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Known for his nostalgic and dramatic interpretation of Maine lighthouses, Maine graphic artist Alan Claude has just released his latest lighthouse travel art posters appropriately titled “Marshall Point Light” and “Owls Head Light” both located in Knox County. Reminiscent of European travel posters of the 1920’s, the travel posters are part of his Maine Lighthouse Collection Series, a continuing series of popular lighthouse prints available for sale online and at the lighthouses themselves, in specialty stores and in galleries throughout Maine. Claude’ s art is even featured on the 2008 covers for Maine’s York County Regional Visitors Guide and the Penobscot Discovery Coast magazine.
Four years ago, he and his wife Erin were married at sunrise at Marshall Point Light. “It’s a special place for us,” Claude recalls. “That is what originally sparked the idea to create the Maine Lighthouse Collection Series.” “Marshall Point Light” has a cool blueish overall tone with a vintage white tower and walkway partially highlighted by an unseen rising sun. He says, “I try to reflect in “Owls Head Light” the vastness and spirit of the lighthouse by leaving a wide open aqua green sky with receding wind-swept clouds and distant islands “.
“Alan Claude’s illustrations are some of the most stunning renditions of Maine lighthouses I’ve ever seen,” says Tim Harrison, editor of Lighthouse Digest magazine. Marty Welt president of the Friends of Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation, agrees. “They are beautiful and are very well received by visitors at Pemaquid Point Lighthouse. Fifty percent of the travel poster sales at Pemaquid Point Light help fund our preservation and restoration project.” Other places where the travel posters are sold include the Portland Head Light museum store and at the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse. Last summer Claude’s first six Maine lighthouses travel posters included Portland Head Light, Cape Neddick “Nubble” Light, Bass Harbor Light, Rockland Breakwater Light, Pemaquid Point Light and the famed red and white stripped West Quoddy Head Light.
Claude wants to do his part in keeping the lights burning. “Many lighthouses are in great need for funding to restore and preserve their history”. The graphic artist is donating a large “Grand View” 36” x 53” glicée print, valued at $855, of the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse in the hopes to raise funds for the Lighthouse Museum and The Friends of the Rockland Breakwater. In addition, $75 gift certificates for 2nd and 3rd place are good for a smaller 18”x 24” signed print that is also part of the raffle. The $5 raffle drawing will take place on Columbus day weekend Saturday October 11th at eleven a.m. The winner need not be present and will be notified by mail and telephone. Shipping of the giclée will be included in the $5 fee of the raffle.
“I hope people enter the raffle and support the Maine Lighthouse Museum and the lighthouse,” said Claude. “The Maine Lighthouse Museum is in need of the community’s financial support to help continue to conserve the nation’s largest collection of Fresnel lenses and lighthouse artifacts, while the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse is seeking to raise $20,000 to repair their storm-damaged boathouse.”
While lobster boats rumbled in the distance on their way toward distant traps, on a cool September morning, Erin and Alan Claude were married, by a bearded tugboat captain, at Maine’s Marshall Point Lighthouse. After a champagne toast in the parking lot, the couple ate a quick breakfast at the “Brown Bag” in Rockland and the newlyweds thanked Captain Dan for his services and headed south to Boston where they boarded a plane to France for their honeymoon. “Seeing Marshall Point Light at sunrise is an authentic Maine experience,” says Alan. This special moment and beautiful place inspired him to create ‘The Maine Lighthouse Collection Series,’ that now includes a large selection of lighthouse prints. Claude’s prints are available from Lighthouse Depot at www.LighthouseDepot.com or by calling them at 1-800-758-1444. To learn more about Alan Claude and his prints, you can visit his web site at www.AlanClaude.com.
This story appeared in the
September 2008 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.
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