Winter Memories: A Vermont Colonial Frozen in Watercolor

I’m not sure the snow outside this Vermont colonial ever looked this pristine in real life, but when painted in watercolor, it’s basically perfection. The front lawn is now blanketed in fresh, imagined snow (it was just a light dusting in the reference photo), with shadows from trees and little piles where the driveway was “shoveled.” Even the bushes and trees got their frosty makeover, because if you’re going to illustrate winter in Vermont, you go all in.

This 8x10 painting was packed with tiny details: flanking evergreen pots, a couple of rocking chairs, a little porch bench with a pillow, and a personalized monogram on the front door.

I love that even in a smaller piece, every element tells a story—like a real-life snow globe of a home where decades of family memories happened. The real estate agent who commissioned it is based in California, but this Vermont winter wonderland now exists on paper, perfectly preserved as a gift to celebrate the holidays and a lifetime in the home.

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