New Perspectives in Sea Cliff, San Francisco
March 2022
Window to The Bay #22
Happy Friday! How was your St. Patrick’s Day? I kept a family tradition alive of cooking a big crockpot of corned beef, cabbage, carrots, and potatoes. The kids have been making card board contraptions to capture leprechauns in hopes of finding a pot of gold. No luck yet, but we do hope for luck of the Irish for my parents as they sell our family home of 30 years this weekend and move on to exciting new adventures. As someone who paints home portrait commissions often as gifts for nostalgic sellers, I’m experiencing first hand what it’s like to say goodbye to a home filled with so many years of sweet memories. I’m so glad I painted a pair of portraits for my parents when I did as a long distance Christmas 2020 gift - their realtor is using them for the marketing materials!
A Pair of Sea Cliff, San Francisco Watercolor Portraits
Also ahead of holiday 2020 I had the pleasure of painting a pair of Window to The Bay watercolor home portraits gifted from a husband to his wife for her birthday. What made this charming Sea Cliff, San Francisco house so fun and special to paint is the home’s orientation on the street. The front entrance of the house is oriented ninety degrees from the road and sidewalk, such that the ivy covered chimney faces the sidewalk, and the front door runs parallel with the neighbor’s house. Given San Francisco lot sizes and the proximity to the house next door, the elegant symmetry of the exterior cannot be captured and admired in a single straight on photograph. Thus using the mind’s eye of an artist, it was gratifying to paint an image for the owners that they could otherwise not capture. We paired the facade portrait with a three quarters angle portrait of the home to celebrate the home’s unique positioning and appearance from Sea Cliff Avenue.
Tucked into a beautiful quaint and winding street not far from the beach, I love the personal touch of the broom on the front steps to brush away the sand from regular beach walks. The owner shared inspiration images of their favorite seasonal flowers and friendly dog greeting them energetically. Look closely and you’ll see that the dog moves from one window to the next between portraits!
View a reel of the painting process start to finish
Follow along on Laura Ann Studio Instagram to see the making of the Sea Cliff pair of coordinating watercolors from inspiration images and videos to the final product!
With love for the every day and special days,
Laura Ann Trimble Elbogen
P.S. Celebrating any milestone birthdays or anniversaries this year? Forward this post! Now booking summer painting commissions!