"I love lighthouses. The severe, uncompromising life of service lived by
lonely lighthouse keepers possesses a special dignity. Poised between the
last outcroppings of land and the vast expanse of the ocean, the lighthouse
has become a profound symbol of human life, poised as it is between the
transitory and the eternal."
There's something about our captivating California coast that intrigues and
delights me. Whenever I set up my easel along the shore, my imagination takes
flight.
When I began to paint this imposing lighthouse, I was lost in reverie. What
would it be like, I wondered, if the keeper's house were more than the humble
cottage that met my eyes? What if, instead, it matched the tower in grandeur
and dignity?
I began to paint the answer to my questions, creating a scene that merges two
of my great passions - elegant Victorian mansions and stalwart lighthouses.
Here, in Victorian Light, is the wonderfully civilized formal grace of a
great mansion married to the primal strength of a light tower.
Lighthouse keepers are notoriously lonely; their devotion to their duty is
like a religious calling that cuts them off from communion with their fellow
men. That's always bothered me a little; to me the lighthouse is a symbol of
hope that should comfort us all.
That's why I've given this lighthouse keeper a home I would love to visit.
The graceful filigreed cupolas, the white picket fence, the charming gazebo
extending out over the water, the warm glow at twilight - it all says to me:
"Welcome. This beacon of faith is yours to share."
