Something that always strikes me is how buildings have personalities – more than just when people say, “That house has character.” And more than just when a house has two windows that look like eyes, though those are absolutely adorable houses that need to be acknowledged.
Old Houses
Some buildings are so old that it’s even hard to imagine all the things they’ve seen and the stories they have to tell. I’ve said it before (Abandoned Houses Art Prints) but really, houses should come with a book of all the people who have lived there, what they did, what renovations they did, what happened during floods, wars, all of it!
where To Call Home?
I often think I feel like this because I moved around a lot until I was 25 years old. At one point I’d moved 13 times in 9 years. I’d had enough and wanted to find somewhere I could call home and unpack all the boxes I’d been lugging around.
why House Portraits?
I know that not everyone feels like this, but I do know that the places we live are special to us – it’s a mighty thing to have a roof over our heads right? I think this puts me in a unique position to be able to tell the story of your home.
I don’t have a preference to what the house looks like, but it’s the story that comes with it. Is it the first place the person purchased? Is it where their family was born and grew up? Is it where they were born and grew up? Maybe it’s a grandparent’s house that is full of nostalgic and warm feelings.
Does a portrait have to be of a person?
I absolutely don’t think so!
I like being able to create a piece of art for someone that they can hold onto – they can take home with them wherever they are.
I’d love to be able to do this for you too!
I work digitally or with watercolour paints – you get to decide which medium you’d like your house portrait in! They each have the same fee, so it’s really up to you.
If you have a home in mind that you would love to commemorate on your walls, or need a special nostalgic gift for someone, I’d like to invite you to check out my House Portraits page, and get in touch with me to start your project!
Thank you for spending part of your day with me, I really appreciate it.
Art has been a constant in my life. There’s no way to emphasize that sentence in a way that will fully explain what it means and the weight it carries.
I picked up a pencil at a very young age (I have a colouring book from when I was three, and it looks like I coloured it yesterday), and it was very hard to put it down when I felt like I needed to. I still have the “learn-to-draw” books that I used when I started drawing, and then I used them as reference when needed (they have been moved across Canada with me a few times!). When I would get stressed in university, my relief was to pick up a pencil and doodle, draw, design, whatever felt right at the moment. The best decision I made for myself was to do my minor in Fine Arts, I got to release that creativity into the world. I felt exhilarated with each assignment and I kept getting better and better (as one does with anything they practice).
Since then, I have always drawn or painted “just because.” In the last ten years I really started to focus on watercolour painting. I love it. It takes some skill, some technique, but basically I just play with pigment and water and I might as well be a toddler again. Again, just practicing and “playing” have made me more confident in the medium. I’ve recently discovered a “trick” in using pencil crayons and gel pens to get the highlights I often find myself wanting in my watercolour paintings, and so I’m very excited to try that soon. Recently I painted a Supermurgitroid Robot friend using watercolour paints, and outlined in ink. I did it because for ages I’ve been telling myself if I tried it wouldn’t be very good, and I had to prove that little voice wrong, and I’m so glad I did. I’m in love with that little friend I painted, and I really just have to stop telling myself I can’t – I currently am, and I have the paintings and art to prove it!
Abandoned Houses
Another love of mine is abandoned houses, very run-down houses, or old houses. I truly feel that they have stories to tell, they have voices, they have personalities. They have seen things that we can only imagine. I wish each house came with a little binder of all the people who have owned it, when it was renovated, what thought was put into its keep-up, and anything else it wants to share! Can you imagine what my one-hundred-year-old house could tell?! It’s amazing. I found some pictures of old houses on the internet, and felt their personalities calling out to me, so I began to draw their portraits. I feel like portrait is the only way to describe these drawings. They each have such massive personalities, and there must be stories behind the way they are. Here are a couple:
Abandoned House A, 8×10 inch black and white print.
Abandoned House D, a black and white print, 8×10 inches.
