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AIBU?

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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
knittingaddict · 07/09/2021 15:44

@TechGinny

It's a house that has been in the family for over a century, so she definitely hasn't had permission from a previous owner. As I say, it's not easily visible from the road, particularly at the angle it's drawn at, so I would be very surprised if she hadn't trespassed to gain access.

@Mybalconyiscracking The drawings are £40! I definitely won't be buying one.

Sorry complete sidetrack, but are you saying £40 is cheap or expensive?

It's certainly not expensive.

Blinkingbatshit · 07/09/2021 15:44

Whilst I appreciate that you say you haven’t found anything on google there may well be pics out there. From the sounds of it you may well be listed in which case there are loads of weird and wonderful random sites you may be on. Older history books on the area are another source. Are you in Pevsner?…just saying she may not necessarily have trespassed to get a photo/picture. Whilst I appreciate you feel it’s a bit of an invasion of privacy I think your best bet is to consider it flattery and forget about it!!

Porcupineintherough · 07/09/2021 15:47

@thelastgoldeneagle but it is by no means clear that anyone has trespass and I very much doubt the original image was drawn on the property - cameras have been around for a very long time.

Rather this reads like "common people are looking at my house and it bothers me even though most of them will have no idea where it is

HadEnough798 · 07/09/2021 15:47

When I read the title of this thread I thought you were going to pretend to be the Queen Grin

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 07/09/2021 15:48

‘Strangely i get why you feel uncomfortable about a picture of your house being sold more than i understand your concern about her maybe possibly stepping onto your property - yet causing absolutely no harm.‘

I live in a listed building and I would be fine with pictures of my house being sold if they were from the road or an existing image but wouldn’t be happy at all with the thought that when I thought I was alone in my private garden someone might have come in to take photos of the house!
If someone knocked on the door and asked I would happily give them permission but it’s the not knowing they were there that makes it uncomfortable.

LemonTT · 07/09/2021 15:49

No reason for us all to be supposing the OP lives in Downton Abbey. Many a run down shack had notable families living in them and might not be visible from the road.

And yes the artist will be most likely painting from a photo. That could have been taken at any time.

onelittlefrog · 07/09/2021 15:49

@thelastgoldeneagle

See if these responses are a bit mad. Of course op can feel upset that someone has trespassed on her land to draw her house! Would you all be happy with someone sitting in your garden drawing your house? No?
There is no evidence or reason to think that the artist trespassed, though.

That has come purely from assumptions the OP has made.

It is much more likely that the artist has used a photo they found online.

It would be different if OP looked out of the window and saw someone sat on their lawn merrily drawing the house/ taking photos. But that's not what happened.

Onairjunkie · 07/09/2021 15:49

So many posters here who are having a pop at the OP are doing so purely because she’s inherited what I can only presume must be a beautiful house and are trying to stick the boot in out of jealousy. The fact that she doesn’t have £40 to spare for a print though should tell you something about her position though.

I live in a big, beautiful old farm house. It’s not visible from the road and it’s surrounded by trees. Now, despite no rights of way, I get a lot of people using my land for picnics, parties, barbecues, dog exercising (even when I have livestock in there!) and it is trespassing and it is wrong. I drive up on the quad with the dogs and clear them out for their own safety. Does that make me unhinged and bonkers, too?

I have also found people wandering around my stable yard, the cow sheds, and among the cars on the drives by the house.

Pray tell, in what world is any of that acceptable behaviour? Should I just suck it up because I’m lucky enough to have such a lovely house?! No.

ThisOldSaddo · 07/09/2021 15:50

As soon as I saw your OP, OP, I knew you'd come in for the usual MN pasting. Laughing at you should take All The Shit because you're lucky to have inherited a lovely home - we don't know that! You could have purchased it from the estate of a loved one who died!! LOL at the vipers on here.

OP, for what it is worth, you are right to feel a little discombobulated about this. Don't let this thread wear you down, come back to us.

480Widdio · 07/09/2021 15:50

I wouldn’t like this at all.Interesting to see how the Artist responds to your message OP.

Hdhdjejdj · 07/09/2021 15:53

You clear people out from your land for their own safety Grin

MissMarpleRocks · 07/09/2021 15:53

Not sure I’d like this. I wouldn’t like to see someone in my garden. They’d have to trespass to get there & I wouldn’t know they were trespassers. I would feel unsafe. If they can get there anyone can. From the front well no wouldn’t bother me. But I’d imagine there are photographs from the past that she’s copied.

