Graphic artist Alan Claude grew up in the shadow of a lighthouse, literally. On the shores of Biarritz, France, he and his older brother played day-long under a towering lighthouse while their mother worked.
When the internet age allowed Claude to move his career to Maine, lighthouses again figured largely in his experience. He and his wife were married at sunrise at the diminutive Marshall Point Lighthouse in Port Clyde. This memorable event, as well as the inspiration of a coastline spotted with lighthouses, provoked Claude to create a series of bold illustrations of Maine’s most well-known landmarks.
With American realist Edward Hopper’s crisply delineated forms and the dramatic style of 1920s travel posters as clear influences, Claude’s lighthouse works have the appearance of classic, silk-screened images, infused with a fresh and modern feel.
Skilled with pen and ink, photography, and digital illustration, Claude says he meticulously rendered these historic structures as a way of honoring them.
He told Maine Discovery Coast magazine, “They are positive symbols of vision, hope, endurance, and scenic beauty. Each has its own personality, its own characteristics.”
The series is available as limited edition, high-quality, offset lithographs in various sizes, and in a 2010 Lighthouse Poster Calendar. For more information, visit the artist's Web site.
