Looking Up at the Lighthouse II

• What is your name, and where do you live?

  HI! My name is Ben Dalton, I’m originally from Texas, and I currently live in the Lake Conroe area of southeastern Texas.

• 

  Looking Up at the Lighthouse II, by Audrey Beckert

  
  

• What is the title, who is the

  creator, and where did you purchase it?

  The painting I am talking about today is called “Looking up at the Lighthouse II”, by Audrey Beckert of Cape May, New Jersey. I actually came across this piece online, through an online art magazine publication…. and that is a story in and of itself. (For the record, Ben & Audrey dated in the 1980's, when they lived inHouston, and they randomly reconnected when he was browsing the internet for art.)

  
  

  

  Ben & Audrey, June 1985. Note the boombox next to Ben. We listened to a lot of Tom Petty & the Hearbreakers, Foreigner, U2, and Dire Straits.

• What first drew you to the item and has that sentiment changed in any way?

  I collect art that reminds me of places I have been that I enjoyed--The Pacific Northwest, the American Southwest, especially the desert areas--and I like art that evokes my sense of memory of a particular time or place. This painting I found while I was looking specifically for Mid-Atlantic lighthouse art. My collection is important to me, and I enjoy it a just as one might browse through old photos, reminiscing of the past. Artist's representations can bring a whole new perspective to places by utilizing different colors, textures, or abstractions.

  My sentiment so far is very much unchanged, as I am fairly new to collecting art from the Mid-Atlantic region. As for the piece in question, I pause and look at it almost daily, and it works - it most definitely makes me think both of warm summer breezes and harsh winter storms, all of the weather that a lighthouse would have to face. The artist used color and tight cropping to bring the lighthouse to life in a way that photos do not, transforming a physical landmark that has an important use into a decorative subject that commands attention. Her use of exaggerated bright color in the composition is what caught my eye and drew me in, as opposed to paintings of the same lighthouse by other artists.

  
  

• Does this item fit with other parts of your collection, or is it different for you?

  I actively collect paintings that reflect many different areas of the country. In that sense, this painting is very representative of a scene from the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S and fits my collection very well. But, I would have a difficult time defining exactly where my collection is going, or when it might be complete. I trust that I will know my next acquisitions when I see them. I have been looking recently at paintings of the Grand Canyon, and while I have seen many, I haven’t found “that one” yet.

  My collection to some may look like haphazard landscapes, monuments and landmarks, but to me it is the scenery and story of our country, told through artist's eyes. I would hope that, if any number of people were able to view my collection, they might be in awe of the art itself but also inspired "to get off my butt and get out there and see some of this for myself."

  
  

• Where do you display or use it?

  As for displaying my art, I really don’t have any structure for that. It is all over the house, and I don't necessarily worry too much about keeping art from specific geographical regions together. I will put paintings into a room or on a wall based on whether or not I like it there, and if I like it with what else is in that room. I will move things a lot, if the size of the painting makes sense to move to a different spot, but I don't generally pre-plan. Good thing I have lots of walls, I suppose….

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