A House Portrait from Alexandria, Virginia

by Jennifer Skopp

A woman hired Jennifer Skopp to paint a Watercolor House Portrait, to give to her boyfriend in honor of his 80th birthday. He lived in this Alexandria, Virginia house for most of his life.

The client was very collaborative with Jennifer in planning what would be included in this House Portrait. She sent Jennifer many photos of the house, from all different viewpoints. Jennifer and the client decided that the House Portrait would show the front and the left side of the house. The client was comfortable with the idea of taking some of the flowers and shrubs that grew in the backyard and including them in the front and side garden. On Jennifer’s sketch she wrote notes that the client gave her, of which types of plants grew around her boyfriend’s house.

This house has two perpendicular pitched roofs with gray shingles. This two-story house looks like there are two attics under the roofs above the second floor. The bottom exterior of the house is made of brick and the top half has white siding. The shutters are painted green. There is an enclosed porch with white, rectangular columns. The floor of the porch is painted green. There is a brick chimney closer to the front and a white chimney closer to the back of the house.

In front of the house Jennifer painted a beautiful, colorful garden. There is large tree in the middle of it. On the right side of the front of the house, is a driveway made of stones. The garden is enclosed by a short wall of white stones shaped like bricks. The large tree in the back is not actually visible in the front of the house, but this is an example of how the client and Jennifer decided that elements in the back could be displayed in the front of this House Portrait.

The birthday boy loved the Watercolor House Portrait and wrote Jennifer a lovely thank you note.