Ma & Pa 's place
Copyright © Jen Monty Studios. Decatur, Ga.
They built it together; the culmination of a life’s dreams and aspirations. The gathering place for a family, who still lovingly refer to it as “Home”.
To honor the graceful elegance of this classic ranch, I kept things more realistic and to scale. I primarily used wood and paper mache, and crafted the unique lanterns out of polymer clay. My goal was that when approached from across the room, it would give the viewer the sense of coming home.
Rosedale
Home is the jumping-off point for life’s adventures, and the safe harbor you return to & recharge with the ones you love. My whimsical house portraits do what a photograph can’t; express the Home within the house.
Check out these House Portraits I’ve done!
Hawthorn House
"I really like that it looks so much like our house, but it also has a rainbow, which makes it extra happy!" Elena, (age 5).
East Atlanta Village
“Thank you for making it so beautiful and realistic. We all love it, Ma especially. “ -Abby (client)
This Craftsman style house is adorable even in real life. The folks who live here are very creative; art lovers and makers, both. I wanted this house portrait to be a portrait of the family as well. To express their love of literature and writing, I used old dictionary pages as shingles, bricks and even garden plants. I crowned the home with a colorful rainbow; representing imagination, creativity and joy.
As the longtime home of a Mom and her two girls, this craftsman bungalow was lovingly restored piece by piece.
In my rendering, the portico with columns were sculpted in 3d from wood and foam board, and extend out from the work by a few inches. The vintage pendant lamp was made from polymer clay and adds greater depth and character to the piece.
Those two girls have long since grown up, and this home now serves as nest to another family. But the lifetime of memories evoked by this portrait stay fresh and clear as if just yesterday.
" It's perfect. I just love it!" - Elaine (recipient)
"Wow! This is amazing!' Jackie (recipient).
House Portraits
The folks in this cute cottage have personality plus! I loved having license to showcase that in this house portrait. Their sweet kitty sports wonder woman's tiara, as the U.S.S. Enterprise and Wonder Woman's invisible plane hover overhead. Capturing the scene at night allowed me to include a starry sky. Their perennial holiday lights were fashioned from wire and glass beads. For a little romance, the larger stars above are arranged precisely as they had been on the day of this couples wedding.