A Birmingham House Portrait Gift for the New Homeowners

This Birmingham, Michigan ranch came to me as a closing gift for the new homeowners—and while the reference photos were giving me more of a gray, not-quite-spring vibe, I decided the new owners deserved better. A little brighter sky, some greenery, and a bit of artistic liberty later, and the whole scene felt much more like the cheerful new beginning it was meant to celebrate.

The property is surprisingly large, with lots of brick and mature trees surrounding the house. I also added a little bit of sidewalk and street into the foreground, which I don't always include, but the perspective left me with a lot of empty space otherwise. Those tiny bits of gravel, stone, and shading might not seem like much, but they're the kind of details that keep an 8×10 painting from feeling like the house is just floating in the middle of a piece of paper.

For luxury real estate agents, a custom house portrait can be a pretty memorable way to celebrate a closing—especially when a bottle of wine just isn't going to cut it. It's the kind of closing gift that will actually earn a spot on the wall and not end up disappearing into the abyss of things people don't really want but feel bad throwing away.

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