Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Pt. Robinson Lighthouse, Washington


Located on the northeast corner of Maury Island in Puget Sound, the lighthouse marks the halfway point between Seattle and Tacoma. Often shrouded in fog, Point Robinson began as a fog signal station on July 1, 1885. A light was added to the station in 1887. Before 1925, Maury Island was only accessible by boat or bridge at high tide. Now, however, the island is easily reached from the larger Vashon Island, via a paved road on a narrow strip of land. This rendering is the third in my series of Washington lighthouses. I still have about 24 to go to complete the series, so I'd better get back to the drawing board soon. In the meantime, I'll continue to post the rest of my Oregon Coast Lighthouses, as well as Horse, Pet, Western and Wildlife portraits. For a complete tour of my "Gallery", please visit my website, and since it's never too early to think about Christmas gifts, check out the products on my website as well as my CafePress storefront.

Friday, August 15, 2008

North Head Lighthouse, Washington

Here is the rendering of the North Head Lighthouse mentioned in last entry. It is located just two miles north of Cape Disappointment Lighthouse because mariners approaching the Columbia River from the north could not see the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse until they had nearly reached the river. So, North Head Lighthouse was built to act as an "early warning" of the mouth of the Columbia, and was lit for the first time on May 16, 1898. North Head shone a fixed white light while Cape Disappointment alternated red and white flashes to differentiate between the two. This rendering is the second in my series of Washington State lighthouses. Next up will be Pt. Robinson, and then I have to get back to the drawing board to continue the series.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

What's new!

Just a little information today. I'll post my next image over the next day or so. For now, I just wanted to post an update on what's been going on in the past year. As I've mentioned in my profile, I added a wholesale outlet for those who may be shop-owners to check out. This can be found at WholesaleCrafts.com, and I've provided a link in my "Links" section. Just look for me at Art from the Inkwell (catchy name). Of course, anyone interested in wholesale can always contact me through my website as well. I've also joined a viral network geared to women, (since they do most of the shopping) called HerOrbit.com, and a link is provided for this site also.

I've incorporated a PayPal shopping cart on my website, for safe, easy and secure shopping, and I've just added a Gift Certificate option. This will be updated shortly, as PayPal now offers this option as well, so I just need to get the html for my site. I've also added to my CafePress.com storefront, so for those who like to get a head start on Christmas shopping, I now have quite a few options available to check out. Everything from notecards, to T-Shirts, to calendars, to laser-engraved gift items can now be found on my website or other storefronts.

Over the coming months, I'd like to use this blog to not only feature my artwork, but that of all my artistic friends. I'm not sure how I'll do it yet, maybe Artist of the Month or something like that, so check back often for more details. And hopefully, I'll be able to start participating in other forums (sports, politics, movies, etc.), and the blog will be used to expand and expound whatever topics are being discussed.

So, I guess that's about it for now, but hey, I actually made two posts on consecutive days. That's something of a record for me. More later.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Let's try this again!! Cape Disappointment Lighthouse

Whew! It's been awhile. The last time, I took a 3 month break. This time it's been over a year. Time flies when you're having fun (or not - it just flies, especially the older you get!) Anyway, I have some new artwork to post, so I thought I'd get going again. I'll start off with a couple of lighthouses, since that is where I left off last go-round. Cape Disappointment is the first in my series of Washington State lighthouses. The lighthouse is owned by the Coast Guard, and the grounds are open to the public, although the tower is closed. The lighthouse has continued to watch over the entrance of the Columbia River since it was first lit on October 15, 1856. It stands 53 feet tall with a focal plane 220 feet above sea. Its black horizontal stripe was added later to distinguish it from North Head Lighthouse located just two miles north. (North Head Lighthouse will be my next posting). The cape, located on the north side of the mouth to the Columbia River, was originally named "Kah'eese by the local Indians. On July 6, 1788, Captain John Meares sought shelter here from a particularly turbulent sea, but to no avail, and he named the cape "Cape Disappointment". You'll notice the name Meares from a previous posting, Cape Meares Lighthouse, located near Tillamook, Oregon. Something new: I now have a listing on WholesaleCrafts.com, as well as HerOrbit.com, and will add these links to the panel on the right. The eBay storefront has been closed for the time being, and that link will be removed. Finally, I now have gift certificates available on my website as well, and hope to be adding more artwork and more products there in the near future. Appreciate any feedback from this or previous posts. Thanks.