Years ago I was commissioned to paint this house portrait for a friend’s daughter. Smythe House is a historic B&B, and the owners wanted a publicity piece that would show both the house and its surroundings. The house itself is “a carefully renovated three story 1890 Classic American Shingle Style Colonial.” Luxurious lodging is offered in the five unique bedrooms, each with its own decor and character. It’s truly a dream house, lovingly cared for and beautifully furnished.
As with book illustration, I employed the use of insets to show different scenes, including nearby Overlook Mountain, which sits on the eastern edge of the Catskill Mountains and overlooks the Hudson Valley. These separate areas of imagery also enabled me to introduce different color palettes. The insets are held in an architectural frame that mimics the entrance of the house – thus the viewer is invited into the picture just as guests enter the house.
The flowers in the foreground include two medicinal plants: echinacea or “purple coneflower,” and yarrow – for my clients are quite familiar with herbal medicine, and incorporate both wild and cultivated plants into the landscape.
Pictured in front of the house is the host couple and their baby daughter – who is now a teenager, much to my amazement. What a beautiful place to grow up! And what an amazing family this lucky girl was born into.
This was one illustration that did not need to be embellished in order to evoke a storybook feeling. I imagine guests who stay in this historic house might feel like they’re in a fantasy world – a place to let the imagination run wild. I could imagine writing a novel there, or wandering the property with a watercolor pad and paints. It must be especially beautiful now, with flowering trees in full springtime bloom.
A picture that captures a special sense of place is worth a thousand words. We knit ourselves to this earth by individualizing our homes and becoming intimate with the land that surrounds us. In today’s world of mass-produced homes, not all houses make good subjects for a portrait. This one was especially worthy.
A good week to all!
D. Yael Bernhard
https://dyaelbernhard.com
Have you seen my other Substack, The Art of Health? In addition to being a visual artist, I’m also a certified integrative health & nutrition coach with a lifelong passion for natural food cooking and herbal medicine. Now in its second year, this illustrated newsletter explores cutting-edge concepts of nutrition. I strive to make relevant information clear and accessible, and to anchor essential health concepts in unique images. Check it out, and if you like it, please subscribe and help spread the word. Your support keeps my work going!