Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Light my fire

Great song by The Doors. However, their music has nothing to do with the title of this blog. The subject of this entry is: Lighthouses. Why Lighthouses? Because they are so characteristic for their environment. I've made a series of sketches of these solid lifesavers on paper (which I have stained between double glass frames) and on flat rocks. (See previous blogs). I just like the way the rough structure of the stone gives the painted sketches a great appearence.

Last Sunday I visited the local Lighthouse. I can hear you say: "What do you mean? Local Lighthouse?". Well that's one of the pros of living near the sea. You've got a lighthouse more or less in your backyard. Anyway, I dared to go into the local tower of fear and climb the endless stairs. Ehm...to understand this remark, I should tell you I am afraid of heights. Climbing a ladder with more than two sports already is a challenge to me, so you may imagine how much time it took me to crawl my way up the stairway to heaven. When I finally reached the top there was a man waiting (mind you it's not a very tall building, my fear just slowed me down more every step I made). The man welcomed me and showed me the door to the balcony. More like a small ridge if you ask me. A quick glance through the window, especially a glance down to the ground, was more than enough to make up my mind. This guy is never, ever going out that door! 

The man kindly repeated his question: "Aren't you going out?"
I said: "No, I'm afraid of heights."
The look upon his face was unforgettable. I guess he still wonders why someone would do so much trouble to go all the way up, and then stay inside. 

So, why on earth did I go up? To make a few pictures obviously. And to find out that the big light I expected to be there, and honestly I expected a light bulb about the size of my body, had recently been replaced by an ultra small super light bulb, hardly bigger than my thumb. I bet the man in the lighthouse does not forget the look on my face either.

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

ROCKet Fire

Continuing my efforts to find a way to paint those enchanting lighthouses in a more or less abstract style, I made these small studies on flat rocks (15x15 cm).

Turned out they became miniature, painted sculptures. Check out the special gallery of Lighthouses at my printshop. Both originals and prints are available. 



Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Marsh fire

Lighthouses are fascinating. Trying to find a way to paint them in an abstract style, I made some small studies on paper first.
I have stained the original sketches between glass, then framed them. These frames can either be hung on the wall or simply placed upon a table.
Check out the special gallery of Lighthouses at my printshop. Both originals and prints are available.