Category: House Portraits

Matching 1935 home and car  - my latest house portrait commission! The reason I love painting homes is because homes are about people. That’s what makes them fascinating.  Just as we are all uniquely different, homes reflect the personalities of their owners, they have their own character and are imbued with family memories and stories. I receive a lot of fun and unique commission requests but this one is a first!  A color coordinated home and car that were both born in 1935! [caption id="attachment_6930" align="aligncenter" width="980"] Matching home and car in San Jose, CA[/caption]   So here is a little story about the owners of these twins, my delightful clients Mike and Debi Hugill.  Now both retired, Mike spent 38 years in sales and most recently as VP Sales…

A story about a beach cabin in New Zealand When I think of summer, my thoughts drift back to my homeland of New Zealand. Sparkling beaches, a family cabin and lots of sunshine and fun! This is a little story about summer in New Zealand. Unfortunately this particular story doesn't have a happy ending but the message is important for all of us. Every year our family would head off to a beach for our summer vacation.  My three sisters and I loved waking up to the sound of waves on Christmas day and like all kids we excitedly unwrapped our presents and would then dash down to the beach in our new swimsuits, try out our beach balls etc. (Remember summer is in December down under!)  One year when…

Announcing my Annual Mid-Summer House Portrait Sale! It's that time of year again and before we know it, summer will be coming to a close and the cooler days and golden hues of fall will be engulfing us. Before that happens . . . I am launching my traditional mid-summer sale where I offer a 20% discount on all commissioned house portraits. This is a saving of close to $100. Summer is a wonderful time to capture the vibrance of homes and gardens with my watercolors. For my clients, you may want to think about a second painting of your home in a matching season, to make a lovely pair. Or perhaps you would like to commission me to create a one of a kind painting of the home of a…

Some of my Painted Ladies of Alameda, CA  Alameda, in the Bay Area of California is famous for its Victorian houses and there is a beautiful array of painted ladies of all different sizes and styles. In fact 9% of all single-family houses (1500 in total) in Alameda are Victorian, and many more have been divided into two to four-unit dwellings.   It is said that Alameda has more pre-1906 earthquake era homes in the Gold Coast section than any other city in the Bay Area. Being that I love painting Victorian home I have had lots of fun with my Alameda series. I have now painted 25 homes and here are some of my favorites.   [caption id="attachment_6815" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Paru St, Alameda Victorian[/caption]   [caption id="attachment_6816" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Grand…

Happy Spring! Newsflash!  My architectural work to capture the unique homes of the Washington DC area on my canvas was featured in DC in Design, a popular blog for this region. I thought I would brighten your day with lovely spring colors and give you a mini-exhibition of some of my favorite DC homes in the Spring.  Please enjoy! Cheers, Leisa

Magical homes in the snow As the cold winter months linger on we often find ourselves yearning for warmer weather, however artistically these frosty days provide a soft beauty and tranquility that can not be matched in any other season. I thought you might enjoy a little tour of some charming winter subjects, but with a difference. In each case these snowy portraits are one of a seasonal pair, showing the contrast between winter and summer, spring and fall.   Lansing, MI - Winter Lansing, MI - Summer    Alexandria, VA - Winter    Alexandria, VA - Spring     Wellesley, MA - Winter    Wellesley, MA - Fall    Georgetown, Washington DC - Winter   Georgetown, Washington DC - Summer    For those living in colder clients, consider having me create a winter…

Some of the first of my Brooklyn Home Portrait Watercolor Series Over the years I have spent a lot of time in New York City and there is nothing more enjoyable than strolling through beautiful Brooklyn.  It's tree-lined streets are steeped in history and  interesting architectural treasures can be found around every corner.   Hicks Street is a favorite of mine.  I thought it was time to share some of my Brooklyn home paintings with you. [caption id="attachment_6539" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Pure architectural elegance on the corner of Grace Court and Hicks Street, Brooklyn, New York[/caption] [caption id="attachment_6541" align="aligncenter" width="419"] Fourth Street, Brooklyn[/caption] [caption id="attachment_6540" align="aligncenter" width="426"] Classic row house on Hicks Street, Brooklyn with a Carriage House to the right .[/caption] [caption id="attachment_6542" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Argle Rd, Brooklyn[/caption] You can…

Victorian Farm House on Prince Edward Island, Canada You can imagine my delight when one of my clients from Monrovia, California, asked if I would create a painting of the family farm situated on Prince Edward Island where she grew up.  She told me that she planned to hang it alongside her own lovely Craftsman family home  where in turn she and her husband raised their children. This was the one photo I had to work from but it gave me the detail I needed. [caption id="attachment_6519" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Victorian Family Home on Prince Edward Island, Canada[/caption] And here is the final pen and watercolor painting of this lovely family home. [caption id="attachment_6520" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Pen and watercolor of family home on Prince Edward Island, Canada[/caption] Despite the difference in…

Sizzling summer garden color to beautify your home. . . There is nothing more wonderful than summer. The heat, vacations, the plant growth and most of all the COLOR! I make a point of including all the color and warmth I see when I create my portraits of homes.  I thought you might enjoy a tour of some of my summer homes across the USA.  No matter the architectural style, whether the home is old or new or historic or modern, garden color adds so much life and vibrance! Take a look and see for yourself!  I'm starting on the west coast and travelling east. [caption id="attachment_6290" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Burbank, CA[/caption] [caption id="attachment_6294" align="aligncenter" width="600"] La Jolla, CA[/caption] [caption id="attachment_6295" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Monrovia, CA[/caption] [caption id="attachment_6297" align="aligncenter" width="600"] San Marino, CA[/caption]…