You see simple ranch-style red brick homes all over western Pennsylvania, where I live. You might drive by this one and not give it a second glance. Its not impressive or imposing. It doesn’t have columns or dormers or gables. It was built in the understated style of a typical 1960s ranch. But this little […]
Category: House Portraits
Commission #2: A Stately Home in Atlanta
House portraits require quite a bit of back and forth communication with my clients. I usually ask for lots of photos of the property from different angles, so I can choose what works best for the composition. The client often requests a change of season for the painting, so there are discussions of what type […]
Commission #1: “Memories of Home”
I promised before Christmas that I would show you all the commissioned paintings I’ve been working on lately. Most of them were intended as gifts, so I couldn’t spoil the surprise and reveal them before the holiday. Well, now that the decorations have been packed away and things are getting back to normal around here, […]
A House Portrait with a Twist
A good friend of mine moved to Florida a few months ago (even though I tried my darndest to talk her out of it!) I guess icy cold winters and shoveling snow can’t compare to beaches and sunshine. Her husband and daughter wrote to me shortly after they arrived in the Sunshine State and asked […]
Painting a House Portrait Using Simple Sketching Techniques
How did this little sketch… 5 1/2″ x 3 1/2″, ink & watercolor in a Moleskine watercolor sketchbook lead to this finished painting? 14″ x 10″, ink, watercolor, and gouache on 140 lb. Saunders Waterford paper Well… when my dentist and his wife saw the sketch I did of the coffee corner in their office […]
Waynesburg Doors
I live in a community which dates back to the 1700s, so there is no shortage of beautiful old houses around here. I’ve painted many of them over the years, but for this recent sketch I narrowed down my focus to some of my favorite front doors. 9″ x 12″, ink & watercolor, Aquabee […]
Cozy Cottage House Portrait
I had a request a few weeks before Christmas to do a house portrait of this cute little lakefront cottage in upstate New York, and I managed to squeeze it into my schedule and mail it off in time for the big day. The homeowners were really tickled with it, and that makes me very […]
Watercolor Magic
To an artist, a red brick ranch may not be the most inspiring subject matter. But there’s something about putting watercolors on paper that can magically transform even the most mundane subject, like a simple ranch-style house, into something special. I was commissioned by a friend to do a house portrait of her parents’ home […]
Good Neighbors, Great Memories
Indulge me, please. I’m feeling a little sentimental about this painting, and I have to tell you the story behind it. Before we built our new house in 2000, we lived just 5 miles away, and our next door neighbors were a retired couple named Ola and Albert, who became dear friends to us over […]
A Place to Call Home
There’s such a sweet story behind this painting, and I’d love to share it with you. It’s about the excitement of starting a life together and finding a place to call home. A Place to Call Home, 14″ x 20″, by Leslie Fehling I received a call one day last spring from a nice young […]
