I'm still doing house portraits and donating a percent of my earnings to the Exeter Historical Society. This one is the most recent. It's a beautiful property in Exeter, lovingly and carefully built over the course of thirty years by the property owner's and their children, who are now grown with families of their own.
These two photos show the start and finish of the project. Prior to beginning the drawing and painting phase there is a whole lot of photography and consultation with the client. The biggest decision to be made beforehand is composition and I want the client to be fully involved in that.
In this case, the client wanted to show more of the property: a barn with horses, an expansive meadow which goes well beyond what is shown in the painting, and a large pond. All of these features have been very important to the family throughout the years.
In order to create a composition that had all of
the above without shrinking the house, we did a little cutting and pasting. I removed a chunk of the barn that was in the shadows and not an important feature of the barn, allowing the barn to move closer to the house.
We also wanted to capture the tallness of the mature trees that surround the home. A clear blue sky with passing clouds is something else that was mentioned during consultation.
Go to my Facebook page to see more photos showing the progress of this painting. http://www.facebook.com/mobileprotection#!/pages/Birchtree-Studio/212049277860
Now is a good time to consider a house portrait as a holiday gift. Depending on a number of variables, a painting like this can take anywhere from two weeks to two or three months. Mainly, people's schedules have the largest influence on the turn-around time. Start your project by contacting me to discuss your ideas or just ask questions....no obligation.
