usual "house portrait walk-about" and selected what I think are some of the…
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18Jul 2012 by Leisa
House Portraits with San Gabriel Mountain Backdrop

House Portraits with San Gabriel Mountain Backdrop

House Portraits, News
Custom home portraits of Craftsman Homes and Mountains -- A Perfect Combination! One of the greatest things about staying in Pasadena and the surrounding area is that you are able to enjoy the changing colors and moods of the San Gabriel Mountain Range. They provide  such a wonderful backdrop to any house portrait painting. As you can see here I especially love to capture the mountains around sunset when they turn shades of soft blue and green. It  makes the darker, natural tones of the craftsman homes in Pasadena stand out. [caption id="attachment_28275" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Craftsman house painting in Pasadena CA[/caption] [caption id="attachment_28276" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Classic Craftsman home portrait with San Grabriel Mountains as the backdrop[/caption] [caption id="attachment_28277" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Spanish Revival bungalow at sunset in Pasadena CA[/caption] [caption id="attachment_28278" align="aligncenter" width="640"]…
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