Watercolor House Portrait of an Australian Childhood Home

Not every reference photo shows a place at its best—and that’s where I come in.

The client commissioned this 11x14 watercolor as a gift for her partner, who often misses his childhood home in Australia. The house itself has that long, low ranch feel with a full front porch, shutters, and even solar panels up top—but it’s the garden that really takes over.

"The painting is PERFECT, very beautiful! It was for my partner who gets homesick every now and again for his childhood home in Australia. So thank you for taking the time to do something so special. We love it!"

In the reference photos, everything was technically there… just not exactly thriving. So I leaned in and brought it back to life a bit—layering in richer greens, scattering periwinkle and soft purple florals throughout, and simplifying some of the heavier branches in the front tree so the house could actually peek through again.

A lot of this piece came down to managing green (which sounds simple until it’s not). I mixed everything from yellow-toned greens to cooler blue-greens and olives to keep the landscaping from falling flat, and used softer, less saturated tones in the background to push the house forward visually. Even the lawn got some extra attention so it wouldn’t read as one solid block of color.

The end result feels a little less what it looked like that day, and a little more how it felt growing up there.

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