Eddielzzard · 07/09/2021 15:53

I would be upset too. Someone has walked into your garden and nosied around. Of course it's not ok. I would message and ask how she came across that view.

Namechangedforthreadbackafter · 07/09/2021 15:54

Could you post a picture on here it's sounds delightful. It's lovely that you have a home that someone wants to paint.

Go easy on her she may be attempting to make a living, I imagine Van Gogh, Constable and others just painted people's homes without asking first. She could be famous one day.

Lotusmonster · 07/09/2021 15:56

If the house is just part of an overall view and there are other things in the picture….trees, fields, other buildings ..then fine. If the picture is uniquely of your house with very little else in it, then I feel she ought to have requested permission.

Porcupineintherough · 07/09/2021 15:58

@Onairjunkie poor you, that must be very hard. Perhaps you should sell up and move to a suburban street or flat so you can get some privacy?

Onairjunkie · 07/09/2021 15:58

@Hdhdjejdj

You clear people out from your land for their own safety Grin
Yeah. Because I have a massive bull among my herd and if he flattened someone on my land, they could potentially sue me for any injuries they would (very likely) receive. And as there’s no right of way through my land, I move them on before they either damage my property with their open fires and abandoned glass bottles and cans and or are damaged themselves by my livestock.

Hard of thinking, are we?

Onairjunkie · 07/09/2021 16:01

[quote Porcupineintherough]@Onairjunkie poor you, that must be very hard. Perhaps you should sell up and move to a suburban street or flat so you can get some privacy?[/quote]
I’m quite happy here. It’s amazing how quickly people clear up their shit and fuck off when you turn up on a quad with with a shotgun and two large dogs. Grin

But just because I worked hard, made some money and bought a farm, doesn’t make people wandering around my private land and damaging it with litter and fires, ok. Nor are they entitled to worry my livestock.

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 07/09/2021 16:04

@Hdhdjejdj

You clear people out from your land for their own safety Grin
I don’t see what’s so funny about that, farms are working environments and if there’s no right of way through the farmer won’t have made sure s/he has removed or made safe or signposted all possible dangers.
Hdhdjejdj · 07/09/2021 16:04

I’m not hard of thinking thank you. I suppose if people want to walk through a field with a bull they deserve what they get .
It just sounded funny to me. Like you were talking about cattle rather than people.

VestaTilley · 07/09/2021 16:04

YANBU. It’s your home, and if she’s trespassed on to private land it’s at least a civil offence if not a criminal one.

I’d get in touch, asking her to remove the pictures for sale. Tell her you’ll be taking legal action unless she does so.

What a cheeky mare!

Hdhdjejdj · 07/09/2021 16:04

@Onairjunkie you know you aren’t supposed to shoot people? Grin

Namechangedforthreadbackafter · 07/09/2021 16:08

@VestaTilley

YANBU. It’s your home, and if she’s trespassed on to private land it’s at least a civil offence if not a criminal one.

I’d get in touch, asking her to remove the pictures for sale. Tell her you’ll be taking legal action unless she does so.

What a cheeky mare!

Assumptions that she has trespassed. She may not have of course.

Remove the pictures for sale. Why exactly? Imagine if the Queen instructed everyone that draws/paints Buckingham Palace or any of the other homes to stop selling them. Legal action for what exactly, drawing a picture?

Onairjunkie · 07/09/2021 16:10

@Hdhdjejdj

I’m not hard of thinking thank you. I suppose if people want to walk through a field with a bull they deserve what they get . It just sounded funny to me. Like you were talking about cattle rather than people.
I have had to put a quad bike between a group of drunk teenagers and a herd of unsettled cows in calf to protect them, but essentially herding the teens back out like cattle. They left so much litter and broken glass and were so abusive. It was awful.

My point is, it doesn’t matter whether you live in a two-up, two-down in a Cornish fishing village, a notable house like the OP, or a suburban flat in a suburban street, that is your property and you would be entitled to feel unsettled that someone may have let themselves into to your property without your knowledge of permission.

onelittlefrog · 07/09/2021 16:10

@VestaTilley

YANBU. It’s your home, and if she’s trespassed on to private land it’s at least a civil offence if not a criminal one.

I’d get in touch, asking her to remove the pictures for sale. Tell her you’ll be taking legal action unless she does so.

What a cheeky mare!

There is no reason to think that the artist trespassed.

They probably used a photo.

And even if they did trespass... good luck with taking any "legal action" about that. There's no proof that it happened, and the police don't even get involved in trespass as it's a civil matter.

Honestly I think this is really petty and you should let it go.