For artist Ty Meier, lighthouses are beacons and warnings, less about safe harbors and more about the adventures along the way. In this acrylic painting Meier explores movement and texture, using thick paint to capture the chaotic energy of the sea and the fractals of foam, waves, sky, rocks, and dragon.
After posting a draft online, a fan suggested the perfect name: "Lighthouse Keeper."
The seahorse dragon came about because Ty, in his constant quest to find indoor shows instead of weather-plagued outdoor art markets, applied to show at a MonsterCon. The trouble is Ty doesn’t draw too many monsters or even predators at all. He likes to say “When I was young I drew a lot of dragons but now that I’m older I draw a lot of birds, and that’s what happens as you get older”. So the seahorse dragon came out oddly adorable, but not much good for a MonsterCon. oh well.
Coastal Art Galleries cajole artists to do lighthouses because they are crowd-pleasing easy sellers, but when Ty presents them with this painting they say “NOT LIKE THAT!”.
Despite the MonsterCon and the Galleries, prints of ‘Lighthouse Keeper’ have sold well enough at coastal art markets in New Hampshire and Massachusetts that it’s become a cornerstone of Ty’s art shows wherever he goes… although he does swear he’ll redo it someday.
This artwork is a 8" x 10" print that Meier meticulously mounted to a hand-painted wood panel, then applied texture and brushstrokes with an acrylic medium, and finally lacquered, creating a one-of-a-kind object.