Painting a Beach House on Lake Michigan

It’s currently negative seven degrees here in Detroit, which feels freezing and also like a perfect time to revisit this beach house painting and mentally transport myself somewhere warmer.

This custom 8x10 ink and watercolor portrait was created as a 70th birthday gift and lovingly nicknamed the "Sandpiper Lake House' — a classic “up north” Michigan getaway with serious Fourth of July energy. You know the kind: red, white, and blue, quiet mornings on the porch, and the vague sense that time moves slower near Lake Michigan.

"Hi Jenny, I got the painting! It's beautiful and I love it. Thank you!"

This house portrait was painted in my simple Style A, meaning no background scenery, but the house itself carries all the charm. From the front porch view, I included a soft seagrass bush, a white picket-style porch fence, and tiny planters filled with flowers. There’s a small sailboat plaque by the door, an American flag waving proudly, and blue Adirondack chairs tucked into a cozy side seating area. Every little detail — right down to the miniature table and porch décor — was painted to feel personal, nostalgic and quietly joyful.

These are the kinds of details I love most in custom house portraits: the things that make a place feel like summer, even when it’s frozen solid outside. This Sandpiper Lake House may be a vacation spot, but on days like this, it also feels like a reminder that warm weather — and porch season — will eventually come back.

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