Illustration Friday: hatch

This might seem very obscure but my submission for Illustration Friday's "hatch" is a houscape of Malcom Leo's home. He is an amazing man that has produced documentaries of many great bands and artists. You might have seen some of them like: This is Elvis, The Beach Boys~an American Band or Rolling Stone~20 Years of Rock n Roll. So many I could not list them all. This is a portrait of his home and what I paint most every day "Houscapes", capturing a slice of someones life. OK, you are wondering where the hatch part comes in, this home is in the legendary Hollywood Hills and this is where the Golden Age of Movies was hatched and second as you can see home is where we find our escape hatch, where we feel safe. Safe at Home. For all you lovers of baseball you will recognize this phrase :) A view of his holiday card included on this rainy LA day.
PS: this is an exceptional view of the neighbourhood he lives in. I am standing on a hill across the street on another property that combines two lots that house an enormous mansion. Incredible!

art and pictures 2009 Valerie Walsh

Illustration Friday: sour

It's always good to have a little sweet mixed in with the sour or you could end up with sour grapes. My submission for Illustration Friday's "sour" theme. I have painted and made a lot of pieces with a valgalized version of Italian and Venetian scenes. This is an illustration on Canson Airbrush paper.

Here is the finished version of my "wide submission". I really enjoyed all of your comments about this house. Many of you thought it was a new McMansion but in fact it is an old 1930's home in Pacific Palisades, California. They did add on to this house which is noticable from the photo. In fact it is so hard to get a good photo of this place because everyone puts up big fences and walls now. I can't get a clear shot of the full house because of it and I have been coming up with this problem for quite a while now. It's a bummer because I like to show the photo and my painting together in my portfolio but it is becoming impossible to get nice views now. Everyone has gone fence crazy! This house sits on a bluff and from the backyard you can see the ocean. It is an outstanding property and would be fun to paint from the back as well. I always make a custom frame which I am working on and then I present to the owner and they can simply hang the finished piece :)
Have a swell 4th of July!

Illustration Friday: wide

My submission for Illustration Friday's "wide" theme is a work in progress and one of my signature "Houscapes". This seems like a very wide house to me, I would not want to have to clean this place... it has a lot more detail that will be added such as total landscaping, everything on the house will be detailed out with scroll elements on all the railings and front door, light fixtures, etc. When I initially draw the house I delete all the landscape and add in the dirt and cement even if it gets totally covered up by plants, shrubs, trees, flowers and pottery. I just like it to all be there. So this will be totally different when I post it again. There are two very tall and phallic cypress trees that adorn each side of the doorway and lots of beautiful bushes and trees flank the home. I am working on a few jobs at once, I designed and painted a School House diecut candy box for a confectionary company, it will be filled with candy and given as gifts from students to teachers for the end of the year Thank You's. I will post it soon. I enjoy working on one type of work for a few hours and while that one dries I move to the next one.

I did see this guy and 4 of his buddies moving towards my neighbors garden... and I saw a beautiful young bobcat making it's way through the yard. Rat always lets me know when there is wildlife in our vicinity because he has a unique muffled bark reserved for wildlife and all the hair on his back stands up, it is hilarious!

Illustration Friday: juggle

My submission for Illustration Friday's "juggle" is a bit of a stretch as I haven't had a job yet requiring the use of the word juggle or a juggler. However just being alive is a juggling act and I usually am juggling several jobs at once as well as fun things I want to paint or sculpt or draw. The painting in the foreground is one of my signature "Houscapes" and I am painting in all the details, plants etc. I work on Houscapes Monday through Friday. At night I work on drawings, plans and research for Landmark buildings and unusual buildings that I plan on painting. On the weekends I do fun 1-2 day paintings like the 3 coffee-pot shaped buildings I did for Monday Artday Atc's. When I am on a deadline it truly is a juggling act to make it come together.

