House Portrait Completed

/ davidrpharmer
The Finished Portrait

There was quite a lot of detailing in this one. Different things were asked to be included, which I have done, but because of the scale, they have ended up as rather tiny. I was worried about that. Things like different coloured pots and also some blooms slightly out of season. Let’s hope they don’t disappoint

The car port and furniture store relationship on the left hand side, took some working out so that each was distinguishable. I did wonder afterwards whether I should have recommended leaving the furniture store out completely. The car port is a nice building, almost barn-like with its hipped roof, and it would have stood alone quite easily. However I didn’t. I painted what was there, which is the honest thing to do.

I reduced the enormous expanse of gravel with shadows coming in from trees which were off stage. I think that improves. Not really a follower of feng shui, I have left, nevertheless, an uninterrupted view of the path leading to the front door.

Some of the colours I have changed as well as scaling down the sizes of some of the shrubs. Generally a mix of reds and greens , I think the colour scheme works well, although some might disagree.

I now have another commission, another house portrait, which I went to see a couple of days ago. This is a rather charming cottage out in the woods, built around 1830, so lots of character, which I am shortly to start.

Just when it looked straightforward, I was asked to include the dog. Oh well, another challenge

6 thoughts on “House Portrait Completed”

  1. I love the house! It had to laugh because you wrote :”I was asked to include the dog” so I was peering at the dog painting thinking, it must be a small dog because I can’t see it. I reread your post and realize it was in your next commission!!

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    • Even funnier perhaps, was that this house portrait was rejected by the client. This is a first for me, so perhaps we all need a little humility in our lives. The main reason given was that I had not painted according to instruction, ie not from the right angle and had included things like the car port which distracted from the house. All this despite the fact I had given him a black and white sketch showing precisely what was going in the picture and how everything worked together.
      The ultimate criticism, which made me laugh out loud, was that I had “overemphasised” the shrubs in front of the house. Maybe that was because I spent a long time detailing them, so that they looked right !!
      He was decent enough to offer me my fee, which I turned down,as I am not charging someone who isn’t delighted.
      Oh well, I hope he finds what he is looking for.

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      Reply

      • Jez, that’s tough, David. I would have taken the money as I’d done the work (and shown him the composition in the process). It’s a lovely painting, I think the car port is an interssting feature of the painting. Oh well, what do I konw, I am only an artist too!

        Liked by 1 person

      • Maybe I should have taken the fee, but I just turned Bolshie for a moment
        I think he showed the photograph to his wife and she freaked, and there was no way he was backing down
        Anyway I delivered another sale today received after my hospital exhibition finished, so another door always opens
        Thanks for your comment, Emma as always

        Liked by 1 person

      • Glad the doors keep opening. Interesting that it was the wife who had the final say, I once had a painting returned because the husband wasn’t keen on it. I don’t get many rejections, thankfully, but they do hurt! I am just too sensitive!

        Liked by 1 person

      • It isn’t nice I know.
        I spent my working life in sales and marketing, including sales training. One of my biggest problems was getting salesmen to overcome their fear of rejection. It can be paralysing. My recommendation was to let it go and move on
        I shall have to take my own advice!

        Liked by 1 person

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