Description
We love this painting by John Lecours of our harbor lighthouse. Catching that moment where you find yourself very relaxed as you float on Lake Sunapee quietly, peacefully and completely entranced by the moment.
In the late nineteenth century, the beautiful lake became a popular destination for travelers from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. The tourists arrived by train to Sunapee Harbor and then boarded steamships bound for the swank resort hotels and family estates sprinkled along the shoreline.
In 1891, the steamer Edmund Burke struck submerged ledge at Loon Island. This led to the construction of a lighthouse on this small island near the middle of the lake. The wooden tower was built in 1893 by the Woodsum brothers, owners of the lake’s steamships, at a cost of $400. In 1896, the lighthouse ironically caught fire when the fire department was working on repairs. The firemen extinguished the fire with lake water, and finished their repairs. The tower was struck by lightning in 1960 and burned down. It was rebuilt that same year, after a fund drive for private contributions. In the 1980s, solar panels were installed in the lighthouse.
Loon Island Lighthouse still guides the watercraft that use the lake for recreation.
I have discovered Plein Air painting in Portsmouth Harbor… “the intuitive dialogue with the Sea and the Elements has allowed me to produce my most authentic work and has enabled me to discover my true voice as a visual artist. My central aim in painting is to create beautiful imagery. My creative process centers on a direct and intuitive response to nature and its elements in the tradition of JMW Turner and James Abott MacNeil Whistler. I hope to evoke a response in the viewer to these experiences”.
ARTIST STATEMENT…. John takes inspiration from the natural beauty of his native New England. “I have been very fortunate and humbled by my success as an artist, and take none of it for granted as the Art World and Art Market can be very fickle and can change in an instant. Most importantly, my paintings have allowed me to form lasting friendships with collectors from across the United States and Canada.”
John holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Industrial Design from the Rochester Institute of Technology. He grew up in Saratoga Springs, NY. He currently maintains a loft/studio in his Townhome on the Lamprey River in Epping, NH.
