Spring House Portrait Tour Across the USA!

Spring House Portrait Tour Across the USA!

House Portraits, News
Spring may look different is various parts of the country . . . but it always warm one's heart There's something special about spring!  After those long cold dreary days, the sun bursts forth, new buds grow and vibrant colors come to view. It's finally safe to go outside, have a picnic and revel in this wonderful time of the year. Being that I have lived all over the USA and travelled to every corner, I can appreciate the different forms of spring in every region. I often hear people say that Florida, Southern California, New Mexico and even parts of Texas don't really experience spring.  Not so. It is just a matter of looking... Allow me to take you on a  meandering spring house portrait tour across the USA…
Read More
Completion of my East Grand Rapids MI House Portrait Collection!

Completion of my East Grand Rapids MI House Portrait Collection!

House Portraits, News
Craftsman style, Victorians, Tudors and Dutch Colonial Home Portraits of East Grand Rapids. I come to Michigan often, being that my husband of 30 years hails from Lansing Michigan. The lakes and rivers and lush green countryside remind me of my homeland of New Zealand. One of our favorite Michigan cities is Grand Rapids. It has a fascinating history, starting with its Native American roots and fur trading past. Not to mention how it grew to be one of the greatest furniture making cities, and still retains that status today.  Heritage Hill is the oldest part of the city and is the largest urban historic district in the country. I love the Victorian grandeur of this area and am currently in the process of selecting my favorite homes in order…
Read More
New work!  Architectural Collage Art

New work! Architectural Collage Art

House Portraits, New Art
My new series featuring Victorian paintings, English Tudor art and Craftsman style art. Over the years I have created hundreds of portraits of homes and historic buildings, so you can imagine that I have lots of favorites and in many different architectural styles, But three styles really stand out. They are each very distinctive and have stood the test of time.  They are the Victorian style, Tudor style and Craftsman style. I decided to select some all time favorites within these styles and share their beauty but in a different way. I mixed these architectural art forms with other very different art forms, namely some of my favorite fabric patterns and items that I have collected over time. Many can be found in my home.  Some are from overseas travels,…
Read More
My favorite house portrait homes of 2018!

My favorite house portrait homes of 2018!

House Portraits, News
Thanks to all you awesome home owners and my wonderful house portrait clients! It's hard to believe that 2018 is now coming to a close. It's been a great year. Full of creativity and new adventures. I have to say, it's a wonderful thing to make one's living doing what you are passionate about, but I couldn't do it without you and your support of original art. So thank you very much for that. I have selected some of my favorite homes, all in different categories.  Actually it's pretty well impossible to narrow it down to such a few as there is always somewhat of a love affair with every single house portrait I create!  I hope you enjoy my selection and that it gives you a sense of the…
Read More

Announcing my Annual Christmas Special!

House Portraits, News
10% OFF All Commissioned Original House Portraits  with a further  10% OFF For Existing Clients    Homes are like people, they have their own special memories and personality.  From a classic craftsman,   to a elegant Tudor that has stood the test of time, to a charming family cottage in the country... a hand crafted painting of any home - no matter how grand or humble - will mean the world to someone this Christmas! There is nothing as unique or personal than a painting of one's home. Especially one that captures all the detail and character of the home and garden as well as all those special watercolor memories. Surprise a loved one this Christmas with this one of a kind gift. It's not that far from Christmas! Please feel free…
Read More
A Peak inside my House Portrait Art Journal

A Peak inside my House Portrait Art Journal

House Portraits, Journals and Diaries
Once upon a time the only way to create a portrait of one’s home was to craft an original drawing in pen or pencil and use paint to capture the color and personality of the home.  While I appreciate the modern amenities we all enjoy today, I believe that those handmade arts and drawing skills should not be lost and forgotten in this age of digital expediency. I believe that the human hand, mind and spirit adds life and vibrance to any artistic creation. In my travels across the USA, I have spent thousands of miles getting to know its wonderful homes and architecture in unique neighborhoods, towns and cities. Architecture is about people and their expression of artistic style and practicality.  That’s why I find it so fascinating. When…
Read More
House Portrait Historic Tour of Pinellas County, Florida

House Portrait Historic Tour of Pinellas County, Florida

House Portraits
Pinellas County's eclectic array of architecture. . . Now that I live in Pinellas county, with the help of Wikipedia, I decided to find out more about its interesting history. I have  enjoyed selecting and painting a number of original portraits that depict this region and have also completed some commissioned house portraits.  Most of the following pen and watercolor paintings are of historic homes but I have included a few mid-century or newer ones in order to show the interesting and eclectic mix of architectural styles that can be found here. The Pinellas peninsula, like all of Tampa Bay, was inhabited by the Tocobaga Indians, prior to European exploration and settlement.  They created their own town as well as a temple mound that overlooked the bay in an area which is now known as Safety…
Read More
Home Portraits: Inside and Outside the USA. . .

Home Portraits: Inside and Outside the USA. . .

House Portraits
There is no limit to the new and interesting requests I receive for special commissioned paintings these days. They nearly all start with clients in the USA -- usually after I have completed a painting of their own home. This seems to liven up their creative juices and that's when the fun begins.  Usually they are for special gifts. In my last email, I released a newsflash that I have now completed paintings of homes and historic buildings in every state across America, however I wanted you to know that I don't just limit myself to the the USA.  I thought you might like to take a peak at some commissioned paintings that I have created of scenes that are inside of homes as well as house portraits that go beyond our US…
Read More
House Portraits Now in Every State!

House Portraits Now in Every State!

House Portraits
Moving forward on my coffee table book. When I first relaunched my art career some years ago and decided to focus on my true passion -- architectural art -- I had what seemed like a very far-fetched and impossible goal: to create paintings of homes and historic buildings in every single state across the USA. Well I recently achieved this target when I completed a painting of a beautiful old theater in Wyoming, the last remaining bastion. Now I can move onto the next steps in putting my coffee table book together. This book is also a long time dream of mine.  It will include my paintings in every state and document my architectural journey across America -- from the eyes of an artist. I will do my best to reveal…
Read More
My House Portrait Stars of 2017

My House Portrait Stars of 2017

House Portraits
I don't tend to do a lot of looking back as I'm usually too busy speeding forward... but before the first month of 2018 disappears, I decided to take a look back at all my house portraits of 2017 and pick out some star projects. Reflection is good and it really was quite a year. It was super hard to choose just a few from so many, but I wanted to share these stellar examples with you. There are just two main categories: "The MOST ___________" which covers the most cliff hanging, the most elaborate, the most surprising and the most missed, to name a few. There were also a number of FIRSTS last year. My job is interesting enough as it is, but these firsts really kept things lively!…
Read More