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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Artist selling drawings of my house

529 replies

TechGinny · 07/09/2021 12:43

I've just discovered that an artist local to the area is selling drawings of my property on her website. It's not easily viewed by the road, which means she would have had to enter the land to draw it.

I'm feeling quite annoyed about this, as she has never made contact to ask permission.

AIBU unreasonable to feel like this, and would you make contact to ask her to remove it from her website?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
7
ShaneTheThird · 07/09/2021 13:07

You can't get her to remove the image but you can email and ask how she was able to draw it. Saying that I personally wouldn't have an issue with someone trespassing simply to draw a picture of my house. It's harmless and £40 is a bargain for a hand drawn picture. I'm assuming it's a big old fashioned historical house.

Hdhdjejdj · 07/09/2021 13:07

How has this really negatively impacted your life? You are lucky enough to have inherited a lovely home that an artist wants to paint. Count your blessings.

SusieBob · 07/09/2021 13:11

Why bother even contacting this person? What are you going to gain from it? They might have trespassed in order to take a picture of your house but really, so what? And you can't stop her selling the drawings so really you are just going to come across as a bit unhinged.

Loudestcat14 · 07/09/2021 13:14

I'm surprised PP are being so blasé about this. She's monetised your private property for her own financial gain and her website might prompt people to want to view it in person, increasing the likelihood of trespassers. I wouldn't be happy about that. It doesn't matter if it's a notable house in the area, it's your family home.

On a side note, is the artwork any good?

CuriousaboutSamphire · 07/09/2021 13:14

@Hdhdjejdj

How has this really negatively impacted your life? You are lucky enough to have inherited a lovely home that an artist wants to paint. Count your blessings.
Really?

Private house, off road, not visible from path. Why wouldn't OP feel a bit uncomfortable knowing someone felt free to enter her garden to take a picture, sketch her house.

If it doesn't bother you I'll be round in the morning, get a good look at your back garden while you are at work, shall I?

Or are you just a teensy bit jealous that OP has a 'family home'?

Rainbowsew · 07/09/2021 13:14

I wouldn't contact them. There may be old pictures around you don't know about that she copied from, she have a good imagination to fill bits from anywhere you can see from a public right of way.

Even if she did trespass you haven't proof, so what can you do?

BlackShadowCat · 07/09/2021 13:14

I think people are entitled to draw houses, aren't they? We used to live in a National Trust house and there were loads of photos and drawings taken of it. I would think you were bonkers if I were the artist and you emailed me about it. She could have drawn it from an old photo or been given permission by one of your relatives.

Original poster
TechGinny · 07/09/2021 13:18

@Hdhdjejdj

How has this really negatively impacted your life? You are lucky enough to have inherited a lovely home that an artist wants to paint. Count your blessings.
It's made me feel a bit uncomfortable, I haven't said it has affected my life any more than that. And actually, given that you don't know anything about the circumstances of the inheritance and anything about the rest of my life, I really think that your post is unnecessary.

Thank you for all the good advice, other posters - it's good to know that it would unsettle some other people as well and I'm not being totally unreasonable. As I've said, I don't want to take action or anything, other than a chat to find out whether she trespassed and that permission would have been appreciated.

The house doesn't appear on Google images, as happily the house next door is very similarly named and the previous owners used to 'loan out their garden for photos, so that's what appears in searches. It's not on Google earth either, as it's obscured by trees.

OP posts:
Laiste · 07/09/2021 13:19

I live in a 'notable' house as well and there are pictures of it on the internet.

OP are there googleable pics of your property? If so then i imagine that's what she's using as a reference. I doubt she's creeping through undergrowth to see it ... why would anyone do that when they can get images from the comfort of their own home?

Original poster
TechGinny · 07/09/2021 13:20

Exactly @Loudestcat14 and @CuriousaboutSamphire, thank you Smile

Unhinged and bonkers? Well, I've been called worse.

OP posts:
TakeYourFinalPosition · 07/09/2021 13:21

it is a notable house in the area

If that’s the case, are there photos of it on Google, or Flickr, etc? Or Instagram? Or Google maps?

It may be that she’s drawn the house from there?

Laiste · 07/09/2021 13:21

x post.

So is she using a photo taken from next door?

SusieBob · 07/09/2021 13:21

Ah, so it's a "please agree with me" rather than a "what do people think" thread.

Gotcha.

Laiste · 07/09/2021 13:22

Hang on - it's a noteable house but with no pictures of it on the internet at all?

KrisAkabusi · 07/09/2021 13:23

How can it be a notable house in the area and not have people know what it looks like? There must be pictures or drawings of it out there somewhere.

BangingOn · 07/09/2021 13:23

I completely understand how you feel. Our house is very distinctive and I have seen people outside taking photos more than once. In our case they aren’t trespassing to do so, but it still feels strange.

We also get people walk past who think it’s ok to peer in through the windows which makes me very angry, but that is a whole other thread.

In your shoes I would be annoyed about the likely trespassing but beyond that accept that it isn’t something I can stop, but that I don’t have to like.

Hdhdjejdj · 07/09/2021 13:23

@CuriousaboutSamphire, yes really. It feels like no big deal.
OP, I don’t know anything about the circumstances of your inheritance, but if you have had a lovely house in the family for a hundred years I would say you are quite fortunate. By the way, saying that doesn’t make me envious. It’s just a fact.

SheilasBroomIsLonger · 07/09/2021 13:24

I would just ask her if she could change some of the details to stop it being recognisable as your property.

SilverConvention · 07/09/2021 13:24

I wanna see the picture!

Excelthetube · 07/09/2021 13:24

I would laugh if you sent that message.
You don’t own a view, and you have no idea how she came across the image.
Literally fuck all you can do
Other than be pleased someone thinks your house is aesthetically pleasing
Jesus. Some people’s lives!!!

Original poster
TechGinny · 07/09/2021 13:25

@SusieBob

Ah, so it's a "please agree with me" rather than a "what do people think" thread.

Gotcha.

Not at all, no, but I appreciate people seeing why I might feel uncomfortable about this, fulling accepting that others won't agree. No need to be a dick about it.

It's not Google-able, it hasn't been photographed from the other property.

OP posts:
Saucery · 07/09/2021 13:26

I totally understand why you feel as you do. There is always the possibility she has drawn it from an old photograph, so I’d start any polite enquiry from that angle. Maybe even ask where she found the old photo? She will then have to admit if she trespassed.

Wandawide · 07/09/2021 13:26

At least you might get a free pic.

idontlikealdi · 07/09/2021 13:27

My house gets drawn / painted a fair bit, it's locally listed but in a terrace and anyone can see it standing on the pavement. Most people seem to work from photographs.

If you never knew they had been on your land I couldn't get worked up about it. They probably took a photo once and are working from that.

rslsys · 07/09/2021 13:27

Could be worse. I lived in a house that had a Latin inscription above the front door. The never ending ringing of the doorbell with people asking what it meant.
We got so pissed off in the end we used to tell them it had been a chippy in Roman times and the inscription meant 'Fish & Chips to take away'.