Mid-Century Modern Clocks
I have a fascination with mid-century modern décor as well. It is simple, but complex. It is bright, but muted. It seems to be all contradictions, and perhaps that is why I like it. It reminds me of all the contradictions I hold within myself, and why that is a good thing. I started drawing mid-century inspired clocks set to certain times that mean something to me. Like how I always seem to look at the clock at 12:34, how some people say to make a wish when looking at the clock at 11:11, and the time my child was born. I set them each against a mid-century modern inspired patterned wallpaper, because it reminds me of my grandma’s kitchen. For a very long time her kitchen had the green fridge and stove, and was completed with a brown and orange carpet! Very eclectic! Here are a couple of my clocks:
Clock A set to 11:30, 5×7 inch print.
Clock B set to 7:06, 5×7 inch print.
Vintage Halloween Masks
Halloween is a very big part of my life. I love everything about it. I remember as a kid that we had the Collegeville costumes, they were masks with a plastic coverup that had an outfit printed on it. It was nice because we were often trick-or-treating in snow, so costumes always had to fit over snowsuits, and this one was one of the few that assured to. I chose my favourite six to start with, but my favourite vintage Halloween Masks of those are:
Vintage Halloween Mask – Clown
Vintage Halloween Mask – Cat
You Can Have One Too!
I have decided to share these creations as prints, and these art prints are available online in a few ways: through my Etsy shop (Hook and Line Wpg), through Art of Where, and now also through Society6!
Etsy
The art prints available through Etsy are printed by me (well by my Epson printer), and they are either printed on Stonehenge paper or a printable cotton canvas! (I posted a video of the printable cotton canvas in the Mid-Century Modern Clock post to show how neat it is!) They come unframed, which is a great option if you have a frame just waiting for a colourful art print to be displayed in it.
There are four Vintage Halloween Mask prints available on Etsy (clown, cat, bat, and Frankenstein’s Monster). All of the eight Abandoned House drawings are available, as are all five Mid-Century Modern inspired clocks.
Art of Where
Art of Where creates prints that can be matte or glossy, on wood or paper, or be a poster or paper print. Details on their prints can be found at the Art of Where website.
All six Vintage Halloween Mask art prints, eight Abandoned House drawings, and five Mid-Century Modern inspired clocks are available at Art of Where.
Society6
And as of this week, all of these prints are also available through Society6! There are many options at Society6, from framed to unframed prints, as well as metal and acrylic options!
All prints are available at Society6 in all of the many options!
I would really love for you to love the houses, clocks, and masks as much as I do. I’ve really enjoyed creating them, and feel their stories should begin to be shared! Perhaps you need a gift for someone who loves Mid-Century Modern decor, or your wall needs a gallery of abandoned buildings. Whatever it’s for, I hope that I can help you find it!
I have other ideas in the works, I’m figuring out a way to get some of my photographs accessible as prints, and items, so keep your ears to the ground and I’ll let you know when those are ready to go!
Thank you for spending part of your day with me, I really appreciate it.
I admit, I wish I had done a bit more research before throwing everything into this name. It made sense to me at the time though. Because I wanted my Etsy shop to be like a general store, a place where I would be able to share all of the fun things I like to create, I wanted a name that I thought covered all of that. I kept coming back to Hook & Line – a crochet hook, and the line of the horizon or the line of a drawing. I doodled the graphic and was pretty pleased with it. I made up labels and a bunch of other materials before researching Hook & Line on Etsy and finding myself among a bunch of fishing related shops – which makes total sense now 🫤. (It also taught me to do a bit more research for when I was getting Supermurgitroid ready.)
However, I do still feel a connection to it. I feel at home when I’ve got a crochet hook or a pencil in my hand. It feels natural to have a paint brush creating shapes that become lines. I am proud of the things I make and just as the name is personal, with each item I make I share a little piece of myself.
I really enjoy all kinds of crafts, and learning all kinds of techniques. I love crocheting something warm for someone, living in a place where winter is strong and long it’s an act of love for me. I love taking photos of flowers or nature, my grandfather enjoyed gardening so much and I feel connected to him in the garden. I have a bit of an obsession with books, and bookmarks to use in them – so I wanted to celebrate that by creating fun bookmarks.
I really truly hope that anyone who purchases one of my items loves it as much as I loved making it.
