Art that touches the Heart & Soul
Florida Lighthouses
St. Marks Lighthouse, St Marks Wildlife Refuge, FL
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I painted this lighthouse after spending a subdued day in meditation. It was time for me to reflect before the New Year began.
In my moments of solitude, I thought of my visit to St. Marks Lighthouse. Quietly tucked away on Florida's gulf coast, the beautiful lighthouse is a few miles and a world away from Tallahassee.
The noise and chaos in the capital is a far cry from the peaceful setting of St. Marks Wildlife Refuge.
The Refuge captures the soul and simplicity of old Florida. Salt marshes, pine forest, egrets make for a picturesque backdrop. It's a nature lover's paradise with eagles, alligators, bitterns, ducks, herons, ibises and more.
The lighthouse art “Reflections at St. Marks” recalls my moment of quiet meditation. Painted away from the crowds, the depiction reveals the back of the lighthouse. It is a “look back” at old Florida. The lighthouse, palm trees and salt marshes in the painting recall days gone by.
Pensacola Lighthouse, Naval Air Station Pensacola, FL
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11x17 inch print
The lighthouse art “Our Better Angels,” of Pensacola Lighthouse alludes to the dazzling Blue Angels in flight near the lighthouse.
The Blue Angels certainly lived out their motto “Ambassadors of Goodwill” during 2020. Their “American Strong” salute honored healthcare workers, first responders, essential personnel, etc. They flew over hard hit states like Arkansas, California Florida, New York, Tennessee and more.
During air show season, the team is station at Fort Sherman Field, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. Their mission is bring aviation to men, women and children across America. For 74 years they have mesmerized over more than 450 million spectators.
Hillsboro Lighthouse, Pompano Beach, FL
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11x17 inch print The lighthouse was built after four centuries of wrecks on area reefs. It has a black and white day mark. The top of the lighthouse is painted black to make it visible above the trees. The bottom white half contrasts against the trees.
The lighthouse art “A Purpose in Paradise,” dispels the peaceful notion of beacons, like Hillsboro Lighthouse. Swaying palms trees and calming azure water, belay it’s noble purpose.
Cape Florida Lighthouse, Key Biscayne, FL
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11x17 inch print
I painted the Cape Florida Lighthouse after a week of rain. I drove to Key Biscayne to see the lighthouse in sunny Florida. Standing behind a canopy of palm trees, the beautiful lighthouse towered against a clear blue sky. The lighthouse was surrounded by mangroves and not condos, thanks to the park's namesake, Bill Baggs. The Bill Baggs State Park was opened in 1967 foiling efforts by developers.
The lighthouse art of Cape Florida Lighthouse displays the stunning lighthouse surrounded by a canopy of palm trees. I painted the towering lighthouse against a clear blue sky after a week of rain.
Amelia Island Lighthouse, Fernandina Beach, FL
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11x17 inch print.
I journeyed to Amelia Island Lighthouse on a bright sunny day with clear blue skies. I was thrilled about painting my first lighthouse. My excitement momentarily turned to frustration as we drove in circles unable to find the lighthouse. It seemed like there was a decision to make the lighthouse inaccessible and hidden. There were no directional signs.
The lighthouse in this painting, “Blue Skies and Sunny Days,” is camouflaged because there were no directional signs for getting there. The depiction also alludes to the Coast Guard's conflicting efforts to protect and mask lighthouses in secrecy. This contradicts the true purpose of a lighthouse. Its sole purpose is to be seen.
Saints and Sinners
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Lighthouse keeping was a family affair. Wives, daughters and sons sometimes fulfilled the duties of a light keeper without pay. Wives and daughters filled in when the light keeper was absent or died. Both of St. Augustine’s female light keepers fulfilled the role of light keeper after the death of their spouses.
Not every act at St. Augustine Lighthouse was so heroic.
Cardell “Cracker” Daniels, the son of the St. Augustine Lighthouse Keeper, was a prankster. He once parachuted his sister's cat from the top of the tower. The cat survived and went into hiding for months. His father Cardell D. Daniels served 1935-1943.
In 1986, a 14 year old was responsible for the lens being out of commission. He used a rifle to shatter 19 prisms of the Fresnel lens.
