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The smell of salty air carries on the breeze as you wander along the boardwalk window shopping the boutiques. It doesn't matter if you are in a small New England fishing village or a Pacific Coast resort, open the door of any one of the boutiques and you will soon see them. They are everywhere . . . I'm talking about lighthouses . . . Lighthouses of every kind, in every medium imaginable from stained glass to cast alabaster. Hand painted cast sculptures make up the largest percentage of the three-dimensional lights.
The Harbour Lights Company leads the industry in cast lighthouses. Of course, Harbour Lights Company is not the only company creating detailed representations of the coastal sentinels. There are at least a half dozen companies that produce cast lighthouses. The other companies are smaller than Harbour Lights, but that doesn't mean that their collections are less significant. Each of these manufactures have a common interest in promoting lighthouse awareness. They also have in common the basics of how these miniatures are made. A behind the scenes look at the process of creating cast miniatures shows the craftsmanship involved in creating these unique products.
Two-hundred miles from the Pacific Ocean, Bend, Oregon seems like an unlikely place to find a company that makes a collection of regional and Washington lighthouses. Yet, here among the pines and sage of the high desert, Michael and Kathy Morris of Geneses Designs create lighthouses. Michael specializes in sculpting historical reproductions of buildings, Michael states, "In 1992, I started a series of Oregon landmarks so I included a lighthouse. I chose to sculpt one of our most majestic lights, Heceta Head Lighthouse. Heceta was well received and soon gift store owners requested more northwest lights. "In time we completed all of the Oregon and Washington Coastal Lighthouses," Morris says. "The steps one takes to create miniature lights are not unlike the steps that were taken to create the original." Before the architect began drawing he had to research to see what was needed. The first step in creating a lighthouse sculpture is also research. Hours are spent mulling over original blueprints, historical photographs and writings to understand as much as possible about the lighthouse details and the people who built it. Interviews are conducted with those who know the most about the light.
Once the research was completed the architect began sketching and creating detailed construction drawings. So it is with a collectible. When the design drawings are done, sculpting the original begins and may take 60 hours or more to finish. Lead stamps are carved with jeweler's tools to duplicate the size and shape of windowpanes. Special tools are developed to carve and apply siding, brick and rock. The sculpture is developed in two parts, the base separate from the building. When the building is completed it is married to its base and then the finishing landscape details are applied.
The most stressful and sometimes nightmarish step in making a lighthouse is the making of the mold. It takes two to three weeks to make a mold. The mold is made by layering at least 20 coats of latex on the original sculpture, one coat per day. The stress is not knowing, until the first cast is made, if the mold will be any good. The nightmare is knowing that the mold making process usually destroys the original sculpture. If the mold isn't good, you start over. Once a good mold is achieved, then the casting is begun is a special blend of alabaster. Usually the first dozen casts are lost as the unmolding sequence and procedure is learned. The latex mold is peeled off the cast like a surgeon's glove. The trick is knowing which corner comes off first so that a tree top or roof eave isn't broken. It also helps that Kathy has small hands and fingers to work around the Lilliputian lights.
Finally, the painting begins. Each limited edition lighthouse is hand painted with carefully selected colors to bring out the feel and authenticity of the original setting. Michael and his wife, Kathy hand paint every detail from flowers to doorknobs. Painting a lighthouse takes one to two hours. Once the lighthouse is completed and boxed, another lighthouse miniature is ready to be delivered to its new owner. These miniatures become more than just a decoration, they are a constant reminder of the powerful heritage lighthouses represent.
Each company, regardless of size, follows these same basic steps: research, artistic interpretation and careful production techniques. The end product of these endeavors is not only to provide jobs but also to increase public awareness of our coastal history through preserving and providing for more people to be exposed to these strong, old towers of light.
Michael and Kathy Morris live in Bend, Oregon where Michael sculpts and creates architectural miniatures. Michael can be reached at Michael@genesisdesigns.com Catalog: www.genesisdesigns.com
This story appeared in the April 2000 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.
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