An Artist Lives Here

We bought our first home! It has been around 8 months since we began our search, and we finally found a brick charmer that splits our commutes to work and downtown beautifully. This cottage was built in 1925 and has all the character this gal was looking for…arched doorways, original hardwood, plaster walls, glass door knobs..the list goes on!

One of the neatest facts about the home we discovered on closing day from the seller. This house was once home to a famous artist! His name is Hubert Shuptrine, and he was an INCREDIBLE watercolorist. He work is famous for his unique technique of painting watercolor similar to opaque mediums like oil and acrylic. I looked up his work, and was absolutely blown away at what he could do with watercolor.

Look at that PORTRAIT!

People have teased us asking “what if his ghost lives in your house?” And to that I would say, “That would be awesome…I would sit him down and say SHOW ME YOUR WAYS!”

We are of course now on the hunt for an original, and would love to meet his son, Albert, who is also an amazing artist, and is local to Chattanooga.

I’ve already made an ode to Hubert, with a mixed media house portrait of my own…incorporating some watercolor of course!

The painting is one of the first things we’ve moved into the house, as renovations are in full swing before we start transporting all of our furniture, etc.

I had my artwork framed by Framebridge, and I am thoroughly impressed with the quality, price, and speedy delivery. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to frame photos, prints, or original art.

One thing that I absolutely cannot get over is how much light pours into our new humble abode. Maybe that is why Mr. Shuptrine was drawn to it too. It seriously has inspired me so much to be creative, even amidst the rennovations.

Speaking of reno, we’ve actually completed quite a bit in our short time of ownership. Though we aren’t near finished, I’ll share with you some progress shots of “before’s” and “almost afters”.

This is the main space I’ve invested my efforts into. Our guest bathroom.

You’ll have to stay tuned for the after! But, here are the details of the work I’ve done so far:

Painted the walls: Slow Green (a light blue/green/grey) – Sherwin Williams

Painted the cabinets: Urban Oasis (a rich green/navy) – Valspar

Painted the medicine cabinet/mirror frame: Urban Bronze (a rich brown bronze) – Sherwin Williams

Re-caulked the entire bathroom…It makes a HUGE difference in overall “finish quality” appearance, but isn’t pictured above.

I’ve already purchased new sconces, and a new sink! Also, I’ve had my eye on some painterly shower curtains, and would love your help choosing one for the space. I definitely want to tie in some colors from the room, and continue the artsy feel.

OPTION 1

OPTION 2

OPTION 3

All of the shower curtains are from Society 6, a site that features artists work on a variety of goodies.

Leave me a comment below of which is your choice!

I look forward to updating you guys as we make progress on more renovations, if we find out any more cool facts about the home, and some much anticipated “after” photos. Thanks for following along with fun life updates.

b. improved,