Enchanted Paintings Of Old Houses By Julie Horner

Few things set House Crazy Sarah’s heart a flutter as much as paintings of old houses.

When she came across British artist Julie Horner’s whimsical watercolours of cottage homes set in magical landscapes, she knew she had to feature them.

House Crazy Sarah asked permission to display these images and also asked the artist a few questions about her muses, process, and experience. Here are Julie’s answers…

“I have been painting about 20 years…. started with flowers, then butterflies and wildlife, then children and started painting cottages 3 years ago, some are realistic, some whimsical. I am inspired by the countryside and seasons of where I live in the UK.”

“Out walking the dogs I often stop to admire a tree or the sunlight filtering through the trees. I try to capture the atmosphere and mood in a scene, especially in the Autumn and winter. I am self-taught and still learning watercolours.”

It’s hard to imagine that Julie is a relative newcomer to watercolours because these paintings are simply breathtaking!

Julie’s atmospheric images each seem to focus on a season. So let’s have a look at her old house renderings through the different seasons…

Spring

“I live near Chester, England and art does not run in my family, but I also love farms and that has run all through past generations but not recently.”

Summer

“I am an Architectural Technician which is why I put off drawing and painting houses for so long, at first they looked like brand new houses and I had to purposely make them wonky.”

Autumn

“I do have an interest in older buildings and much prefer a gardener’s cottage than the large houses they belong to.”

Winter

“I take photos of cottages around where I live, but rarely paint the cottage, [I] choose bits from one cottage and something else from another, to make up my paintings.”