Lighthouse Art Themes—Decorate with a flare
Home decor is about what we like, but sometimes
it goes beyond that. Sometimes it is about what
we want a room to represent, so we add
finishing touches to confirm that message. I
believe lighthouses are iconic for stating a
message in our art. Here's one subtle message I
think this art is capable of conveying,
"Straighten your position or you'll run into
trouble!" Wouldn't it be nice if we had a
bright light, the size of a lighthouse beam, to
remind us that it's a good idea to check
whether we're still on course or not. Speaking
of guidance and inspiration, check out the
section of inspirational posters created with
wonderful lighthouse photography and quotes.
Or, you could look at lighthouse art decor in
another way. How about seeing lighthouse
artwork as collector items? See the Lighthouse
Folk Art section for the reason why...
If you're looking to accentuate your home with
artwork that represents 'the concept of a
lighthouse', the following pieces will give you
an idea of your choices. I have a soft spot,
literally, for artist William Turner's,
'Eddystone Lighthouse off Plymouth' as it
'softly' shows the guiding light unfolding in
the distance. Must have been a beautiful sight
while lost a sea.
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I always suspected there was a little extra
guardian help going on near lighthouses and
artist Dona Geisinger's lighthouse artwork
confirms my suspicion. The titles of these
prints are just heavenly too: A Little Hope; A
Faith; A Little Joy. How anyone could resist
such tiny little faces, feet, and hands is
beyond me. Wonderful gems for accenting the
walls of a young child's room or giving as a
new baby shower gift.
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Black and white photography encourages the
viewer to see the splendor and the darkness
together.
Guiding Lighthouse
Lausen
Buy from
ArtistRising.com
(a
division of Art.com)
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Folk art is a genre of art that reflects
traditional values within a society. Well, it
doesn't get anymore perfect than to apply this
concept to lighthouse art. With technology
flowing like ocean waves into maritime life,
the need for these stoic structures has become
unnecessary. What a shame. So, it is a good
thing that the following fine artists have
captured, what could be not only a lost
subject, therefore a lost art, but also a lost
concept when a beacon of light was the
tradition for saving valuable lives of those at
sea.
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This section is 'For the Birds' and it's not
based on the idiom which many people consider
worthless or negative. No, it's with reference
to a very positive view on birds and
lighthouses. To me, it only seems fitting to
include a bird or two along side the great
beacons as the two go together like the stars
with the moon and the sun with the sky.
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In the past, I admit, I was intrigued by two
professions: one was being a Park Ranger who
watched for forest fires from their tower and
the other was a Lighthouse Keeper on some
remote and rocky shoreline. Now, as a 'girl'
these were not exactly considered favorable
career options, however, for one who loves
solitude and nature, they seemed perfect to me.
Alas, it mustn't have been in my cosmic
blueprint as it never evolved to that. The
closet I came to it was living in a coastal
city surrounded by mountains covered with
evergreen trees. The only time I reflect on the
dreams of being a keeper now is when I hear
nearby fog horns blowing on a foggy night. So,
you can imagine, when I came across the
following images in the database, how my own
internal light re-sparked, especially when I
saw the
print by C.j. Stanilan titled, 'Grace Horsley Darling Daughter of Lighthouse-Keeper on the Farne Island'
. What drama! Who were these two individuals, especially the girl with the wind swept hair, rowing their hearts out? Were they real or was this inspired from literature? I had to find out. According to Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Darling Grace Darling assisted in the saving of 13 people from the wreck of the SS Forfarshire. She was a heroine! So, on behalf of all girls who still dream of being a keeper, the openings are almost non-existent today, the pay is very low, and the duties are mostly mowing the lawn, but don't let that discourage you, maybe there's a lighthouse you can rent for writing the next great romance novel in. Just make sure you hang a portrait of Grace on an interior wall as a reminder, during a dark stormy nights, that all hands and courageous hearts are needed if there's to be a survivor.
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All too often our perspective of a lighthouse
is as an outsider, so that's why I
particularity like artist Todd Gipstein's
photographic print because it is from the
perspective of a lighthouse keeper looking
outward. Could you just imagine standing next
to that magnificent lens and seeing the ocean
from way up there? Truly an image taken with a
lens from a different angle.
