Luxury Real Estate: Closing Gift House Portrait in Chappaqua, NY

This one came in fast, a little fancy, and with a very clear deadline attached to it.

This 8x10 ink and watercolor is a colonial home in Chappaqua, New York, commissioned through a realtor I’ve now worked with a few times. She specializes in higher-end properties, and this was the first piece I completed for her before quickly rolling into the next.

The home itself has a wide, welcoming presence with a wraparound porch, a detailed entryway, and layers of landscaping that do a lot of the storytelling. In front, a low stone retaining wall creates a subtle shift in elevation, with gardens and plantings spilling across the façade, while the house itself sits framed by trees that soften into the background.

"My clients were blown away, thank you again!!"

Because of the timing, this one was turned around in about 10 days so it could arrive for closing day. It ended up being one of those pieces where everything moves a little faster than usual, but the details still matter just as much—especially for clients at this level, where presentation is everything. The realtor shared a photo of her clients holding the finished piece on closing day, which is always a fun full-circle moment: a house they just sold, now captured as something they get to keep.

For realtors especially, I’ve found these kinds of commissions tend to land differently than the usual closing gift. It’s a way to give something that feels personal and lasting without defaulting to the usual bottle of wine or generic gesture. I do set aside a limited number of rush pieces each month for exactly this kind of timing, because some moments don’t exactly wait for a normal production schedule.

Learn how to commission a hand-painted watercolor house portrait ➜