NEWBURY – The Pink House, standing alone on a narrow plot of land next to the Great Marsh, may be the most photographed and painted structure in New England.
There is even a Pink House clothing line. And now, the well-known image of the house with its checkered past has been etched on elegant glasses.
You can take the Pink House home on a long stem wine glass or rock glass, even on a coffee cup, thanks to the patience and skill of Holly Janvrin at Holly B. Designs Co.
“I felt it is such an icon I wanted to do it justice,” Janvrin said. “I hope it brings someone a little bit of happiness.”
Janvrin fell in love with the Pink House driving passed several times each day when she was a school bus driver. Some of her happiest memories were seeing a snowy owl or blackbirds nesting in the yard. She said she loved the ride out Plum Island Turnpike mostly because of the house, which in the morning sunrise gave her peace.
Janvrin, an artist herself and the daughter of artists, is known for her fracking, pieces of wood in all shapes and sizes that are shocked with high voltage electricity to create intricate and elegant designs. Her custom-made fracked objects are found in many North Shore stores.
She became interested in putting images on glass recently when her husband, Marc, a utility lineman, introduced her to lasers and sand etching. She lasered images on vinyl, then painstakingly cut away the vinyl, before sand etching the final image on the glassware.
Putting the Pink House on each glass takes about 20 minutes.
Although she works with other artists to etch their images on glass, the Pink House image is from her own photo. She added bushes, a tree and vines to the image, and she lasered and drew by hand a few additional lines for emphasis and shading.
“Details matter,” she said. The image of the Pink House is not perfect, she said. “It has blemishes.”
The Pink House, owned by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service since 2011, was built in 1925 by a wealthy Newburyport woman, who resented her son’s choice of a bride. The house, built without water and electricity, was soon abandoned by the wife and their son before being sold.
A non-profit group, Support the Pink House, has been working diligently to find a long-term solution for protecting the Pink House.
The Pink House glasses can be acquired at the Brass Lyon store in Newburyport or at her web site for $14.99.
For more information about Janvrin and her designs, visit www.hollybdesigncompany.com.
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Pink House
