This is my watercolor painting of a home in L. A. designed by Lloyd Wright, architect….that’s right, I said Lloyd Wright–not Frank Lloyd Wright….I used to see this house while riding home from high school on my ten-speed bicycle….I was fascinated by it–and had no idea it was designed by a famous architect….In fact the house is the best-known work of Frank Lloyd Wright’s eldest son, known alternatively as Frank Lloyd Wright, Jr., or Lloyd Wright….I always wondered what it must have been like to be Frank Lloyd Wright’s son–no pressure, right ? Built in 1926, this residence showcases his genius of integrating nature and building; the garage gates, fireplace grates, French door grills, and closets are abstract renderings of the yucca plants growing on the surrounding hills and the pre-cast concrete ornamentation adorning this home is of Mayan inspiration–the preceding statement was quoted from the real estate agent which recently listed the property at $ 3.3 Million….The Derby House is on the National Register of Historic Places. The Mayan Revival–style residence is clad in ornamental concrete textile blocks cast in sand from the nearby Chevy Chase Canyon….The 3,281-square-foot home was commissioned by businessman James Derby for his family, but he and his wife separated before the home was completed, so only she and their children ever lived there…. I would have been riding by from about 1966 to 1973, since I started driving back and forth to Glendale High School in my senior year (1974)….It was always a great mystery, and a great source of inspiration for a blossoming architectural student….It’s been a pleasure to paint my “portrait” of this home so many years later….This painting is my fifth in a series of watercolor paintings to explore any talent I may have with this medium….All the subjects of these paintings are works of architecture that were meaningful to me as a young architect–kind of a Top Ten for me personally, if you will.,…Thank You, –Jeffrey Michael George, Architectural Illustrator
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