Anclote Key Lighthouse, Anclote Key State Park, FL
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11x17 print My art “Invasive Species” of Anclote Key Lighthouse is a visual story about the dangers of exotics to Florida’s nature habitat. When I painted the lighthouse I recalled the signs along the Anclote Keys’ nature trail. They warned that Florida’s natural habitat was being endangered by invasive erotics. This inspired me to used green in the painting to symbolize Florida’s lush natural habitat and to add a few native palms trees that try to protect the lighthouse from the exotics.
Egmont Key Lighthouse, FL
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At one time a Conch shell was used at Egmont Key Lighthouse to answer signals from passing vessels. The current lighthouse was built 1857 and is located at Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge. Established in 1974, the Refuge is a sanctuary for sea turtles, shorebirds, colonial seabirds and other migratory birds.
In 1898, during the Spanish American War, Fort Dade was built on the Egmont Key as part of a coastal defense system.
The lighthouse slowly diminished in importance and in stature. In 1944, the upper portion of the lighthouse was removed along with the Fresnel lens. In 1989, an automated rotating beacon was installed.
St. Augustine Lighthouse, St. Augustine, FL
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11x17 inch print. Life can truly be hard on dreams. I often find encouragement in the lives of female light keepers. They never gave up when life was hard on their dreams. Both of St. Augustine’s female light keepers fulfilled the role of light keeper after the death of their spouses. My painting, “Field of Dreams” is a tribute to St. Augustine’s two female light keepers. The clouds in my painting symbolize their dreams and the bright daisies represent the perseverance of these women.
Gay Head Lighthouse, Aquinnah, Martha’s Vineyard, MA
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11x17 inch print
The lighthouse art “Moving Gay Head” is a depiction of Gay Head Lighthouse’s relocation from the edge of Gay Head Cliffs. The colorful cliffs make it to the bucket list. One light keeper according to a newspaper article, retired on disability due to "visitor-itis!"
There's a shot of the Gay Head Lighthouse in the Academy Award thriller, "Jaws" in 1975.
Statue of Liberty, Liberty Island, NY
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Portland Breakwater Lighthouse, Bug Light Park, ME
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Portland Head Lighthouse, Cape Elizabeth, ME
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11x17 inch print.
Its history and iconic location may be why Portland Head Lighthouse is the “Most Photographed Lighthouse" in the United States. Built in 1791, It was the first lighthouse completed under President George Washington while Alexander Hamilton was Secretary of Treasury.
Hamilton had many claims to fame before he was featured in the popular broadway show.
Portland Head Lighthouse is located along the spectacular shores of Fort Williams Park in Maine. Green meadows, wild flowers and Casco bay provide a scenic setting for the historic lighthouse. The painting captures the essence of the popular lighthouse with the keeper house's signature red, sloping roof and nearby rolling green hills.
New Dorp Lighthouse, NY
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11x17 inch print. Access to New Dorp Lighthouse has been difficult since its inception in 1855. Surrounded by a Moravian Cemetery and a daunting forest, light keepers faced challenges getting to the lighthouse. The government’s right of way was a tiny path through the trees. The government had to cede land to the owners of the cemetery to gain access to their roadway.
When I visited New Dorp Lighthouse, I felt like I was reliving the challenges of the first light keepers.
My son and I climbed over a perilous trail in the darkness to reach the lighthouse. As we approached the lighthouse, a ray of sunlight pierced the darkness and bounced off the humble lighthouse and lighted our way.
To sketch the lighthouse, I stood on a slippery incline while trying to keep my balance behind a fence in a threatening forest.
Old Brant Point Lighthouse, Nantucket, MA
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11x17 inch print
Most lighthouses were built with the foremost desire to save lives but not Brant Point.
The first Brant Point Lighthouse in Nantucket was built in 1746 after Sea Captains demanded a lighthouse to protect their investments.
Princes Bay Lighthouse, Staten Island, NY
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11x17 inch print. This painting evokes a sense of isolation. I included the distant church steeple in the painting because Princes Bay Lighthouse was once owned by the Mission of the Immaculate Virgin. The Princes Bay Lighthouse is barely visible in the painting to symbolize my disconnectedness and disappointment in not getting access to the lighthouse after a long walk.
