City’s Gatekeepers, Boston Light

Little Brewster Island, Boston Harbor

This second watercolor, City’s Gatekeeper Boston Light, was derived from my many site photos and prepared at the invitation of the National Park Service (NPS) for its 100th Anniversary, and Boston Light’s 300th Anniversary. This composition focused on the Gatekeeper’s house near the Island’s pier, with a dramatic bright sky, and the remarkable sea fog that carried across the city’s waterfront. The lower building is the erstwhile reception center for visitors, with displays and equipment and storage, and the gatekeeper’s house is shown only on its entry facade. Though not too distant from the city, the isolated feel of Little Brewster Island is suggested by the rocky edge at low tide, but enlivened by USCG Gatekeeper Sally Snowman’s garden, picnic table and flag standard, along the winding path leading to the Lighthouse. The temperature of the piece divides at the upper half, from the cool hues of the sky, skyline, and sea, as well as the shaded and shadowed surfaces of the buildings; with the lower half in a variety of warm hues for the brightly lit irregular grassy and sandy land mass and rocks. In an active cloudscape, a late afternoon sun created some deep shadows on the buildings, which were eye-leading diagonals within the vertical composition and a contrast to the horizontal edges. The pathway and shoreline also offer their own visual curvature to complement the two partially shown structures. This piece, with its sister watercolor, was also on display for the 100th Anniversary exhibit & events on Boston’s waterfront in late August 2016. Please also see Jeremy D’Entremont’s comprehensive lighthouse site at http://www.newenglandlighthouses.net/boston.html