A house on memory lane

I was asked to do a painting from a panoramic shot of my husband's great grandmother (now passed on for many years) on the porch of her house. The photo was aged and details of "Granny" were hard to make out. I took one look and was immediately nervous and doubtful. But I like a challenge, and I knew this would definately test my talent. I stared at the picture for a good month and finally when it was nearing the end of the kid's spring break I dove into it. 

The house I knew well. You see ironically the house that is in the painting is the house that my family and I have lived in for the past 7 years. It's amazing though how many things I noticed when trying to translate it onto a canvas. It was also fun to paint it how it was back then. It looks different, yet the same today.

I snapped 3 photos of the process.
Here is the first.

Here is the second.

And the finished painting.

"Granny's House"

Acrylic on stretched canvas

March 2011.

My husband took it over to his Grandmother and  said she cried. She invited her sisters over to see look at it and they were just as emotional. I am estactic that they loved it so much. I put a lot of energy in this painting to get it right because I knew that it would mean a lot to a bunch of family. So much history and memories in this house. 

And just for fun........

The front porch of the house today.