Brant Point Lighthouse, MA
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Brant Point Lighthouse has been rebuilt more than any other lighthouse in the United States. The present Brant Point Lighthouse is New England's shortest and the site of America's second oldest lighthouse. It was constructed in 1901.
Grosse Point Lighthouse
Award Winning Painting of Grosse Point Lighthouse. Selected as the top winner of the United Lighthouse Society Association Lighthouse Challenge on Instagram. My art will be featured across social media and in the USLHS news of the week.
Grosse Point Lighthouse was built in 1783 by the United States as the lead lighthouse marking the approach to Chicago after several shipwrecks. On March 1, 1874 traditionally the start of the Great Lakes shipping season, Grosse Point Lighthouse sent its welcome beacon of light over the waters of Lake Michigan for the first time.
Southern Lighthouses
New Canal Lighthouse, New Orleans, LA
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11x17 inch print New Canal Lighthouse in New Orleans suffered severe damage during Hurricane Katrina and also Hurricane Rita in 2005.The pilings were destroyed but the lighthouse remained mostly intact. However, the lighthouse was dismantled and a replica built by Pontchartrain Conservancy. The wood from the 1890 lighthouse is incorporated into the present lighthouse. (www.saveourlake.org)
St. Simons Lighthouse, St. Simons Island, GA
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11x17 inch print.
Driving along the Georgia coast, I headed to St. Simons Island. The drive offers a panoramic view of sawgrass. St. Simons Island is part of a chain of popular islands called the “Golden Isles.”
Having already visited Tybee Island Lighthouse, I was excited about finishing the day with one final lighthouse. Although the lighthouse was closed, I was delighted to be able to walk the grounds. Stopping on the walkway near the ocean I gazed into the distance. I walked around the lighthouse trying to decide on the best vantage point for my painting.
A little tired after a long day, I welcomed the chance to sit down and draw the lighthouse. As the sun was setting, a blaze of light bounced off the lighthouse. It seemed to refresh the lighthouse and me. For now the lighthouse was receiving light instead of giving it.
Tybee Island Lighthouse, Tybee Island, Georgia
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11x17 inch print
Tybee Island was the first lighthouse I painted in Georgia. I was spellbound as I approached the lighthouse and eager to climb it. The lighthouse was crowded the day I visited so it took awhile to get into the tower. But it was well worth the wait. I quietly gazed into the distance. The ocean was calm and the shore was vacant. Not a soul in sight unlike the busy lighthouse.
After the climb, I walked the grounds trying to find the right vantage point for a sketch and painting. Lighthouses are such massive and overbearing structures it is sometimes challenging capturing their essence. As I walked a distance away from Georgia’s tallest lighthouse, a picket fence seemed to evoke a peaceful mood. It's small scale contrasted with the towering lighthouse. Thinking about the ocean, palm trees and picket fence I decided to capture the energy of the lighthouse that was constructed four times.
European Lighthouses
Lightship 95, London, England, UK
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With Turner as my inspiration, I threw a hue of colors on the paper. When I finished, I delighted when the lighthouse emerged.
Blackhead Lighthouse, Northern Ireland
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11x17 Print Hope in the Night. Hailed as one of the great lighthouses in Ireland, Blackhead Lighthouse is perched high on a cliff overlooking the ocean. Warning of perils ahead and nearby, Blackhead Lighthouse faithfully stands guard. While the lighthouse has saved countless lives, it stood watch as the Titanic tragically passed by on its final journey.
“Hope in the Night” captures the lighthouse at night. Collect my only lighthouse art of an active lighthouse at night.
Fanad Lighthouse, Republic of Ireland
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11x17 inch print. Troubles as Light as Foam
May your joys be as deep as the ocean. Your troubles be as light as its foam...” I love this Irish blessing. The Irish love the ocean and their lighthouses. Their tiny island has been dependent on sea trade for centuries.
Voted one of the world's most beautiful lighthouses, Fanad Lighthouse is one of 12 the Great Lighthouses of Ireland. It is located on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. The Fanad Lighthouse was first exhibited on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 1817.
This peaceful painting captures the essence of Fanad Lighthouse as it sends out its beacon of hope on a hill.