I first met Mitchel and Tami through an emailed subscription request for The Halloweenist, my free monthly newsletter. But the comment they added at the bottom caught my eye:

"I learned of your site through a friend who has a haunted bed and breakfast. She thought my my husband and I would be interested, because we have a historical haunted tour home known as The Grove."

I responded immediately with all the details, and within a few hours, they had sent me deposit and photos.

"We've been going over your website, and absolutely LOVE your work. One of my personal favorites is "Thirteen Spooks, Maybe More." I think that we'd want something more along those lines, portraying a haunted house, rather than a Halloween theme, so you can see the direction that we're heading in.

"There are several spirits that have been repeatedly seen at The Grove over the years, but we don't know if we'd want them to be a prominent part of the painting. But it might be nice to work them in somehow. In the "gathering input" page, you said that you want to know the house's history and our feelings about it, and that's a complex issue. It has a rich history, and we are only the eighth owners of the house since it was built in 1861.

"By the way, the Grove is named for the grove of Native Texas Pecan Trees that have surrounded the house from the start. The ghost stories here go back over 100 years, however, which is kind of a double-edged sword - we feel welcome and comfortable, although supernatural things happen all the time around here. By the same token, others who have come before us were frightened by the things that happen here. On one hand it's a warm, wonderful place, but to some, it's terrifying."

I soon received a batch of photos, and began the tricky task of separating the house from all the Pecan trees, which seemed to jump into the middle of every photo. When I submitted my color study, Tami and Mitchel were quite excited, their only suggestion was that front parlor windows be illuminated, rather than the ones I had selected.

I soon had clearance to begin the painting, and eventually my clients received a scan of the finished art. They loved it! A few days after sending the finished painting off to them I received the following response:

"The package arrived today. Opening the packing material was working a puzzle - we'd never seen anything that was so well-protected. When we finally got down to the bubble wrap and then peeled back the white plastic layer, the painting completely took our breath away. You captured our home perfectly, and we love the resident spirits that you incorporated into the painting. The email image that you sent never prepared us for how beautiful the finished product would be. We're absolutely delighted with your portrayal of The Grove!"