LIGHTHOUSE DREAM

Mixed Media Abstract Lighthouse Dream

This painting is based on a vivid dream I had. In the dream I was lying in a narrow canoe like boat at night and drifting towards the Bishop Rock Lighthouse. The Bishop Rock Lighthouse is situated on rocks at the most westerly point of the Isles of Scilly archipelago. I have taken boat trips out there, to the Western Rocks, where I felt the power of the Atlantic Ocean at the point where it deepens dramatically.

I remember as a child staying with a family relative who lived in the end coastguard cottage on St Agnes and, at night, seeing the beams of light from the lighthouse through the bedroom window. I also remember the booming warning sound of the lighthouse’s foghorn when visibility was poor.

In this abstract painting I have tried to capture many different perspectives, incorporating shapes that depict boats, rocks, light beams and drifting fog. The scratches into the paint represent sea and sound waves; the oranges – rust, buoys and lifejackets; and the deep blue tones represent deep water, sleep and dreaming.

I have used a combination of acrylic paint, mixes of cerulean blue, burnt ochre, phthalo turquoise and magenta, as well as titanium white and mars black. The paint has been applied using a variety of brushes and a silicon wedge. I have also applied charcoal and soft pastels to add a different texture and intensity. This painting is built up of layers which have been applied, removed and scratched into.