“Seafarer’s Guiding Light” 16″ x 20″ Acrylic on Canvas Panel

I have always been amazed by the North Carolina lighthouses.. and often surprised at the number of North Carolinians who have never visited them.

Highly recognizable, the black and white diamond decked lighthouse at Cape Lookout was not always black and white, nor was it a lighthouse. Since, there is no house attached, the structure is really a light tower. In fact, of the four lighthouses protecting North Carolina’s Outer Banks, only the lighthouse at Currituck Beach is an actual lighthouse; the other three, Cape Lookout, Cape Hatteras, and Bodie Island are light towers. Their names changed to lighthouses, when authorities conceded after much confusion; everyone insisted upon calling them all lighthouses.

Built in 1812, the original octagonal light tower at Cape Lookout, painted red and white, was only 98′ tall. Even perched atop the 8′ sand dune, the structure was too small, too ineffective, mariners rightfully, complained. Throughout history, over 600 ships have sunk along the coast of the Outer Banks. The area off the Carolina coast, dubbed the graveyard of the Atlantic, was too dangerous to traverse without an effective guiding light, claimed Sea Captains. Along this section of the outer banks, hidden shoals extend for 14 miles out into the Atlantic. The shallow sandbars constantly shift under the pressures of the strong currents. Here the cold waters of the Labradors meet the warm waters of the Gulf Stream and they furiously collide, and clash. The effects of the treacherous hidden shoals, combined with the strong currents, can rip a ship to shreds in a matter of minutes. “There is greater danger from seeking the light than any danger it marked,” Seafarers claimed referring to the poorly designed lighthouse.

If you have ever boated to “The Cape” you know that the weather and conditions can change rapidly. Small crafts, as the one depicted in my latest painting, can suddenly become very frightening places to be. The one thing missing from the painting are the life jackets on the sailors. Whenever I heard the words, “get out the life jackets,” I knew that it would be a roller coaster of a ride home! And, you can not get out and walk, if you do not like gigantic swells.

At the bottom of a wave trough, you see only walls of neighboring swells. Above the walls of water, you see only sky. At the top of the trough you can see as far as the eyes can see, as if atop a mountain.

To this day, rapidly changing conditions at sea impact and remain clear in my mind from days long past.

Pine Knoll Shores, NC—the 24th Annual North Carolina Seafood Festival presented by U.S. Cellular, unveiled the original artwork for this year’s Festival at the North Carolina Aquarium in Pine Knoll Shores. Artist Sharon Kearns is this year’s artist of the artwork selected by the Board of Director’s called “Today’s Catch”.

Sharon Kearns, an artist from Concord, North Carolina, has spent summers on the Crystal Coast since she was a child. Her inspiration for “Today’s Catch” came from family trips to local fish markets to buy the evening’s feast.

Kearns’s body of work ranges in subjects and reflects her love of coastal areas, small towns, historic buildings, and sprawling landscapes. Her original paintings, illustrations, and limited edition prints can be found in galleries, as well as corporate and private collections along the East Coast. Kearns’s strong composition skills, infused with both imagination and realism, transports viewers to remote and overlooked places like an abandoned hunt club on the North Carolina coast or a beach path well worn by children’s bare feet.

Ironically, although she has always had a creative flair and a desire to illustrate, Kearns holds no formal artistic training. She graduated from St. Mary’s College in 1981 with an associate of arts degree and from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1983 with a bachelor’s degree in business communications.

“The Board was intrigued with the use of colors and the fact that the painting represented the local fish houses and the types of local seafood available”, stated Stephanie McIntyre, Executive Director.  Artist from all over the state sent in paintings for the prestigious claim of Seafood Festival Artist. Only 1,000 prints are created and sold county wide at various frame shops and at the Festival office in downtown Morehead City. “We are pleased to have Sharon as our artist for this 24th year” said Dr. Denny Lawrence, Chair of the 2010 NC Seafood Festival, “Along with the incredible colors in the painting, I was impressed with the fact that the painting was inspired by her memories of visiting the fish house as a child growing up and vacationing in the area”.

Prints can be purchased by calling 252-726-6273 or visiting our website at www.ncseafoodfestival.org or from various frame shops in Carteret County. They will also be sold on the waterfront at the North Carolina Seafood Festival on the waterfront in Morehead City October 1-3, 2010.

“Sailing at Cape Lookout” took a bit of a different turn. I decided to move the sailboat around (from the original sketched position) to a more horizontal position, and add the additional sailboat in the background. My hope was to add more interest and activity. This painting completes the series. I will deliver them tomorrow to Tidewater Gallery in Swansboro! Stay tuned for the next project!