SCENE AROUND: House Portraits by Marguerite Bride

When a house becomes a home, it leaves a lasting impression on its owner. Marguerite Bride, an artist who lives and works in Pittsfield, Mass., knows just how to capture that feeling. Bride has been painting house portraits for nearly ten years, and it doesn’t look like she’ll be stopping anytime soon.

“I’ve painted probably close to a hundred now, most of them in the Berkshires, but some across the country,” Bride says. “When you live in a house and grow up in it, it’s special, a safe-haven, like comfort food. Only people that really have cherished memories in the house want a portrait—it gives them a warm and fuzzy feeling.”

The watercolor artworks, each of which Bride completes in about a month, are deeply personalized and often customized according to season with additions such as old cars or holiday decorations.

“Almost every painting has something a little different and a little quirky,” Bride explains. “The most common request is for the addition of a pet.”

Bride’s house portraits make terrific gifts. Adult children looking to commemorate the house in which they grew up for their parents are some of the artist’s most frequent clients; others simply want to preserve an important place as a gift to themselves. And whether they are hung on the walls of the very same house or just a reminder of a time long gone by, Bride’s paintings make for a unique addition to any home. [SEPTEMBER 2010]

THE GOODS

Marguerite Bride
Studio #10
Art on No
311 North St.
Pittsfield, Mass.
413.442.7718