Tisa and Scott's Lighthouse Paintings

In case you no longer own an actual dictionary, here is Webster’s definition of a lighthouse:

“a structure (such as a tower) with a powerful light that gives a continuous or intermittent signal to navigators.”

Iconic lighthouses of the Thousand Islands became our focus this past winter while we were away from these structures. The subject matter acted as a light or direction, leading us to complete five watercolor and pen and ink images of the following beacons: Tibbetts Point, Rock Island, Sunken Rock, Sister Island, and Crossover Island.

Each lighthouse has its own history and purpose even today. Whether they serve now as dwellings or public places, all are viewed by thousands of us as we pass by each year on land and by water.

We hope you enjoy the images and remain curious about each of these structures that have survived numerous winter storms and heat of the sun in the summer. You can find a number of articles with local lighthouses as the subject in previous issues of Thousand Island Life; click on the search button in the menu at the top of this page and enter “lighthouse.”

This series of paintings also became our theme to instruct a watercolor/pen and ink class this summer at the new Thousand Islands Art Center in Clayton. We are teaching this class collaboratively; it will be our first time teaching a class together.
We have also created both giclées and art cards of each one of these images. Check them out along with other River themed art at https://www.tisaandscott.com/

By Christine Tisa and Scott Ouderkirk

Christine Tisa was born in Rochester, NY. The Tisa Gallery in Clayton has moved to Hammond, NY and is now call Atelier 291. Here she works and holds popular events promoting other local artists and the aesthetics of poetry, music, and the visual arts. See this early TI Life profile on Tisa https://thousandislandslife.com/tisa/

Scott Ouderkirk was born in Syracuse, NY and has spent much of his life on and around the water. He works in many different media including stained glass, pen & ink, books, and even wooden boats. His training has included formal university work including an MFA in illustration. Also, many talented people along the way have influenced him informally. He says the latest collaborations with Tisa continue to improve his skills and motivate him. See several of Scott's TI Life articles here.

Editor's Note: We are fortunate to have several articles about lighthouses published in TI Life by Mary Alice Snetsinger. Her in-depth profiles on each of these important Thousand Islands structures can be seen at: https://thousandislandslife.com/author/mary-alice-snetsinger/