Pt Arena Lighthouse.

Have you ever been to Pt Arena Lighthouse?  It is a really beautiful spot on the Pt Arena headland of the Mendocino coast. It is a windy fresh air filled spot on one of the most beautiful coasts of north America. Rugged coastline, pounding surf, barking seals, sea gulls crying and whirling with the wind and California Brown Pelicans diving into the sea to catch their breakfast lunch or dinner.  I am sure that 100 years ago these were treacherous waters for the ships that would sail to the town of Mendocino to load up logs and lumber.

The lighhouse was first built in the 1870's but was damaged by the 1906 earthquake and susbequently rebuilt out of concrete and steel.  The lighthouse is 115 feet tall, so it is a good climb up a lot of steps for a great view. The windswept headland provides tremendous views of rocky steep cliffs and off shore rocks that are constantly battered by the sea.

When Cindy and I visited this beautiful spot, it was a beautiful clear day with no clouds at all. We were able to take a number of photos of the lighthouse and the coastline while we were there sightseeing.  Theis lighthouse is maintained by the Friends of the Lighthouse and has a museum packed with old photos and history of this site. There is also a gift shop with many interesting gifts.

I decided that this lighthouse would be a great subject for a pastel painting and so I began searching through our photographs for the pictures we took. I finally found a series of photos and found one that would be a good reference for me. I was not daunted by the difficult rock formations and busy sea scape that provided a great challenge for me to paint. I did note that the photos were devoid of clouds but this grand lighthouse needed clouds to set it off.  Ever the artist, I added some great cumulous clouds to frame it. Hope you enjoy the finished painting. Hopefully it will inspire you to visit theis gorgeous coast to see it for yourself.