Masterpiece

This original William R. Davis oil painting is now in the Graves Light library.

Just in time for Christmas, famed marine and landscape artist William R Davis delivered his magnificent painting of Graves Light Station as it looked in the early days.

Bill loves to paint in a traditional 19th century style, and it shows, with lots of little details set in an illuminated sunrise.

“He is a self-taught artist whose oil paintings typically capture the serene light of sunrise or sunset on the water,” the Guild of Boston Artists says.

“He employs many of the techniques traditionally used by American luminist painters to realize his personal vision, showing a marked preference for 19th century subjects.”

We motored out this weekend and gave it a place of honor in the 5th floor library. 

Thank you, Bill, for painting a Graves Light masterpiece!

Comfortably on the curved wall between the cabinet and a functioning section of a US Coast Guard navigational aid, William R. Davis’ painting of Graves Light is now part of the lighthouse.
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Moonrise

GL moonrise 01 2016.08.18
From Winthrop, Boston Herald photographer Mark Garfinkel captured this incredible moonrise over Graves.

A few days earlier, on the night of August 12-13, Mark caught the specactular lightning storm around the lighthouse.

We really enjoy the pictures that friends, fans, and passers-by send along to us from Winthrop, Hull, Nahant, by boat, or wherever. They help chronicle the history of Graves Light and Boston Harbor.

Take a look at Mark’s work on his blog, PictureBoston.com, and on Twitter @PictureBoston.

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Humbled against the electrical storm

Graves lightning credit Mark GNew England weather can be very humbling, even to a lighthouse.

We camped the night of August 12-13 at Graves, in the middle of a spectacular electrical storm that swept New England.

From our position at the top of the lighthouse, we had the perfect place to watch the lightning near closer and closer to Boston, and then sweep across from Plymouth to Salem as the bolts of electricity struck the earth closer and closer to us.

At that point, given that we were at the highest point, more than 100 feet above the sea, and happened to be in a bronze enclosure that conducts electricity, we thought it better to descend to the stone tower. And we didn’t have a proper camera to catch the lightning show anyway.

At the same time, from Winthrop, Boston Herald photographer Mark Garfinkel rolled out of bed and set up his tripod to catch the lightning action over Graves. Above is his picture, a masterful piece of photography that captured the Graves beacon flashing as the lightning struck.

What a magnificent show of the power and majesty of nature.

See Mark’s blog, PictureBoston.com, and follow him on Twitter @PictureBoston.

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