Illustration Friday: Cars

My submission for Illustration Friday's "Cars" is a painting of a gas station and the oldest building in Santa Monica, a Landmark building in fact. If you look at these old tanks you will notice the octane is very high. They serviced all the guys that drove hot-rods that require this high octane gas. I took pictures of the place when it was in this condition and when I finally finished painting it they had refurbished it beautifully with three domed pumps, new paint, and they made it look real spiffy. Then there was a struggle over the property and now it is an office and will probably never be an old-fashioned gas station again. But in my world it will always be this place.

"Gypsy Wagon"

Today the greeting cards arrived from Modern Postcard for the lady that lives in the Gypsy wagon! Once a year I participate in a show called Topanga Art Studio Tours. About 45-50 artists that live here open up there studios and let the public come view, talk and have refreshments. It starts at the local gallery , each artist hangs a painting and for $25.00 you buy a book that has the artists name and blurb about their work , bio, written directions and a map of Topanga. It is a 2 day event so if you choose to view all the studios, you have a couple days to squeeze them in. It is the perfect venue for me, I am a bit reclusive and all the people come to me! So this wonderful woman came to my studio, admired the "Houscapes" and asked me to paint her home. Rat and I drove to her place (Paradise, i'm not kidding it really seemed to be what heaven must be like) and there was her home. A 150 year old gypsywagon from England. It was shipped here years ago to be used in the original Dr. Doolittle movie starring Rex Harrison! When the movie studio wanted to be rid of the wagon it was sold and moved to the beach and gypsylady moved in. I did this painting of it and it hangs in her office. She is an amazing person, an activist against nuclear armaments (she has been arrested over 100 times) she lives very simply, she has a very nice tent as well and her 2 dogs. She assists a very well known movie and television actor that is an activist also. I would love to tell you all the particulars because all of the people that are in her orbit are majorly interesting but I want to protect her privacy. She has lived in the wagon for 25 years! This greeting card is to comemorate the 25th anniversary of her life in this wagon. It was a highlight for me to paint and Rat loved being there and walking on the beach and around her neighborhood. The greeting card came out great, I'm pleased with it and I hope she loves it as much as she loves the painting.

copyright 2004 may not be reproduced

My new job

where the horses live





"Happy to see me"




One of the best things about my"Houscapes" (portraits of peoples homes) is that I meet the most unusual people and their pets. All of my work in fact takes me to the most unusual places and the most interesting people. Case in point, my new job in Malibu. This is my 3rd Houscape for this couple. They are the most wonderful people, The lady of the house owns her own record label and the man of the house manages a heavy metal star. This houscape will not be of their actual house but of their pets abode. When Rat and I went to take pictures of the place these guys walked out and lined up smallest to tallest all on their own and the tallest started pawing the fence as if to say "hey, we are here!

Rat thinks that horses are very large dogs and even though he was born on a farm in Woodenville,WA he seems to be a little wary of them. These miniature horses are the best. I wish I could have two! I will include more about this job in the future. I am in the beginning stage, starting the preliminary drawing so when I am done I will share the picture. The above "Houscape" is the 2nd painting I have done for this couple. When my website is up you will be able to view "Houscapes" from 1990-2005.

"Eden Ranch"

Rat is buggin in the stable at "Eden Ranch" My houscape of "Eden Ranch"

"Eden Ranch" has a very rich history here in Topanga, CA. If you are interested there is a book called "The Topanga Story" edited by Louise York and published by The Topanga Historical Society. I'm quite sure many artists have painted portions of "Eden Ranch". My painting was commissioned by the owner and it is of the stable built in 1920. I have included some of her horses and her black cat. Every Christmas she sets up a nativity scene in the stable replete with hay, music, hot chocolate with marshmallows and candy canes. The residents are invited to visit, enjoy the holiday season and spend a little time together. It is a magical place! When Rat and I went to the stable to shoot some pictures for my preliminary drawings a coyote came right up to him and just sat there. Well of course Rat started barking like crazy and chasing him off but the wiley coyote just kept coming back. By the time we left they were both exhausted. This painting was reproduced as Christmas cards for the owner to send to her most cherished friends and clients.

copyright 2005 may not be reproduced.