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You know, when we leave home and head out into
this great big world, we sometimes encounter
dark moments. And like a captain on a ship,
possibly lost at sea, we have to find our way
around the rocky patches. That's why the sight
of a lighthouse shining brightly would have
been a real source of comfort to the crew. The
light somehow let them know they weren't alone
and they could trust that the light's beam
would guide them past the trouble. This may be
just the kind of inspirational message a
college dorm wall could use hanging on it. A
reminder that when one feel like they're going
to crash, there's always a beacon of light
ahead in the darkness that is willing to point
us in the right direction. That light may be a
parent, a teacher, or one of the following
lighthouse posters...
If you want your lighthouse decor to contain
spectacular art, then photographers Guillaume
Plisson's or Jean Guichard's photographic
images below are what you're looking for to
hang on your walls. To see how intense the sea
is capable of being just confirms the important
role a lighthouse played in the life of a ship
and it's crew members. Not all his images are
in this section, more are under
Black and
White Lighthouse Art.
Story Behind this Art:
This is one of the most famous lighthouse pictures ever to grace our presence. You can either click on the print's thumbnail above and look real close to see a man standing in the doorway or go to Ocean's Fury Unleashed on YouTube to see why. It will definitely add value to your interpretation of this remarkable print.
This is one of the most famous lighthouse pictures ever to grace our presence. You can either click on the print's thumbnail above and look real close to see a man standing in the doorway or go to Ocean's Fury Unleashed on YouTube to see why. It will definitely add value to your interpretation of this remarkable print.
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Sepia effects give such a warmth to a print, so
it stands to reason that an artist would want
to encompass the tone when creating a work of
lighthouse art.
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It was a dark and stormy night...Stephen
Alvarez's image titled, Man climbs the
Staircase Inside the Currituck Beach
Lighthouse', definitely puts a mysterious spin
to this lighthouse located on the Outer Banks
of Corolla, If you didn't know better, you
would wonder if the man was ascending the
stairs of a gothic castle towards a nightmare
instead of heading towards the 'light''. That's
only one interpretation, as it also carries a
very inspiring message for me–just take one
step at a time towards the light, and before
you know it you will be soon out of the depth
of darkness. Don't you love all the stories one
photograph is capable of telling? Speaking of
the Currituck Beach Lighthouse, I've also
included
artist Peter Ptschelinzew's photographic print titled, 'Iron Staircase of Currituck Beach Lighthouse'
–fantastic how the light plays through the steps encouraging an abstraction to emerge.
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Guess this would be the section where you can
actually see lighthouses doing their job.
Lighthouse artists John Lund, Steve Bloom, and
Dennis James Jonathon Doering really capture
the point of a lighthouse, or should we call
these stoic structures, heros, because it's
only a hero that will stand strong and brave
torrential rains, lightening strikes, and the
pitch black darkness in order to save a soul.
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In fashion, the worst thing that one could wear
would be big, red stripes around the girth.
However, that's what makes some lighthouses so
cool–they're actually intentionally wanting
this effect. The bigger, the better in fact.
After all, visibility is everything! For me,
the red ones look like giant candy canes. Now
that's a pleasant sight. But, seriously stripes
in home decorating is classy and timeless, and
if wallpapering your entire wall with stripes
would be too much, then a timeless print like
the following ones would add real class to any
livingroom.
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This is the hour that Nature turns her lights
out and the lighthouse keeper's turn theirs
on...
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This was a difficult section to pick only three
for because all of the classic poster prints of
lighthouses are particularly captivating,
however for now, I have chosen the following
with titles like: 'Santa Cruz, California -
Woody and Lighthouse' and 'Nubble Lighthouse -
York, Maine'.
The last poster, by the commercial artist and graphic master of the art deco era, Adolphe Mouron Cassandre is fantastic with it's dramatic bold lines
. When you're standing back and take your first glance you could almost swear you're seeing a sailboat lost in the night–wow!
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