It goes without saying that you support your children’s endeavors, but when our oldest son, Barron, started doing sketches and watercolors of buildings on a commission basis for actual money, I was proud of his entrepreneurial spirit, amazed at his talent and hopeful for his future.
As his spring semester at the University of Georgia winds down, Barron invested his time this week in launching a website for his house portrait business, Real Nice Art Co. The “About” page of his site spells it out like this:
“Real Nice Art Co. was founded in February 2022. We provide custom house and building portrait services to commemorate specific special places. We also have portraits of real nice places that everyone loves! Our artworks focus on the details that make a place special to us, whether it’s a college, an old home, a place we work, or a place we get married; any place that we love and is historical to our own stories deserves to be savored and shared forever. House and building portraits are a great way to take special places and moments with you, no matter where you live or where you will go.”
What began as a hobby, and, to be completely honest, as doodles on the church bulletin during worship, is now a bona fide sole proprietorship complete with tax ID number. That’s more red tape than I’ve ever wanted to wade through on behalf of New South Essays.
He’s seen the demand. It’s been slowly building over the last several years. Two years ago at Christmas, he had so many house portraits commissioned he worked through the holiday, even with COVID-19, to finish up his orders. And that was back when his only sources of customers were word of mouth and his Instagram account, which you should definitely follow.
I’m using this week’s post to announce the global launch of Barron’s imprint, not just because I have a vested interest in his success, I believe in the product. As a popular line of hair growth product ads proclaim, I’m not just a spokesperson for Real Nice Art Co., I’m also a client!
There may not be enough time to get a custom house portrait commissioned and drawn by Mother’s Day, but if you’re thinking that way, you’re on the right track. Barron has drawn first homes, churches where people were married, buildings that interested him, and he recently added a line of prints for such iconic structures as The Arch on the University of Georgia campus.
When people ask me what Barron is up to these days, I get to launch into my prepared script: He’s got one more year at the University of Georgia where he’s majoring in Furnishings and Interiors with a minor in Historic Preservation. He’s got his own business sketching and watercolor painting portraits of houses and other buildings, and he’s just landed an internship at the University of Georgia’s Department of Architecture and Space Planning.
It’s been wonderful to see him take ownership of his art and ideas, and as he finishes up his degree next year and enters the workforce for real (coming off my payroll completely!), I am happy to tell the world about what he’s been up to.
You should definitely get you some of his art. It’s real nice.
New South Essays 