Four Ways to Gift a Custom House Portrait

I’ve been illustrating House Portraits for almost ten years now and they still remain one of my favorite services. The fall is always a busy time for these portraits because of the countless ways they can be gifted to loved ones. I’ve put together some of the unique ways my clients have gifted their portraits below as well as some of the add-ons I offer to round out these gifts.

To commemorate a home you love.
Simple but still the most frequent reason a client approaches me for this work. This gift of home could be for yourself, your partner, the people that raised you or as a moving gift for someone in your life. We can also scan and reproduce artist prints of your portrait to gift to multiple people (or for you to keep).

To remember the neighborhood that feels like home.
In urban areas like Boston, our home is just as much the neighborhood and houses bordering our home as it is our building. Before moving to a new town, a recent client commissioned a portrait including their home and their two neighboring homes. Although the portrait was for their family, we also digitally pulled the neighboring homes out for individual prints to be gifted to their neighbors.

To record your journey.
The homes we move throughout in our lives are witness to much of the growth and development that/which makes us who we are today. This can hold true for individuals, partners and families. One way to record this is through an illustration of your previous and current homes in a portrait similar to the layout of the neighboring homes portrait above. 

To thank your clients (For the Realtors)
Realtors are a part of a shift in their client’s lives and have the opportunity to support and honor that transition. For some clients, a house portrait is a meaningful way to remember the excitement of their first home and the hard work that it took to get there. For others, it is a memento of a place that holds a lifetime of warm memories and stories of the people who grew there.

Another important piece of gifting art is its presentation. I get a lot of questions about how to frame and display the work (which will be a post for another day), so I have add-ons that help your gift feel more complete.

• Nielsen Bainbridge EcoCare Frames: 8x10” and 11x14” sizes in Bamboo and Black Rubber Tree. These high-quality frames beautifully showcase the work while providing a more environmentally conscious alternative to other store-bought frames.
• Matting sized at 8x10” for 5x7” portraits and 11x14” for 8x10” and 9x12” portraits.
• 5x7” or 8x10” Printed Reproductions: These are artist-quality reproductions of your portrait on 100% cotton paper by Moab and are great for sharing your gift with neighbors and family members.

For questions on commissioning a house portrait or to book yours today, please contact me.