3 New House Portraits

Means Family House Portrait
11x14" Mixed Media on paper

Aunt Rhonda's House Portrait
8x10" Mixed Media on paper, mounted

The Grunder's House Portrait
8x10" Mixed Media on paper

It's no secret that I've been busy painting house portraits lately!  The puppies and kitties and birdies and trees and overgrown peachy blossoms are such charming additions to each painting.  Summer colors are vibrant and warm with dark deep greens and rich reds- my two favorites.  The bright summer sun makes all the colors warm and welcoming.  Every day we have lots of hungry birds at my house, pecking the ground for worms and fallen bird seed.  Neighbor cats lazily stroll down our sidewalk and sit on our front porch to watch birds swirling around treetops.  What makes these house portraits so fun for me is the challenge of combining the stories each family shares with my own sort of stories.  The tree in the last portrait, for example, is the tree the Grunders stand in front of for each family portrait, but has very nearly fallen down in recent years.  I wanted it to be a prominent part of the painting, and since I love trees and fall colors and birds, it was an easy painting to compose.  The music sheets are, of course, from my grandma's volumes of piano music and are my special addition to each portrait as they not only add visual interest but a sense of sentiment and whimsy.  Oh, and the gray kitty in my aunt's portrait is one she rescued and nursed back to health.  Can't you tell by her beautiful garden and content cat that she has a very nurturing touch? 

Hope your week is off to a great start!