16″ x 20″, oil painting on jute canvas

Lighthouse are like tugboats, we all love them (I think)! I’ve painted a few before but some friends brought me to the Stonington Lighthouse in Stonington, Connecticut a few months ago and I was quite taken with it. It wasn’t the usual red and white kind it was stone. I love things made of stone (I’m not sure if that one is just me or lots of people feel that way). It was definitely high on my list of things I wanted to paint. But as is my usual mode of operation I put it aside until a few days ago when it turned into a “gotta get it done now” kind of project. In light (no pun intended) of the upcoming Mystic Outdoor Art Festival I thought now’s the time, and not now, right now. At about 9:00 last night, I stepped back from my easel and declared the painting done. Actually I do step back and look but then I hem and haw before I declare it done, to be honest.

In keeping with my usual process I posted it on Facebook. In so doing I noticed a post from a local TV station stating that today is National Lighthouse Day! Well, there you go, that seems like a good omen to me. It was August 7, 1789 that Congress declared support of lighthouses, beacons etc. so 200 years later in 1989, Congress passed a resolution declaring it National Lighthouse Day. Timing is everything as they say. So my painting of the Stonington Lighthouse gets its official launch on National Lighthouse Day. I like it.

The interesting thing about the Stonington Lighthouse is that even though the original one was built in 1823, it was disassembled and rebuilt in 1840 because of erosion and it was moved to it’s current location. It was active until in 1889. I wonder if they knew they were recycling?