A 100-Year-Old Clarkston Craftsman, With a Little Artistic License

This charming 1926 Craftsman in Clarkston, Michigan, had just sold when the local realtor who represented the home reached out to me. She actually lives in the same neighborhood as the house, and because she wanted to create a special gift for her friend, she sent me a collection of photos and a pretty specific wish list of the details she wanted included. The catch? None of the photos showed the house quite the way she wanted me to render it.

So I did what I often have to do with house portraits: I ignored reality just enough to make the painting feel more like the real memory. The stone fireplace was mostly hidden behind a small forest of trees, so I trimmed those back. The grass was looking a little sad and early-spring-ish, so I gave it a much-needed summer makeover. I added flowers to the garden, made the little tree in front of the window more petite, and even repositioned a couple of the larger trees in the yard so they could actually fit into the 8×10 composition.

And then there were the mailboxes.

There are three little mailboxes on one post near the property, and technically they weren't exactly where I placed them in the painting. But they were so charming that I decided they deserved a spot in the corner anyway. Sometimes accuracy is important. Sometimes three cute mailboxes win.

The result is a watercolor painting that captures the character of this 100-year-old home—and, more importantly, the way its owners want to remember it. Because when you're painting someone's house as a keepsake, the goal isn't always to recreate the exact view from one photograph. Sometimes it's to put all the best parts together in one place.

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