California Lighthouse Point Arena
by Irina Sztukowski
Title
California Lighthouse Point Arena
Artist
Irina Sztukowski
Medium
Painting - Watercolor
Description
California Lighthouse Point Arena is a watercolor painting from the series Landscapes of California by the artist Irina Sztukowski.
The Lighthouse is situated on the closest point of land to the Hawaiian Islands in the Continental United States. The point is surrounded on three sides by the Pacific Ocean which keeps the area cool.
The Point Arena Lighthouse is set in one of the most spectacular and peaceful surroundings on the northern California coast. The Point Arena tower is the only Pacific West coast lighthouse of significant height(115 feet) that you can climb to the top! Access to the lantern room provides a panoramic view of the rugged California coast and of the ocean.
A Little bit of history:
The first lighthouse at this site was constructed in 1870. The brick-and-mortar tower included ornate iron balcony supports and a large Keeper residence with enough space to house several families. In April 1906, a devastating earthquake struck the Light Station. The Keeper's residence and Lighthouse were damaged so severely that they had to be demolished.
The new lighthouse began operation in 1908, nearly 18 months after the quake. It stands 115 feet (35 m) tall, and featured a 1st Order Fresnel Lens, over six feet in diameter and weighing more than six tons. The lens was made up of 666 hand-ground glass prisms all focused toward three sets of double bullseyes. It was these bullseyes that gave the Point Arena Lighthouse its unique "light signature" of two flashes every six seconds. This incredible optic, that held an appraised value of over $3.5 million, was set in solid brass framework, and was built in France. Prior to the introduction of electricity, the lens was rotated by a clockwork mechanism. The Keepers, or "wickies" as they were called, had to hand crank a 160-pound weight up the center shaft of the lighthouse every 75 minutes to keep the lens turning. Light was produced by a "Funks" hydraulic oil lamp, that needed to be refueled every four hours, and whose wicks would have to be trimmed regularly. Later, two 1,000 watt electric lamps were installed to replace the oil lamp, and a 1⁄8 horsepower electric motor was installed to replace the clockworks.
Nowadays (since 1984) nonprofit organization called the Point Arena Lighthouse Keepers takes care of this place providing diligent historic preservation of this beautiful place.
(info:courtesy to wiki and pointarenalighthouse.com/)
When you purchase a print, you can e-mail the date of purchase and the image title to Irina, and she will personally send you Certificate of Authenticity with her signature.
If you are interested in special promotions, discount codes, requesting a commission painting, or wish to license this particular artwork or a series of artworks, please contact Irina directly.
Uploaded
November 9th, 2016
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