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Shortly after moving to Portland in 2001, one of my first stops was to see Portland head Lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. It’s about a 25 minute drive from downtown Portland and is easily accessible by car. Its proximity to Portland and easy access help give it the reputation of being the “most photographed lighthouse in the world.” Obviously this is an unverifiable claim, but judging by the amount of tour busses and visitors in the Summer and Fall, and a few online searches, one can see how this reputation was earned.
Portland Head Light does have the undeniable distinction of being the first lighthouse to be commissioned by the fledgling United States government in, at the command of President Washington. The lighthouse had already been commissioned by the state of Massachusetts (which Maine was a part of) but ran out of funding. The US Government took responsibility for all lighthouses 1790 and provided funds to finish the lighthouse. 1
So far I’ve painted Portland Head Light 3 times and I’m sure I’ll paint it again.
Looking Up Portland Head Light
The first painting I did was in 2002. It is 8″x10″ and was done while I was experimenting with milk paint as a medium. I’d of course seen paintings and photographs of the lighthouse before, but they always had similar views – from a distance with the iconic lightkeeper’s house attached and the rocky shoreline prominently visible. What struck me on the day I visited was how the tower reflected the blues of the sky and sea on it’s bright white surface. I also liked the idea of showing the tower from the ground with the beacon viewed from below.
The original painting has been sold, but prints are are available at my print-on-demand site: fineartnewengland.pixels.com/
Online custom framing is available. Largest print size available is 21″x30″
Portland Head Light in Fog
I did this painting after taking my wife’s family to see Portland Head Light when they came to visit us shortly after we moved to Portland. It was a foggy, misty February day and I loved the gray, muted color palette the weather was creating that day. I was still experimenting with milk paints and was excited to use them to depict the foggy atmosphere.
I gave this painting as a gift to my mother in law but prints are available for sale at my print on demand site, fineartnewengland.pixels.com.
The online print store has many custom framing options. The largest print size available is 48″ x 36″
Portland Head Light at Sunrise
In 2009 I found myself driving to New Hampshire at sunrise on a clear bright morning. It occurred to me that I hadn’t seen Portland Head Light at sunrise yet. I took a detour to try and capture the lighthouse at golden hour and it was well worth delaying my journey. I used those photographs to create this painting. I also decided to stop at Nubble Light in York, Maine to see if I could also catch that iconic lighthouse in the beautiful sunrise light.
The painting was done when I was experimenting with the technique of applying layers of watercolor washes above detailed pencil drawings. The original 10×14 artwork is in a private collection, but prints are also available at my print on demand site.
The largest print size available is 24″ x 17.5″ with a lot of custom framing options available.
Footnotes
1 http://www.newenglandlighthouses.net/portland-head-light-history.html