Joan Doyle, originally from Hacketstown, County Carlow, Ireland, has been living in California for over ten years. She resides in Montrose with her partner Justin and cat Rosie.
She has worked as a Special Effects artist on animated feature films such as, Fantasia 2000 for Walt Disney Feature Animation, Spirit and Sinbad for Dreamworks SKG and divides her time now between her painting and animation work.
She has been a watercolourist for over
25 years and
exhibits her work in both Ireland and California.
We asked Joan how she began painting houses this is what she had to say.
I began doing house portraits about five years ago as a response to the variety of houses and gardens I would see on my walks in my neighbourhood of Glendale, California.
I walk in the morning when its coolest and the world is waking up. It delights me to see how people keep their gardens and really take pride in their homes. I grew up in Ireland and lived in a terrace of houses that were all identical except for the color of paint and the landscaping so it is a real pleasure to see the diversity of architectural choices that are on display on my walks.
Of course the California climate with the addition of a well placed sprinkler is the perfect environment for all manner of plant and tree life. Add sunshine and the dappled shadows it creates and its this artist's dream.
With the personalities that exude from these homes, house portraits seemed the logical and intuitive thing for me to do.
So I went out one day to take a photo of a house that appealed to me to do my first house portrait and a man walked up to me and said "Are you the house artist?" And not really knowing what he was talking about I responded "Yes, I'm the house artist" and there and then my new career was born!
It didnt take long till I was providing Realtors with unique, colorful house portraits as memorable gifts for their clients. Once the House Artist's web site became a reality I was getting orders from all over the United States for house portraits.
It gives me great pleasure to provide a house portrait for those that love and cherish their castles, their safe place to be, their childhood homestead or their first home as a married couple. It is my goal to create beauty and something that is a joy forever.
A house portrait, a feature or angle, a favourite corner, a view from a window, a porch chair where the cat curls up, we all have those places that make us feel peaceful or calm. Thats what I try to capture.
From what feature would you like a portrait made?