It's a Painting Swap!
October 2022
Window to The Bay #29
Happy Friday! Have you ever heard of a painting swap? When my talented friend, artist Tana Quincy Arcega, suggested it, I was all in! It was an honor and a delight to swap custom paintings with her. She asked me to paint a Window to The Bay watercolor house portrait of her new home and studio, and she offered to make us a custom set of paintings to fit over our fireplace in her beautiful style of extrusion paintings using a combination of fabrics, sewing, and industrial materials. I’ve admired Tana’s work for a long time and feel so lucky to have her work in my home!
It was my first time viewing first hand the creation of a contemporary abstract painting - everything about her commission process was thoughtful, from the colors, shapes, and sizes of the pieces to the selection of materials and visual imagery. This photo is from the moment we presented our paintings to each other in person - I delivered her custom Window to The Bay portrait of her new home while paying a visit to her studio to see her work in progress for me in its final stages. We were happy to be together with both pieces in one room at the same time before she installed her painting, titled “Movements and Overtures” at my house! Stay tuned on Laura Ann Studio Instagram for more behind the scenes studio spotlights of this special painting swap!
A BayView, San Francisco Victorian Artists’ Residence Home Portrait
I have to admit, I was more nervous painting this portrait than I had been on a project in a while given that Tana and her husband, Mike Arcega, are both accomplished artists and teachers of art - it was one of those artist’s artist moments and I wanted to get it right for them. They were both extremely gracious and kind with their feedback along the way! They have the most beautiful Victorian home, with a shingle style reminiscent of the east coast, offset with deep burgundy-red trims and a gorgeous plum tree that was really fun to paint! Together we gathered imagery of the different seasonal stages of the plum tree to incorporate and bring color into the Window to They Bay portrait border. The personal details reflect their family at this stage - family art projects in the window, roller skates for their daughter, Mike’s beloved blue Vespa parked outside the garage, and Tana’s guitar on the front steps that she uses to sing lullabies at night!
With love for the every day and special days,
Laura Ann Trimble Elbogen
P.S. Do you have a new home you’d love to capture as a watercolor house portrait for your new home decor? Share this post as a holiday gift idea!