It's always interesting to me to hear some of the history behind a decision to commission a house portrait. Even if a house is not grand or incredibly interesting architecturally, there are more reasons than meet the eye for being asked to capture it as a pen & ink drawing or as a painting. My most recent pen & ink house portrait is of a modest beach house. It was commissioned as a Christmas gift by two brothers for their mother. The house has been in the family for years and now serves as a meeting place for everyone during the summer months. In a way it's a unifying force that holds the family together now that the children are adults with lives and homes of their own.  I was asked to include Gracie, the little dachshund belonging to one of the brothers in the scene, since she is the apple of everyone's eyes. If you look closely, you will see her sitting on the porch.

There are a number of other reasons for having a house portrait created: it's being sold; the last member of the family to live in it has moved or died and it was your childhood home with many memories attached to it; someone is moving to another part of the country or leaving the country and wants a memento of this home; it's the best house you've ever lived in; it's the first home of your own and you love it; it's a thank you for a house sale or purchase, and on and on. So when someone asks me why anyone would want to commission a house portrait, as they often do, that's my answer.