The pieces on this page were all created for Lenox. Not all, but most are shown here. I was supplied with a concept sketch that dictated the basic theme and building locations and over all shape. I was given a specific height, no taller than 9″ and an oval base that it had to fit on. It was  left up to me to nail down the finer points such as the architectural style of the buildings and the type real world tower that would be represented. I would then work up drawings of the buildings and create a mock up to size, of the final sculpture. Once this was approved it was full speed ahead to make the deadline. There was usually enough time to complete them in, but there was always a miner item that needed addressing that would push the finish right to the last days. All in all, these were awesome projects to work on and I had a lot of fun creating them, it was most rewarding! The National Lighthouse Society was involved in the production of these pieces. If I remember correctly, they would ‘sign off’ on the actual light tower I created for each sculpture. I based all of the towers on existing or historic towers, as instructed.

Only one tower was rejected. It was a light tower located at Ft. jefferson, also know as the Tortuga Harbor Light. It is an all steel, six sided short tower. I used that tower design, changing it to a square, and making it a tall light house, like the others in the series. The Society said that although it was based on an existing tower, it did not truly represent a real design. I change it to a square stone & brick tower and they then passed it. ( so much for my ‘rebellion’ )

The following pieces were created using a combination of sculpy, epoxy and machined urethane.The final product is cast in resin and hand painted. There is a link at the bottom of the page for a gallery for more images of the light houses shown below.

‘Light at Granite Cove’ was one of the first ones I worked on. I followed the concept sketch very closely. The buildings are a bit forced into this very vertical theme, but the client and buying public were very happy with it.

 

‘Light at Northern Point’ was a winter themed sculpture. While researching lighthouses in winter weather I came across spectacular images of Great Lakes lighthouses covered with ice. I added those ice formations to the lighthouse in my sculpture for a really unique detail.

 

‘Light at Spring Harbor‘ has a spring time theme. The sketch, if I recall correctly, had a couple of boats in it and a small boat repair shed. I had fun researching the different kind of boats I could use and what a boat repair shed would look like. The traditional yacht design came from a painting of a boat yard I have in my living room. Making those tiny boats was a lot of fun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘Light at Holiday Harbor’ has an obvious theme, Christmas! Again, following a sketch, there was a lot of detailing that had to be represented in a small area. There were a pair of deer, people sledding, Dad chopping down the Christmas tree, wreaths on the tower, a snowman, someone ice fishing and a pair of skaters on the frozen harbor! ( whew!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘Light at Lobster Point’ was all about lobster fishing. The sketch I was give was very detailed and laid out for me.  Many of the fine details were included in the sketch, lobster pots, floats, lobster boats and the focal point of the sculpt, a covered bridge. The locations were very close to what you see below. I did, however, still have freedom to style each building and add other out-buildings and boats of different kinds.

 

‘Light at Victoria Landing’ had a, wait for it…………….Victorian theme. The best part of this piece was not just researching the classic victorian architecture, but bringing it to life in the buildings and the light tower. There is even a gazebo with a couple of dressy victorian ladies’ hats in it. Yes, that was in the sketch! The main building has a great mix of ‘fish scale’ shingles and siding. The smaller building is of the ‘Queen Ann’ style. I had building plans, in my book collection, for all of the buildings you see in the sculpture, accept the tower.

 

Assateague Light House, along with Cape Hatteras Light,  were the few real-world, existing light houses done for the series.

Assateague was not as complicated a sculpture compared to the others. The tower was surrounded by simple structures, beach and a dock. Of course the tower had to be a perfect representation, but the famous Assateague ponies were included in the sculpture, running through water. They were a fun addition to the sculpt.

 

Cape Hatteras Light House was unique in one respect. The light house had to be moved in order to prevent it from being washed into the sea. That preocess was captured in this sculpture. Along with accurately re-creating the tower, the historic builds and equipment used to move this massive structure were also recreated!

 

 

‘Summer at Stone Coast’, limited edition. This sculpture is loaded with tiny details, and so was the concept sketch. The piece is twice as large as the standard light houses in the series and on the order of 14″ in height. The final production piece is also very heavy. I had to modify my technique to allow for the extra weight by making the large stone section hollow. Other wise, it would have been too cumbersome just to transport back and forth to the client. This was meant for a table, not a shelf! While in the midst of creating this massive sculpture, I realized it was missing something, a second lighthouse. I did some research and found a nice small design for a light tower combined with a rescue station for the back side. This was approved and I added it in. look closely at the other images of this light house on the Light House gallery page, you’ll find, dolphins, shark’s jaws, and a scarecrow to name a few things.

 

This next light house was created in the same manner with the same materials, only this was produced in porcelain. The final product has gold accents.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

              The Light House sculpture Gallery