The end result!

This photo: stairs leading to the rooftop deck and garden. My painting continued up to the top of the stairs.

Read further for the WHOLE story.

Photo by BUILD LLC.

OLD HOUSE:

The little house. My temporary home.

This was my home--for a very short time.

I was living in Portland when one of my best friends and her husband dropped an amazing proposition into my lap: to live in Seattle in their recently bought little house before it was torn down to make room for their newly built family home.

How could I say no? I couldn't and wouldn't.

Here is the interior as I moved in.

Around mid April 2014 I moved in and promptly it dawned on me this opportunity was a realization of a project I had visualized a year before.

I imagined having a room-at least three connected walls and perhaps a ceiling- that would be my 'blank canvas' to draw and paint anything I was moved to create. After completing the 'rooms', I would then reinstall them into other public viewing spaces.

Soon I was settled in.

I thought of many ways to achieve this without actually drawing and painting on someone's privately owned walls: cover the walls with paper? buy a utility trailer and cover its walls with paper? or perhaps buy a Sprinter and cover its walls with paper? My brother-in-law and sister even offered to build three false walls in their basement that could be covered with paper. All of these ideas hit a dead end. Eventually I abandoned the idea.

But now...now this house would become my blank canvas. Early May I started the work.

Initial application of color and first indications of future images in the same corner as the previous photo.

Long time friends came to visit.

Me in action, adding color to the design. I used a rolled up towel to ease my neck.

The project complete and I am very satisfied.

Final look.

A collaboration between Kristin Giordano and myself. Our first project completed for a future series. She took these beautiful photographs while living in Qatar and I 'extended' them--even onto the walls.

Final look.

Detail.

Final look.

Detail.

Final look.

Me, enjoying the final look.

Final look.

Detail.

On July 20th I welcomed friends and family to come and say goodbye to both this wonderful house and my artwork. Here's Erika Eckert, both my long time dear friend and owner of the house, bringing some party goodies.

Photo by BUILD LLC.

I'm talking a collabortion piece I completed with artist Kristin Giordano.

Then BUILD LLC came to check out the house. Fun to have them visit and see my work before demolition started a couple of days later.

Photo by BUILD LLC.

On July 23rd this arrived. The time had come.

Goodbye, sweet dear house. I was thankful for everyday that I was able to stay in this structure. It surely was home.

NEW HOUSE:

It is done! This is the new house that replaced the old one.

A view from the front.

Photo by BUILD LLC.

My friends, the ones that invited me to stay in the little old house, the Eckerts, co-own a custom designed and built house company called BUILD LLC. Here is a link: http://www.buildllc.com/

The back side of the new house and Erika's studio.

Photo by BUILD LLC.

After the demolition of the old house, the new one was almost complete by late April 2015. In honor of the work I had created in the old house, Erika and Kevin Eckert asked me to paint again but in this new one. So touched. Of course I said YES!

Kitchen/dining/stairway wall before painting began.

The image they wanted was a simplified version of a wallpaper design they adored but could not hang because of the 3 stories length of wall space--reaching from their rooftop to their basement. So I hand painted a 'shadow' version of the trees with the more prominent tree on top.

This photo shows me painting the second layer of trees over the first layer of 'shadow' trees.

The final look. It turned out beautiful and we are all so happy with the results!

This is the main entry. My custom painting extended from below these stairs into the basement, up into this floor, around the hallway to the left, then up the stairs into the kitchen/dining/living room areas.

Photo by BUILD LLC.