“I capture and paint, the essence of what you treasure.”

Every home has its own personality. I enjoy capturing not only the architecture, but also the gardens, trees, flowers, and landscape that make a home uniquely yours.

Celebrate the home that holds your memories. Transform your cherished home into an original work of art.

• Your childhood home
• Your first home
• Grandma and Grandpa’s house
• A summer cottage
• A special family home

“Original Art, Treasured Memories”

Send me your photographs, or if you live in the Vancouver area, I can visit your home (for an additional fee) to photograph it and discuss your vision.

• Painted in acrylics on stretched canvas
• Various canvas sizes (16″ x 20″ recommended)
• Progress photos sent throughout the process
• Ready within 3-4 weeks from the start date
• A non-refundable deposit secures your commission. the balance is due upon completion.

I’d love to help you celebrate a home that is special to you. To begin your commission, email me at maryancerina.artist@gmail.com.

Completed Commissions

Here are some of the house portraits I have had the privilege of creating for families. Each one celebrates the memories and stories that make a house a home.

Three House Portraits for One Family

My client commissioned three paintings of their family home – one for each of their now-adult children. When I visited the property, I took more than 60 photographs of this magnificent home. Together, my client and her husband selected three different views, each one connected to a special childhood memory for one of their children.

It was a privilege to create these house portraits and preserve the memories this home holds for their family.

A Point Grey Childhood Home

My client grew up in this Point Grey Home in Vancouver. Fortunately, the house had changed very little over the years, allowing me to photograph it much as she remembered it.

To make the painting even more personal, I referred to an older family photograph so I could paint the garden as it looked during her childhood, when the plants were much smaller.

I especially enjoyed including the beautiful North Shore Mountains in the background, a view that has always been part of this special home.

Where Three Daughters Grew Up

Painting this home was especially meaningful to me because it belonged to my sister, where she and her husband raised their three daughters.

Over the years, her husband built a successful custom-cut lumber company, and together they created a wonderful life on this beautiful country property. They have now retired to their dream home they built on a nearby hill, overlooking the valley and the lake.

As a personal touch, I painted one article of clothing representing each family member hanging on the clothesline – a small detail that symbolizes the life, love, and memories they shared in this home.

Childhood Summers on the Family Farm

This farmhouse in Manitoba was painted from a very small, old photograph. The home held special memories for my client, who spent many happy summers at her aunt’s farm in the Manitoba countryside. It was a pleasure to recreate this cherished place and preserve those memories in a painting.

A Tale of Two Lakeside Neighbours

This lakeside home near Bellingham, Washington, was the second of two neighbouring house portrait commissions.

I first painted the cottage of a friend from photographs he had taken. I made sure to include the blue kayak and patio furniture because they reminded him and his wife of many happy summers spent on the lake. When I drove down to Bellingham to deliver the completed painting, his neighbour was visiting and admired the portrait hanging in their home. She asked if I would create a portrait of her home as well.

As a personal touch, I added a deer to the front yard as we had seen several grazing on the lawns between the two homes during my visit. It was a real treat to paint house portraits for the two neighbours who were friends.

Kensington Court

This 1912 heritage building on Beach Avenue in Vancouver was home to an elderly woman I cared for during the later years of her life.

As dementia affected her memory, she no longer recognized the entire building. Instead, I chose to paint the section she knew best, including the view of the water that she always remembered.

To make the painting even more personal, I included her two beloved cats, each looking our from a different window. I also chose to paint the building in springtime, using earlier reference photographs to recreate the cherry blossoms and tulips in bloom. She was delighted to see her home surrounded by the beauty of the season she loved.

A Victorian Home in East Vancouver

Progress photos showing the house portrait taking shape, layer by layer.

This beautifully renovated Victorian home is in East Vancouver. Because the owners spent much of their time enjoying the backyard, I wanted to paint the home from that perspective.

The mature trees surrounding the property made it difficult to photograph the house from the front or side. I asked the neighbours, who were in the process of renovating their own home, if I could stand on their second-floor back balcony to photograph my friends’ home. They graciously agreed, allowing me to take six photographs that I stitched together to create the perfect reference.

The progress photos above show how the house portrait gradually came to life, layer by layer. To keep the focus on my clients’ home, I choose not to include the neighbouring houses in the finished painting. Instead, I photographed the North Shore mountains peeking out from behind a house across the street so I could include that beautiful view in the background.

A Garden Home in East Vancouver

This charming East Vancouver home is surrounded by a beautiful garden filled with flowering shrubs and spring blooms. I especially enjoyed capturing the lush garden, which gives the home so much warmth and character.

To give the house centre stage, I chose not to include neighbouring homes, allowing the architecture and gardens to become the focus.

As I was photographing the house, a cat wandered into the scene. I decided to include it in the painting as a small, unexpected detail that adds a touch of life and personality

A Classic 1920’s Home in Victoria

I have always loved the charm and character of homes built in the 1920’s, and this beautiful Victoria home is a wonderful example.

This was one of my earliest house portrait commissions, painted for a Realtor friend. Creating this painting helped build my confidence in capturing the unique personalty of a home.

Every home has its own story. I’d be honoured to help preserve yours.

Commission Your Own House Portrait

I’d love to help you celebrate a home that is special to you.

Whether it’s your childhood home, your current home, a family cottage, or a home that holds treasured memories, I can create a personalized house portrait from your photographs, or if you live in the Greater Vancouver area, I can visit your property to photograph it and discuss your vision (additional fee).

Each portrait includes:

• Original acrylic painting on stretched canvas
• Progress photos taken during the painting process
• Canvas sizes to suit your space
• Optional framing (additional fee)
• Non-refundable deposit to reserve your commission
• Balance due upon completion

Commission Prices

• 14 x 18 in. (35x 46 cm) – $450
• 12 x 24 in. (30.5 x 61 cm) – $475
• 16 x 20 in. (41 x 51 cm) – $500

Other canvas sizes are available. Please contact me for a quote.

To begin your commission, I’d love to hear from you.

Contact Information:

Email: maryancerina.artist@gmail.com

Web: maryancerina.com

Facebook: Maryan Cerina

Instagram: @cerinamaryan